Mystery of the Mary Celeste.

Mary Celeste  was an American merchant  brigantine discovered adrift and deserted in the Atlantic Ocean off the zores Azores Islands on December 4, 1872. The Canadian brigantine Dei Gratia found her in a dishevelled but seaworthy condition under partial sail and with her lifeboat missing. The last entry in her log was dated ten days earlier. She had left New York City for Genoa on November 7 and was still amply provisioned when found. Her cargo of denatured alcohol was intact, and the captain's and crew's personal belongings were undisturbed. None of those who had been on board were ever seen or heard from again.

Mystery of the Mary Celeste.

Mary Celeste  was an American merchant  brigantine discovered adrift and deserted in the Atlantic Ocean off the zores Azores Islands on December 4, 1872. The Canadian brigantine Dei Gratia found her in a dishevelled but seaworthy condition under partial sail and with her lifeboat missing. The last entry in her log was dated ten days earlier. She had left New York City for Genoa on November 7 and was still amply provisioned when found. Her cargo of denatured alcohol was intact, and the captain's and crew's personal belongings were undisturbed. None of those who had been on board were ever seen or heard from again.

Well if you check where the Azores are the ship would get the hot dry winds from it's east from western Africa. That's where most of your hurricanes start off from each year.

Also look at this weather chart and the ship wasn't discovered until into Dec and started off in Hurricane season.

You also noted the ship was untidy and under partial sail but her life boat was missing. Storm came up and threw everything around on the ship including cargo until the crew got scared and took to the life boat. Then the winds would have carried them back toward North America and sank in rough seas mystery solved.

So do you think Shula that a small 14-15 foot wooden life boat could survive theses waves in the Atlantic?

Very unlikely.

I've seen a TV programme that suggests that the crew got into the "lifeboat" within sight of the Azores following some suspected danger from the unstable cargo, but they never made the few miles to land.     

That sounds a reasonable explanation.  In the ocean their bodies would never be found.

On land here in the U.S., the body of Teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa has never been found.  He disappeared on 30 July 1975 in Oakland County, Michigan.  Numerous clues and a confession of the whereabouts of his body have proved fruitless to this day.

I have no idea.  I've only been out on a sailboat and a canoe.  What do I know about boats?  The Mary Celeste was listed as one of America's mysteries and Mark wants mysteries.  Sounds like you've solved this one, though.

Most so call Mysteries can be solved with modern records and equipment now. Some things are made Mysteries to attract tourists. The Lockness monster is one of them.

I've seen a TV programme that suggests that the crew got into the "lifeboat" within sight of the Azores following some suspected danger from the unstable cargo, but they never made the few miles to land.     

There must have been bad weather to make the cargo unstable in the first place Mark and enough of it to make the crew take to the life boat. 

Shula has only been out in a canoe and sail boat she says, so I can imagine what shape her knickers would be in if she was out in 30 ft swells. Would probably make a good movie though, eh.

Yes we need more Mysteries to examine.