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Uncertain voyage of the 'Tranquility'

A mystery at sea entangles a daughter's gift.

By WAVENEY ANN MOORE, Times Staff Writer
Published November 28, 2007

The couple who found the Tranquility have been offered 25 percent of the value of the boat, which the Pinellas Marine Institute is giving up. The 37-foot sailboat was discovered anchored 65 nautical miles west of John's Pass.
	[Photo courtesy of Gail Wohl]

ADVERTISEMENT [Photo courtesy of Gail Wohl] Sam Didier III is thought to have died at sea. The couple who found his boat want to be compensated.

ST. PETE BEACH

Renee Leonard wanted something good to come from her father's apparent death at sea, so after the U.S. Coast Guard towed his abandoned sailboat ashore, she decided to donate it to a worthy cause.

She chose the Pinellas Marine Institute in Pass-a-Grille, which helps nonviolent youth offenders learn about marine science, work toward their high school equivalency diplomas or return to regular classes.

A few days after the donation, however, Leonard got surprising news.

Ronald and Sunshine Rathey, who found the Tranquility anchored 65 nautical miles west of John's Pass and notified the Coast Guard, were claiming a maritime lien against the vessel.

Leonard, 35, who lives in Knoxville, Tenn., is upset, but unsure of what she can do.

"That boat was representative of my father, and it means a lot to me what happens to that boat," she said.

Abandoned boat?

According to a Coast Guard report, the Ratheys, who were aboard their vessel, Sundancer, reported spotting what appeared to be an abandoned sailboat at 2:25 p.m. on Oct. 18.

At 3:35 p.m. the Coast Guard launched a search for Leonard's father, Ulyses Emanuel "Sam" Didier III. The search included a cutter, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. It went on for 28 hours.

Chief Petty Officer Paul R. Angelillo said the area searched was determined by special computer software that showed how far Didier might have drifted since he last wrote in his log, three days before his boat was found.

"He was diligent about keeping a record of his voyage. That he fell overboard seems to be the only explanation," Angelillo said.

He said the Coast Guard asked the Ratheys to board the sailboat to find out whether anyone was on the boat. The agency also asked the couple to remain on the scene until the Coast Guard cutter Hawk arrived.

"The idea is that you want to talk to them and get a feel for what they found and you want to make sure that there's nothing untoward. Once Hawk was on the scene, I don't recall us asking them to remain on scene," Angelillo said, adding that the Ratheys' official involvement in the incident would have been about five hours.

The Ratheys, who make their livelihood fishing, contend through their lawyer that they remained with the Tranquility and protected it at a financial loss to themselves. They want to be compensated.

Star Moran, business manager for the Pinellas Marine Institute, said the organization tried to reach an agreement with the Ratheys by offering them 15 percent of the boat's selling price. The couple rejected the offer. The legal entanglement has forced the institute to ask that the 37-foot sailboat be removed from its property.

"We are not able to accept the donation because we can't place ourselves in the middle of legal action over this boat," Moran said of the institute that serves about 200 to 250 young people a year.

"One of the main ways that we get private funding is through our boat donation program, so this is one of those boats. We take it in, clean it up and put it up for sale and use the proceeds of the boat," Moran said.

Surreal news

Leonard was on vacation in Orlando on Oct. 18 with her husband and two young children when she got the news about her father and the boat he'd put in her name.

"I didn't know what to think at the time.It was just all very surreal," she said, adding that the Coast Guard told her a commercial fishing vessel had come across her father's boat.

"It wasn't unusual for him to anchor in deep water 120 feet. He was a very accomplished sailor. I don't know what made them approach the boat, because it was anchored, unless it was seeing it so far off shore," she said.

Frank D. Butler, the Ratheys' maritime lawyer, said his clients "saw up at the bow that there was evidence that somebody had been trying to contend with the anchor and may have fallen over."

Butler said his clients performed a service for the abandoned boat. Under maritime law, he said, "when somebody provides a service for a vessel, like fuel, repairs, it creates a maritime lien against the vessel." Butler has sent a letter explaining the Ratheys' position to the Pinellas Marine Institute.

In a telephone interview last week, Butler said Leonard originally offered to sell his clients the sailboat for a small amount.

"She was trying to do something with it and I think a donation is a good idea, but my guys are out there saying, 'We lost quite a bit of money out there. What about us?' " he said.

Leonard denies making an offer.

"All I said when I called them was thanks. I didn't offer to make a deal with them. I think they asked me what I was going to do with the boat and I said I didn't know," she said.

Butler said his clients think the Pinellas Marine Institute has underestimated the value of the Tranquility.

"The estimate from PMI was that the vessel might bring $5,000. What they would like to do is discuss the situation with the family and see what can be worked out. We're trying to be sensitive to the fact that the gentleman apparently lost his life here," he said.

Gail Wohl, who lives in South Pasadena, was one of Didier's friends. They sailed to Key West and Cuba.

"He was a true sailor. He used the motor only to get him out of difficult places," Wohl said.

"We assume that Sam had some sort of health problem and had a stroke or something and fell off the boat," said Shreveport lawyer Claudius Whitmeyer, who grew up with Didier and was a longtime friend.

Whitmeyer, who is representing Didier's daughter in the dispute with the Ratheys, said his friend was a bit eccentric, but principled and generous.

Didier was in Slidell, La., during Hurricane Katrina when his boat broke from its moorings, Whitmeyer said. He jumped in the water, swam to it and lived for weeks on the vessel, at that time listing at a 45-degree angle.

What's it worth?

Whitmeyer said the Tranquility needs a lot of work.

"It's not something that's worth a lot of money, about $3,000 to $5,000. I've been told that the Blue Book says it's worth $20,000. He hadn't been able to take care of it," the lawyer said, adding that Didier survived on odd jobs and the kindness of friends.

The former U.S. Army officer and salesman was 69 when he disappeared from the boat that he'd called home for many years.

Last week Whitmeyer made an offer to the Ratheys' lawyer.

"We offered them 25 percent," he said. Butler said he is willing to discuss the offer.

Meanwhile, the Pinellas Marine Institute has given Didier's daughter 30 days to remove the boat from its dock.

Waveney Ann Moore can be reached at wmoore@sptimes.com or (727) 892-2283. Times researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this article.

- The Voyage begins: Ulyses Emanuel "Sam" Didier III was a man of the sea and often a man of few words. He began his voyage in Slidell, La., in August. Presumed destination: South Pasadena.

- A few stops along the way: In September, family members say, he stopped in Mobile, Ala.By Oct. 8, he had arrived in the Apalachicola area. He called a friend from nearby Panama City.

- Boat discovered: On Oct. 15 he was about 65 miles west of John's Pass, where he made his final entry into his vessel's log. On the 18th, theTranquility was found, but Sam Didier was gone.

[Last modified November 27, 2007, 21:52:00]