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

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I just spent three hours reading this thread. Here are my thoughts.

Why didn't he call May Day on VHF? Where were their flares? (Both of these make me feel like he didn't want "immediate" help).

Boats can flood easily if you remove the right/wrong seal.

Re: her phone. The Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico have phone stores. (Mainly AT&T)

Re: boat salvage. It could have proved his innocence. Our cheap boat GPS shows the route we have been and keeps that data. A boat that size has much more advanced equipment that would do the same.

I have boated in the dark in known areas. It's no joke.

If made to do first night watch I would have on an attachable epirb and life jacket. Wouldn't remove that in open waters. No matter how hot/itchy/etc.

I don't get not radioing first. But I wasn't there.

Re: Satellite phone. I would have tested that thing long before then. Maybe they had but what was relayed to her sister, makes me wonder.
 
msphilosopher said:
IMO that's because he was physically unable to because he was so grief stricken over the accident OR because the less you say about it, the better to avoid inconsistencies with the claimed events.
Click to expand...

I actually think there's a third possibility, he's not a very expressive kind of guy, he does things without thinking much about them before, during or after, and prefers action to discussion. He might have other qualities typical of some people like that: he could look down on people who hash things out in discussion or express emotions, and he could be very impatient with anything that is unresolved, preferring to close the book and 'move on with his life'.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk
 
Hiandmighty said:
I think Cal Say was only mentioned in relation to where the boat was found. They may or may not have visited Cal Say.

I suppose they could have been involved in something illegal... it is a theory.
Click to expand...

They allegedly left Cuba at 5:30pm and in 8 hours, had only sailed 30 miles. 3.75mph? (someone can configure that into knots, I think it would be around 2?) A paddle boat in your city lake gets 2 knots. Why were they going so slow? No rush to end the vacation? Meeting in the ocean to transport goods during which the delivery boat scraped against the catamaran's bow or stern and beautiful wife is killed? This might explain the rush to rob the house of valuables and get out of the country. As you said, it is a theory. But, as far as we know, these were pretty much squeaky clean, responsible working people enjoying life's bounty and their new baby girl and not risking their lives to run drugs in a slow catamaran.

I want to stick to KISS which is that there was a loss of control at the helm the boat got broadside to the waves, and some debris crashed into them, knocking her into the water. However, he reported that he felt the hit, went to the bridge, she wasn't there, he kept the vessel on track for some time, reported to the CG that he was taking on water and abandoning ship. If the boat were broadside, he would have reported that detail when telling the story. Broadside and taking on water is a BIG DEAL especially if it is bad enough that you are leaving the ship. No one would forget that detail and would be telling all about it. Boat do not steer themselves out of a broadside position and water only comes in from the top or the bottom. I have to say that the broadside theory fails. There is a hole in one of the hulls somewhere. He wouldn't be stupid enough to remove a seal in case there would be divers or salvage.

She wasn't wearing a life vest or an E-PIRB. She wasn't aboard the boat when it started taking on water or she would grab it and put it on if she were foolish enough to take it off while on night watch. Maybe she liked to sail naked. Who wouldn't? I dunno. If that bump into the debris was that bad, wouldn't he have been tossed around inside?

Horrifying if you ask me.
 
Satchie said:
I actually think there's a third possibility, he's not a very expressive kind of guy, he does things without thinking much about them before, during or after, and prefers action to discussion. He might have other qualities typical of some people like that: he could look down on people who hash things out in discussion or express emotions, and he could be very impatient with anything that is unresolved, preferring to close the book and 'move on with his life'.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Maybe simply practical and thinking "my wife is lost at sea, even if she had a life vest on, she has been in the water for over 2 days and reality is that she is dead and will likely never be found. I have to accept this harsh bit of reality and move forward because I have a child to raise. I have no family here and her family is ready to make my life and my child't life even more of a living hell than it already is, so I guess it's back to Australia since I am not a citizen of the US and can't just stay as long as I want. I will go home and figure out how to start over and raise my daughter in a normal, happy environment rather than one drenched in grief, anger and hostility. I can not handle any more than I have on my plate right now and my child will be safe from all of this with my family."

Let us not forget that this man is likely suffering some traumatic stress issues and is trying to hold together his face to face meeting with his own mortality on the very night he lost his beloved wife. I am not shrink, but my diagnosis is that his head is spinning and he is in shock.

Abandon ship and get into a life raft in the middle of the ocean which just swallowed your spouse. You will come out messed up - for a long time.
 
The comment he made about her being asleep is...interesting.


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JMO

This statement we have seen in various articles tells us quite a bit.

