We were not sure that this was a boat when we first saw its outline near the shores of Little Shark River. Is it an RV? Are there roads over to this desolate part of the Everglades? No—I think it’s a boat. It’s a camper mounted on a pontoon boat with a dinghy boat filled with coolers, gas cans and “stuff.” We thought this guy is definitely headed south to Key West.
Imagine our surprise when we were leaving the Shark River anchorage this morning and heard the Coast Guard asking if anyone had sited the boat, Pandora’s Box. They were about to deploy helicopters to search for him. As we listened more to the alert, we figured out that it had to be the above boat. It seems that his mother reported him missing after being overdue 3 days. The Coast Guard wanted to know his location and ascertain if he needed help.
We were ½ mile south of him and called Pandora’s Box on Channel 16. The boater answered promptly that he could hear the CG transmissions but they were not receiving his from his low voltage radio. He seemed embarrassed about all the fuss and assured us that he was fine and was headed to the Keys. We relayed all the above to the CG.
Any mother looking at this “boat” would be worried. Rest assured Gary’s mom that your son is fine and having the adventure of his life, but keep up your prayers.
Imagine our surprise when we were leaving the Shark River anchorage this morning and heard the Coast Guard asking if anyone had sited the boat, Pandora’s Box. They were about to deploy helicopters to search for him. As we listened more to the alert, we figured out that it had to be the above boat. It seems that his mother reported him missing after being overdue 3 days. The Coast Guard wanted to know his location and ascertain if he needed help.
We were ½ mile south of him and called Pandora’s Box on Channel 16. The boater answered promptly that he could hear the CG transmissions but they were not receiving his from his low voltage radio. He seemed embarrassed about all the fuss and assured us that he was fine and was headed to the Keys. We relayed all the above to the CG.
Any mother looking at this “boat” would be worried. Rest assured Gary’s mom that your son is fine and having the adventure of his life, but keep up your prayers.
