IL IL - Chicago, WhtMale UP6966, 38-55, on Lake Michigan breakwall, Apr'10

[moslym3]

The jeans throw me off. I'm a boater and one of the first things you learn in boating (sailing anyway) is that you don't wear jeans. Wet jeans are the devil and will make you unhappy real quick (second to wet underpants). The shoes are a typical boating shoe but also a casual shoe/loafer. I don't know much about guys fishing on power boats, but again, i can't see them in long, rolled up jeans.
So maybe this man was working on his boat at the dock and fell in / disappeared. I remember case like this. Or maybe this guy was put in the water. I just don't see a boater deciding to go on the water and picks out some long heavy jeans to put on.
Would love feedback on the clothes from powerboaters.

 

[Warwick1991]

The jeans throw me off. I'm a boater and one of the first things you learn in boating (sailing anyway) is that you don't wear jeans. Wet jeans are the devil and will make you unhappy real quick (second to wet underpants). The shoes are a typical boating shoe but also a casual shoe/loafer. I don't know much about guys fishing on power boats, but again, i can't see them in long, rolled up jeans.
So maybe this man was working on his boat at the dock and fell in / disappeared. I remember case like this. Or maybe this guy was put in the water. I just don't see a boater deciding to go on the water and picks out some long heavy jeans to put on.
Would love feedback on the clothes from powerboaters.

I agree that someone working on a boat and falling in is a likely possibility. I’ve lived in seacoast areas for much of my life, and fatal accidents while maintaining boats are not uncommon at all. An individual planning to do some boat maintenance might wear some old and potentially disposable clothing that they would feel comfortable throwing out after a day of scraping and painting the hull.... That would explain wearing the long pants. If the UP was just planning to do some boat maintenance, no one might report him missing in a boating accident. He might not have told anyone about his plans for the day.

I also agree that wearing heavy, oversized pants would be very unlikely for a day on the water, and not too safe. Maybe impossible to survive if you needed to swim....

Perhaps he was fishing from the shoreline and fell in the lake. Perhaps he used the rolled up pant legs for storing something he wanted to keep handy while fishing.

A boating accident may be barking up the wrong tree..

 

[Warwick1991]

As far as why our UP was wearing pants that were much too long, there are a few possibilities... As a previous post noted, they could have been purchased from a thrift store, with the possibility of the UP being a transient. Another possibility is that the pants were on sale at a deep discount. If they were the right waist size, the UP might have bought them for chores or activities where appearance didn’t matter, or planned to have them shortened later. I’ve noticed that very long pants end up on sale, because they are not as popular.... Not as many people out there with legs that long.... They might also have been purchased at a garage sale, with appearance due to length of minimal concern.

 

[Warwick1991]

Also, Sperry Topsiders have a poor reputation among some mariners. One guy was joking with me years ago when I wore a pair of Topsiders on his boat. He said they held water really well... They can and do fill with water, and don’t drain. It’s easy to have that happen in rough water. I think they are more practical as a casual shoe or just dockside.

 

[carbuff]

For the shoes--what about riding in a boat out for an afternoon sail, where your main activity was going to be sitting in the back with a beer?

Some people like to roll up their cuffs and choose longer pants for that.

All in all it seems like falling off a pier is most likely.

 

[cheemsg]

Bumping, does anyone know the rule-outs?

 

[Caring1]

Bumping, does anyone know the rule-outs?

10 Missing Person Exclusions