"When Cortes spoke to Bennett, she said, “he told me he was a plumber.” She said Hellmann had told her Bennett had come into some family money and had poured most of it into the boat, and that he made a living transporting people."

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/cr...nOiiRai7yYGjJ/

What legitimate business using that particular boat could he have done transporting people?

I cannot think of one. The boat is too small to be able to make much of a profit traveling and personally moving people from one place to another.

So to theorize further with the Cay Sal area. I also had read about Cay Sal and google shows other articles that talk of the area being dangerous because it is used by drug runners and illegal activities. Probably because it is an uninhabited land area far away from any mainland.

So if we just assume there was some sort of illegal shipment going on then is it possible the other people that may have met up with them saw the pretty lady and decided to take her from him. They may have also purposely tried to sink his boat.

I guess one thing wrong with that theory is they probably would have killed him or made sure he sunk with the boat before they left if they took her. Unless maybe they are keeping her for ransom until he pays some more money or something.

Its a scary theory and I hope nothing like that happened. The articles about Cay Sal do talk about the area being a little dangerous because of illegal activity. Another theory along those lines is pirates in that area may have took her. But again they probably would have been sure to kill him if that had happened.

This is an interesting story about someone who ran into trouble in the Cay Sal area.

"Like many knowledgeable mariners, Hernandez carefully prepared for every possible problem A except the one that arose."

http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/bahama-trauma-6361769
 
I find LB's comment "I think she is asleep" very curious. I don't know much about boating, but IF their cat had met another vessel at sea, would there be evidence of it--radar, satellite image, etc.?

Could it be that Isabella was drugged or otherwise disabled, taken aboard another vessel (for a trip to Australia ?) and that LB intended to meet her there later with the baby?

Could he have thought of that as a way to get the family there--where maybe Isabella would learn to adjust to a new life?
Could that explain his comment and even his seeming lack of grief over the loss of his "soulmate"?
 
TeaTime said:
They allegedly left Cuba at 5:30pm and in 8 hours, had only sailed 30 miles. 3.75mph? (someone can configure that into knots, I think it would be around 2?) A paddle boat in your city lake gets 2 knots. Why were they going so slow? No rush to end the vacation? Meeting in the ocean to transport goods during which the delivery boat scraped against the catamaran's bow or stern and beautiful wife is killed? This might explain the rush to rob the house of valuables and get out of the country. As you said, it is a theory. But, as far as we know, these were pretty much squeaky clean, responsible working people enjoying life's bounty and their new baby girl and not risking their lives to run drugs in a slow catamaran.

I want to stick to KISS which is that there was a loss of control at the helm the boat got broadside to the waves, and some debris crashed into them, knocking her into the water. However, he reported that he felt the hit, went to the bridge, she wasn't there, he kept the vessel on track for some time, reported to the CG that he was taking on water and abandoning ship. If the boat were broadside, he would have reported that detail when telling the story. Broadside and taking on water is a BIG DEAL especially if it is bad enough that you are leaving the ship. No one would forget that detail and would be telling all about it. Boat do not steer themselves out of a broadside position and water only comes in from the top or the bottom. I have to say that the broadside theory fails. There is a hole in one of the hulls somewhere. He wouldn't be stupid enough to remove a seal in case there would be divers or salvage.

She wasn't wearing a life vest or an E-PIRB. She wasn't aboard the boat when it started taking on water or she would grab it and put it on if she were foolish enough to take it off while on night watch. Maybe she liked to sail naked. Who wouldn't? I dunno. If that bump into the debris was that bad, wouldn't he have been tossed around inside?

Horrifying if you ask me.
Click to expand...

I love to boat naked. It is irresistible.
 
Hatfield said:
JMO

This statement we have seen in various articles tells us quite a bit.

"When Cortes spoke to Bennett, she said, “he told me he was a plumber.” She said Hellmann had told her Bennett had come into some family money and had poured most of it into the boat, and that he made a living transporting people."

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/cr...nOiiRai7yYGjJ/

What legitimate business using that particular boat could he have done transporting people?

I cannot think of one. The boat is too small to be able to make much of a profit traveling and personally moving people from one place to another.

So to theorize further with the Cay Sal area. I also had read about Cay Sal and google shows other articles that talk of the area being dangerous because it is used by drug runners and illegal activities. Probably because it is an uninhabited land area far away from any mainland.

So if we just assume there was some sort of illegal shipment going on then is it possible the other people that may have met up with them saw the pretty lady and decided to take her from him. They may have also purposely tried to sink his boat.

I guess one thing wrong with that theory is they probably would have killed him or made sure he sunk with the boat before they left if they took her. Unless maybe they are keeping her for ransom until he pays some more money or something.

