# Found Safe: BOLO! SV Bella Dawn (baba 30) missing between Biscane and Bimini/Bahamas!



## AmandaColorado (Nov 3, 2021)

Missing BOLO!!!!! My best friend Ward Stogdill on SV Bella Dawn is lost at sea between biscayne and Bimini/Bahamas in a 1978 Ta Shing Baba 30 with a wooden mast (has an orange kayak on deck).
Please update the US coast guard with any information. 315-415-6800

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/florida-keys/article255474896.html


----------



## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

Good luck! Let's hope he's fine and hunkered down somewhere.


----------



## AmandaColorado (Nov 3, 2021)

He checked into the exumas this morning!!!


----------



## AWT2_Sail (Oct 12, 2021)

What a relief. I’ll bet he has quite a story to tell.


----------



## theologymatt (Dec 11, 2020)

I'm gad. It sounds like it worked out.


----------



## danstanford (Aug 3, 2010)

AmandaColorado said:


> He checked into the exumas this morning!!!


Thanks for reporting back to all the places you posted, it is nice to hear the resolution.


----------



## Lanealoha (Mar 5, 2017)

Im glad hes safe and everyone is at ease. I wonder though, was the gun jumped a bit on this one? Maybe I'm not fully understanding the time line?


----------



## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

Lanealoha said:


> I wonder though, was the gun jumped a bit on this one? Maybe I'm not fully understanding the time line?


Very difficult to say on any case as tgeres many circumstances we don't know. 

Families at home tend to panic far earlier than those aboard. 

I give my family (and now Marjorie's family) an Overdue Date until which they are not _allowed_ to call the authorities. 

In our last passage, Marjorie's first passage, her parents saw a reported speed of 7 knots and so calculated we would arrive in 23 days. I said it will be over 30 days but they insisted the whole way it would be 23 days. Eventually it took 37 days. But for satellite emails they would have called the Navy when we were just half way across the Atlantic. 

It's difficult for families. 

In the case of this thread if appears the sailor did not go to Bimini as intended but went to Georgetown direct adding a few days. 

Ahhhh for those freedom days before electronics when a cruiser would arrive when and where he arrived... Or not. 


Mark


----------



## AmandaColorado (Nov 3, 2021)

Lanealoha said:


> Im glad hes safe and everyone is at ease. I wonder though, was the gun jumped a bit on this one? Maybe I'm not fully understanding the time line?


He was blown over 100 miles off course. 

The crossing from Florida to Bimini is a day sail; coast guard was alerted when he was 4 days overdue for a trip that should have got him there by nightfall. 

We may have alerted the coast guard too early but that's what gets us happy endings and I'm glad he's safe. 

CG never found SV Bella Dawn in all their searching; he was spotted by another sailor who informed Ward we were looking for him. 

So, thank you to the sailing community for keeping a sharp eye out. You all are quite amazing.


----------



## Lanealoha (Mar 5, 2017)

Good info. I was just not understanding the time line, now I do! Way to be on it!!


----------



## Sal Paradise (Sep 14, 2012)

Thank you for updating us Amanda - glad to hear your brother is safe and well !! For anyone here like me looking for more info - https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/florida-keys/article255540721.html


----------

