FL FL - Isabella Hellmann, 41, catamaran off Cay Sal, SE of the FL Keys, 14 May 2017 #1 *GUILTY*

[msphilosopher]

Hmmm...have to admit that it's pretty suspicious that he needed his wife's help bringing the boat stateside considering she didnt have boating experience...and especially considering they'd be crossing waters littered with various debris/flotsam...

https://www.local10.com/news/florid...tigation-in-delray-beach-womans-disappearance

Husband under investigation in Delray Beach woman's disappearance
Sister-in-law of Isabella Hellmann blames husband for her death
By Peter Burke - Local10.com Managing Editor
Posted: 8:58 AM, June 01, 2017
Updated: 3:19 PM, June 01, 2017

I've been very confused about the point of this trip as well. The catamaran arrived at st. marten on April 8th, they left for st. marten the 29th, Isabella didn't want to go but needed to, they were bringing it back for "hurricane season", but Bennet's business partner was coming to help Bennet take it back to Australia...

So, WHY did the boat even come to st. marten IF it was supposed to be going back to Australia?

Isabella's sister said this was not a honey moon, but more like a task they needed to get done so they went together.

I'm guessing the boat came because of Bennet's "business" that we still don't know about.... lol

 

[tbum]

Could his response to the question about dropping the anchor be a result of him thinking that they were questioning him as to why he was sleeping while Isabella was on watch overnight? In other words, why didn't they drop the anchor and both take a break and get some sleep? That is the only way that his answer could even start to make sense.

 

[Hiandmighty]

All water is littered with debris/floatsam. I've run across very interesting threads before on what people have enocuntered in the water, including bundles of drugs.

I was on a cruise in April and we had to stop and inspect a capsized boat.

I don't have a boating or captain's license and I pilot our boat. You learn through experience. If you take a beginning sailing class, they throw you right in with rigging and all.

Boatng isn't for sissies. There is a level of risk, but man, it is my most favorite thing. I am at home on the water.

 

[bears10]

I've been very confused about the point of this trip as well. The catamaran arrived at st. marten on April 8th, they left for st. marten the 29th, Isabella didn't want to go but needed to, they were bringing it back for "hurricane season", but Bennet's business partner was coming to help Bennet take it back to Australia...

So, WHY did the boat even come to st. marten IF it was supposed to be going back to Australia?

Isabella's sister said this was not a honey moon, but more like a task they needed to get done so they went together.

I'm guessing the boat came because of Bennet's "business" that we still don't know about.... lol

Good point. Disclaimer - I don't know anything about boating but- Why didn't his business partner go with him to get the boat and then go straight to Australia? Instead of St Marten to FL then to Australia? That way Isabella could have stayed with the baby. If the business partner was already making trip to Australia, what's a few more days?

I am confused about the business partner's role to be honest.

 

[TTF14]

Her family said that he said that. Its part of what makes me think they misunderstood whatever he said.

They wanted to know why he didn't drop anchor. You can"t drop anchor in 3-4,000 feet of water and/or when the boat is taking on water!

For reasons known to them, they are suspicious of him. They don't believe or don't care that he was also in a survival situation once he awoke (taking his story at face value)

If it's true that the water was too deep to drop anchor, what's your theory on the boat hitting something that caused damage on the BOTTOM of the boat? I'm asking you because I know nothing at all about boating.

 

[Hatfield]

IF this was an accident, wondering if she was in the bathroom and hit her head and was unconscious.

Bennet coming top side with Isabella "no where to be seen"(sounds like meaning in plain sight) and takes over steering the boat at the helm..

IF the boat was taking on water quickly he may have called out for her looking in plain sight but no response.

IMO the vessel needs to be thoroughly checked...

Hazard / tracking device that the coat guard put on the catamaran said the battery died so now we don't know where it is? How long does it last? Could it have been damaged by someone removing it?

Im really surprised when rescuers picked him up that it was reported they allowed him to retrieve some items from the boat.

WTH does that mean?