Its a scary theory and I hope nothing like that happened. The articles about Cay Sal do talk about the area being a little dangerous because of illegal activity. Another theory along those lines is pirates in that area may have took her. But again they probably would have been sure to kill him if that had happened.

This is an interesting story about someone who ran into trouble in the Cay Sal area.

"Like many knowledgeable mariners, Hernandez carefully prepared for every possible problem A except the one that arose."

http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/bahama-trauma-6361769
Click to expand...

Transporting could mean he transported boats for people. Picks up a new yacht in Baltimore and delivers it to St. Thomas, for example.

He could also be a captain for hire and transport people on their yacht.

He likely wasn't using his cat for these things.
 
Hiandmighty said:
Transporting could mean he transported boats for people. Picks up a new yacht in Baltimore and delivers it to St. Thomas, for example.

He could also be a captain for hire and transport people on their yacht.

He likely wasn't using his cat for these things.
Click to expand...

I thought he was a plumber!

Oh wait, I thought he owned of a company called Next Generation Solar, which was registered at the couple's condominium.

So which one is it?
 
I found some youtube videos showing a Fountaine Pajot Orana 44. Not 1986 versions, more newer models, because I can't find any older models.

[video=youtube;xZRL0dOPcG0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZRL0dOPcG0[/video]
[video=youtube;nmpARglPe2o]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmpARglPe2o[/video]

These models appear to be 44 feet in length. Why was his 1986 Orana 44 only 37 feet?
 
JerseyGirl said:
I thought he was a plumber!

Oh wait, I thought he owned of a company called Next Generation Solar, which was registered at the couple's condominium.

So which one is it?
Click to expand...

Why can't it be all of them? My husband is one profession (I am retired) and we own two companies.

Not everyone has one job in an office and works 9-5. Some people can work from home/on the road and some people have multiple LLCs.

If I went missing and somone did a LLC search for us, 4 or 5 LLCs would show up with DH/me or both of us as principles.. I'm involved in... sports/entertainment LLCs that are seasonal/part time/doesn't require much wofk, etc and DH and I have an LLC for investments "our last name Enterprises" etc
 
JerseyGirl said:
I found some youtube videos showing a Fountaine Pajot Orana 44. Not 1986 versions, more newer models, because I can't find any older models.

[video=youtube;xZRL0dOPcG0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZRL0dOPcG0[/video]
[video=youtube;nmpARglPe2o]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmpARglPe2o[/video]

These models appear to be 44 feet in length. Why was his 1986 Orana 44 only 37 feet?
Click to expand...

The media got it wrong again...

What capsized was a 37 foot so it wasn't an Orana 44. (Spectacular vessel!)

We also don't know if the 37 foot was a sail or motor cat.
 
Hiandmighty said:
The media got it wrong again...

What capsized was a 37 foot so it wasn't an Orana 44. (Spectacular vessel!)

We also don't know if the 37 foot was a sail or motor cat.
Click to expand...

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority says the 1986 Fountaine Pajot Orana 44 lists Sydney as its home port.

http://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/news...mystery-missing-woman/5reNR5lTYpl2kcOKNxdxaP/

Ok, so the name/maker is correct, it's just that the media believed it to be 37 feet, it could be 44 feet.
 
JerseyGirl said:
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority says the 1986 Fountaine Pajot Orana 44 lists Sydney as its home port.

http://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/news...mystery-missing-woman/5reNR5lTYpl2kcOKNxdxaP/

Ok, so the name/maker is correct, it's just that the media believed it to be 37 feet, it could be 44 feet.
Click to expand...

The Coast Guard said it was 37 feet:

https://twitter.com/USCGSoutheast/status/864215819982688261/photo/1

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/isabella-hellman-fbi-coast-guard-join-search-missing-florida-woman/

 
JerseyGirl said:
I found some youtube videos showing a Fountaine Pajot Orana 44. Not 1986 versions, more newer models, because I can't find any older models.

[video=youtube;xZRL0dOPcG0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZRL0dOPcG0[/video]
[video=youtube;nmpARglPe2o]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmpARglPe2o[/video]

These models appear to be 44 feet in length. Why was his 1986 Orana 44 only 37 feet?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the photos of what maybe similar looking.

I have been wondering what their boat looked like when not sunk. This seems pretty close even if it is not exactly what they had.

Notice the precarious way the driver of the boat has to be. I sure would be tethered to something if I was driving that boat. It looks like someone could be thrown off the side way too easy.

Not just this boat but many other boats I always felt they make certain areas like fishing platforms and things where you can easily go overboard.

I guess thats the nature of boating to an extent. You have to know what you are doing and take safety very seriously.
 
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