Canada - Amber Nitchman, 34. Experienced sailor leaves Nanaimo solo at 7 am and her boat is found 2 hours later still running and empty.

[kaged]

This case is particularly odd to me..wind was very low and her route was very small. She travelled solo often and the trip was extremely short.

'I've been terrified': Sister of missing Nanaimo woman pleads for help

New details are emerging about a missing Nanaimo woman, whose sailboat was found drifting without any sign of her, one week ago.

cheknews.ca

Here is further information I have found out:

- amber was a confident, happy, healthy, extremely experienced sailor. She had sailed Mexico to Canada solo and had been sailing over 13 years. The day before she departed departure bay she visited friends who aided her in completing safety checks just 11k from where her boat was found. She texted Friends at 7 am saying she was leaving for Texada island. Friends and family say she departed wearing a pfd and always wore a pfd.

- a similar case occured with a woman named Laura Huebner in April of 2022, in which she landed in Victoria intending to travel to Nanaimo. A man named Greig Wikoren was a suspect but the case never/charges never laid. Greig has extensive criminal violent history. Here is Laura's case summary.
Laura (then in her mid-40s) had flown from Regina to Victoria on Apr 24th, and had planned to go home late on the 28th, but never showed up for her flight. Her family and friends are concerned because she had been excited about working on costumes for a film production in the summer, and they felt it was unlike her to just drop out of sight. Also, she had said that she was going to meet up with a male friend she’d been in contact with online. The last her family heard from her was a photo of a boat, that she sent her father on the 25th. Supposedly she had been invited to go sailing by that friend.

Case summary by AlfredTheJones:

https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/18ymalz/woman_flies_to_see_a_man_she_met_online_and

including being wanted on domestic violence charges back in 2013 and was currently (right now) residing on Texada Island/Nanaimo Harbours (where Amanda was travelling) and according to locals is a known boat extortionist/manipulator etc.

I can't help but feel these are related and someone is turning a blind eye. There are at least 15 military cameras around departure bay, SAR has handed the case off to RCMP and family is now headed back to Seattle. I previously lived in Victoria next to this sailboat in West Bay Marina before it was sold to her in April.

 

[GraceG]

Since GW isn't named as a POI in this woman's case I can't link anything I find on him here, but there's nothing in msm for him in 12 years for any reason. Amber sounds like an amazing young woman - I hope there is some positive news about her soon.

 

[starlightstarbright]

I would like to know if the life vests on board are all accounted for or is there one (or more) missing?

 

[Cedars]

I previously lived in Victoria next to this sailboat in West Bay Marina before it was sold to her in April.

Wow, that's quite a coincidence!

So, she only bought the boat in April of this year?

Here's an article from when the boat was first found aground, with photos of the boat - including the attached zodiac...

Search and rescue and RCMP investigating after sailboat found adrift in Nanaimo

Search continues for person or persons who may have been aboard sailboat found without crew

www.nanaimobulletin.com

It says it was spotted drifting the same day as she set out, and coast guard searches started at 2 pm that day.

A rather odd sentence in the article just says "Cellular phones that were left onboard the sailboat."

 

[Amy0077]

Wow, that's quite a coincidence!

So, she only bought the boat in April of this year?

Here's an article from when the boat was first found aground, with photos of the boat - including the attached zodiac...

Search and rescue and RCMP investigating after sailboat found adrift in Nanaimo

Search continues for person or persons who may have been aboard sailboat found without crew

www.nanaimobulletin.com

It says it was spotted drifting the same day as she set out, and coast guard searches started at 2 pm that day.

A rather odd sentence in the article just says "Cellular phones that were left onboard the sailboat."

That was very strange comment. Hopefully answers will come soon.

 

[kaged]

I live in the city she went missing from, SAR called off their search. Sister is reporting RCMP seem to be less helpful, a member of the Navy is looking into camera angles and has posted an interactive search map (areas in red searched by drone) and travel course which I've attached below.

Here is a quote from her close friend regarding where she left from:

Since GW isn't named as a POI in this woman's case I can't link anything I find on him here, but there's nothing in msm for him in 12 years for any reason. Amber sounds like an amazing young woman - I hope there is some positive news about her soon.

Lots of information seems to be shared linking him to either selling

Since GW isn't named as a POI in this woman's case I can't link anything I find on him here, but there's nothing in msm for him in 12 years for any reason. Amber sounds like an amazing young woman - I hope there is some positive news about her soon.

 

[kaged]

Turns out she was moored in Maple Bay at the same time as him just days before. Spidey senses say something is off here. I also just found a Facebook post of a sailboat engine for sale he posted may 16.

 

[swanniee11]

Her FB Log into Facebook

I wonder if someone was hiding on the boat or if she was even on the boat

 

[GraceG]

Turns out she was moored in Maple Bay at the same time as him just days before. Spidey senses say something is off here. I also just found a Facebook post of a sailboat engine for sale he posted may 16.

Thanks - the rules at Websleuths don't allow for us to post information that's not backed up by either mainstream media (does not include social media, which is considered rumor), law enforcement or information posted by friends and family who aren't verified. If you have additional information that might aid in finding her you should consider getting verified as an "verified inside" here. Here is a link for more info. Verification Process for Professional or Insider Posters

 

[Cedars]

Her FB Log into Facebook

I wonder if someone was hiding on the boat or if she was even on the boat

Yes, in the news coverage from last week police were trying to determine whether she was actually on the boat.