Did they lower him onto the boat and only he went inside the boat?

If so then it seems to me they would have at least been able to see whatever hole was supposed to be in the side or bottom of the boat.
Because they would have had to have been close enough to look down at it.

Its just unusual to hear of rescuers allowing a person to retrieve things from the boat accident. Usually they pull someone out of the water and that is it. Due to safety reasons they usually dont allow special things like going back on the boat.

 

[Hatfield]

If it's true that the water was too deep to drop anchor, what's your theory on the boat hitting something that caused damage on the BOTTOM of the boat? I'm asking you because I know nothing at all about boating.

Jumping on the question because its a great question.

I just have a small boat so I dont know anything about salt water deep sea boating but I do know that if it was too deep to drop anchor then if they hit something floating in the water then wouldnt the object just get shifted in the water? I dont think it would be enough to knock a person overboard unless the floating object was so large and big like another boat.

I had assumed they hit a rock but now not so sure since talk of deep water.

 

[JerseyGirl]

I don't think this backpack of his was on the catamaran. I'm thinking he packed up all his electronics before going onto the life raft and he may have left it behind when they pulled him up in the basket and they allowed him to return to the life raft in order to retrieve the backpack? This is just a guess on my part.

Guessing only because he made phone calls sometime before 3:00 a.m. to the Coast Guard, his "business partner", and his sister-in-law. So he had the bag on him (or at least the satellite phone).

I'm guessing he called the "business partner" because then how did the business partner know Bennett was in need of help???

 

[TTF14]

I would still looooovvveee to know what Mr. Bennett does for a living.

 

[Hiandmighty]

If it's true that the water was too deep to drop anchor, what's your theory on the boat hitting something that caused damage on the BOTTOM of the boat? I'm asking you because I know nothing at all about boating.

Absolutely possible and could have been anything

 

[JerseyGirl]

Jumping on the question because its a great question.

I just have a small boat so I dont know anything about salt water deep sea boating but I do know that if it was too deep to drop anchor then if they hit something floating in the water then wouldnt the object just get shifted in the water? I dont think it would be enough to knock a person overboard unless the floating object was so large and big like another boat.

I had assumed they hit a rock but now not so sure since talk of deep water.

That's what I don't understand. Clearly it wasn't a rock because he was picked up in 4,800 feet of water.

If it was a large piece of flotsam, why didn't that piece float along with Bennett's life raft and the boat, since he was found close to his boat.

Strange how Isabella and the item the boat "struck" were not also in the vicinity of where he was found.

 

[Hiandmighty]

Jumping on the question because its a great question.

I just have a small boat so I dont know anything about salt water deep sea boating but I do know that if it was too deep to drop anchor then if they hit something floating in the water then wouldnt the object just get shifted in the water? I dont think it would be enough to knock a person overboard unless the floating object was so large and big like another boat.

I had assumed they hit a rock but now not so sure since talk of deep water.

It is very likely my opinion a shipping container that fell off a ship. It could have been in any state of submersion/partial submersion...

It's possible it sunk after the collision

 

[TTF14]

It is very likely my opinion a shipping container that fell off a ship. It could have been in any state of submersion/partial submersion...

Do shipping containers frequently fall off ships? Aren't they secured in some way?

 

[JerseyGirl]

It is very likely my opinion a shipping container that fell off a ship. It could have been in any state of submersion/partial submersion...

Why did he not plan ahead in Cuba to get some rest before sailing to Key West?? I still do not understand WHY he left her navigating a boat, overnight, where there are shipping channels and uncharted waters???

he's the captain with the sailing experience, from what I read they have sailed before but with others, not just the two of them.

 

[Bently]

Im really surprised when rescuers picked him up that it was reported they allowed him to retrieve some items from the boat.

WTH does that mean?

Did they lower him onto the boat and only he went inside the boat?

If so then it seems to me they would have at least been able to see whatever hole was supposed to be in the side or bottom of the boat.
Because they would have had to have been close enough to look down at it.