"There's indication that [the boat] had been moored in the Ladysmith area [just south of Nanaimo], but registered to a different owner," O'Brien said. "Nitchman is now the recent owner, but we don't know whether she has any contact with the Ladysmith area. We don't know what brought the boat there..."

Search and rescue and RCMP investigating after sailboat found adrift in Nanaimo

Search continues for person or persons who may have been aboard sailboat found without crew

www.nanaimobulletin.com

another news source:
"Const. Gary O'Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP said police aren't certain if Nitchman was on the boat before it washed ashore, and they are pursuing every angle possible."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/missing-woman-boat-nanaimo-1.7538110

As one article points out, this has been taken over by police as a missing person case. As usual with RCMP, they won't say anything until it's absolutely required. Also, since it's RCMP, they work in close cooperation with the regional major crimes unit, which would take over the case if evidence was found.

JMO

 

[GraceG]

Is Amber Canadian? Or originally from the US? The boat's name is common enough I'm not finding any records as to registry for it specific to a country (NOT my specialty search-wise however).

 

[Cedars]

Is Amber Canadian? Or originally from the US? The boat's name is common enough I'm not finding any records as to registry for it specific to a country (NOT my specialty search-wise however).

Her sister is from Seattle, so I wondered about that.

I think boats are registered similar to cars (except without requiring insurance).

There is a registry for, apparently, all Canadian boats here:

Vessel Registration Query System

wwwapps.tc.gc.ca

-a couple of boats named gypsy soul show up with suspended registrations (one dated this March,)...

This may be completely irrelevant, but saltwater live-aboard boats are well known to be 'holes in the water you pour money into'. So I just wonder whether that might play into this case.

 

[Cedars]

I'm hoping this case is maybe something similar to the Hannah K case earlier this year in LA...

 

[GraceG]

Her sister is from Seattle, so I wondered about that.

I think boats are registered similar to cars (except without requiring insurance).

There is a registry for, apparently, all Canadian boats here:

Vessel Registration Query System

wwwapps.tc.gc.ca

-a couple of boats named gypsy soul show up with suspended registrations (one dated this March,)...

This may be completely irrelevant, but saltwater live-aboard boats are well known to be 'holes in the water you pour money into'. So I just wonder whether that might play into this case.

Years ago I lived in a houseboat on the Columbia River in OR. This beautiful sailboat (probably 50+ plus) came in, very handsome man sailing it and stayed for a while. His girlfriend was local but he was Canadian. Very nice "neighbor". One day I came home to FBI swarming the place - he was on the most wanted list in Canada (white collar crime $$$ related). Apparently, he'd faked the boat sinking and headed south towards Mexico but met this girl on the way, was smitten and stayed. I don't know what happened (I was barely out of college), but probably extradited back to Canada.

 

[GraceG]

Likely just a really odd concidence but I found only one person with her name, and age in the US and Western Canada. That woman is from the Lancaster Area (Virginia). When I did a google search of the name and Lancaster an article in the paper came up with a photo (dance group). The article is from 2007 and the Amber in the article was 17 then. (photo below from one of the two articles on the group the paper ran) Dance: Improv

This is where it gets weird. . . an Amber Nitchman. from Lancaster is or was an environmentalist arrested when she was 19 (15 years ago) for a non-violent tree sitting incident as part of an environmental protest in West Virginia.

Hopefully her sister or someone can verify if this is just a strange concidence of two persons who resemble one another with the same name, of the same age. https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/west-virginia/wvsdce/5:2010cv00069/64422/44/0.pdf

 

[Cedars]

Likely just a really odd concidence but I found only one person with her name, and age in the US and Western Canada. That woman is from the Lancaster Area (Virginia). When I did a google search of the name and Lancaster an article in the paper came up with a photo (dance group). The article is from 2007 and the Amber in the article was 17 then. (photo below from one of the two articles on the group the paper ran) Dance: Improv

This is where it gets weird. . . an Amber Nitchman. from Lancaster is or was an environmentalist arrested when she was 19 (15 years ago) for a non-violent tree sitting incident as part of an environmental protest in West Virginia.

Hopefully her sister or someone can verify if this is just a strange concidence of two persons who resemble one another with the same name, of the same age. https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/west-virginia/wvsdce/5:2010cv00069/64422/44/0.pdf

Just glancing at some of her FB friends, I would say some are also from that location.

I noticed she linked to a couple of posts about Fairy Creek on her FB. As some may know, that was a long logging protest that lasted from 2020-2021, a couple hours drive from Nanaimo. That may have brought her to the area...

I feel.like I'm acquainted with people like Amber - they have a tribe and are fairly particular about who they hang out with - the kinds of people who share their values...I don't think she'd go off with just anyone...

JMO

 

[kaged]

Just glancing at some of her FB friends, I would say some are also from that location.

I noticed she linked to a couple of posts about Fairy Creek on her FB. As some may know, that was a long logging protest that lasted from 2020-2021, a couple hours drive from Nanaimo. That may have brought her to the area...

I feel.like I'm acquainted with people like Amber - they have a tribe and are fairly particular about who they hang out with - the kinds of people who share their values...I don't think she'd go off with just anyone...

JMO

I feel the same way. From all accounts I've heard she was independant, smart, and cautious. 12 years on water and land as a nomad you learn a lot, I'd assume she wouldn't have left with someone she didn't trust, but then again, some people are convincing.