Its just unusual to hear of rescuers allowing a person to retrieve things from the boat accident. Usually they pull someone out of the water and that is it. Due to safety reasons they usually dont allow special things like going back on the boat.

I contacted the original media author (Michelle at WPTV) about this information.

She said it was not clear whether it was the original boat or the rescue boat that the backpack was on that he was allowed to retrieve it, and she got the information from the sister ( the reporter is not clear what the sister meant) and the Coast Guard is not giving her any more information.

 

[TTF14]

I contacted the original media author (Michelle at WPTV) about this information.

She said it was not clear whether it was the original boat or the rescue boat that the backpack was on that he was allowed to retrieve it, and she got the information from the sister ( the reporter is not clear what the sister meant) and the Coast Guard is not giving her any more information.

Highly emotional relatives + presumable Colombian accents = I assume a lot has gotten lost in translation or misinterpreted/incorrectly assumed.

 

[bears10]

It is very likely my opinion a shipping container that fell off a ship. It could have been in any state of submersion/partial submersion...

It's possible it sunk after the collision

At my old job, we imported roughly 10-20 containers worth of material a week. I dealt a lot with the ocean freight logistics, so I have knowledge on shipping containers but do not claim to be an expert. That being said, I would be very surprised if they hit a shipping container. Not because containers don't fall off the vessels - they certainly can and have. But containers are extremely heavy - ours weighed roughly 55,000 lbs each - and IMO more likely to sink than float.

 

[Estelle]

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/c...ella-hellmann-husband/29MTelJJDnOiiRai7yYGjJ/

http://www.wptv.com/news/region-s-p...close-friend-opens-up-about-marriage-troubles

I am very curious about where LB has gone with that dear baby.

Maybe he already had an around the world airfare booked eg CAIRNS-LON-FLORIDA-LAX-CAIRNS??? I guess the FBI can trace where he has gone. I wonder if he has even made a statement to police yet as a witness.

Most men I have met who are divorced do not really enjoy bringing up a baby alone after a few years and then when they are teenagers, enjoy them more.

I am wondering whether he has a woman in Queensland as he was only able to spend 90 days each year in USA on the visa? No wonder he wanted Isabella to move to Australia. Maybe at her age, she wanted to have a baby before it was too late and agreed to marry him so that the relationship was legal for tradition's sake being Colombian. And perhaps he thought that by marrying her, she would be more willing to move to Australia.

But it looks as if their relationship before marriage already had serious problems over parenting issues, his relationship with her family and where they were going to live.

From what I have read in above article, Isabella paid for the condo and he told her he had come into family money but it all went into the catamaran in 2013. They must have met in 2013 when the catamaran was purchased as Isabella was with him when he bought it but the media often says they met in 2014.

I have no idea why they would have married with so many unresolved issues. Did one of them lead the other one on that they would move if married with no intention of doing so? They seem to have had one reason to stay together and that was their baby. Maybe LB gave IH the ultimatum on that delayed honeymoon trip that he wanted her to move to Australia or else?

I wonder when the media will interview his parents in the UK? Apparently, Isabella met them once.

I find this very riveting as it is difficult to predict what will happen next. Investigating this will be costly and time-consuming.

As a plumber, I think he must have found some way to flood the boat as the media has reported that there were no holes (only scrapes on the bottom and they could have already been there) on the catamaran thus allowing himself time to grab what he needed and get into the lifecraft.

 

[Hiandmighty]

Do shipping containers frequently fall off ships? Aren't they secured in some way?

Fall off often.

 

[Hiandmighty]

At my old job, we imported roughly 10-20 containers worth of material a week. I dealt a lot with the ocean freight logistics, so I have knowledge on shipping containers but do not claim to be an expert. That being said, I would be very surprised if they hit a shipping container. Not because containers don't fall off the vessels - they certainly can and have. But containers are extremely heavy - ours weighed roughly 55,000 lbs each - and IMO more likely to sink than float.

They have different sizes of shipping containers. Yours were big; my bil works for Cargill. I'll have to ask him about theirs