'Ghost boat' sails itself into California after fisherman owner vanished without trace [interesting]

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'Ghost boat' sails itself into California after fisherman owner vanished without trace

Daily Mail
By RACHEL BOWMAN
19 August 2025


Joel Kawahara's fishing boat, the Karolee (pictured), sailed from Washington to California without him onboard after he vanished without a trace

Officials found a 'ghost boat' that sailed from Washington to California on its own after its fisherman owner disappeared.

Joel Kawahara, 70, was last heard from around 7.30am PT on August 8 after he departed alone on his fishing boat, the Karolee, off the coast between Washington and Oregon.

The vessel was tracked on its automatic identification system traveling south at a steady speed for several days, according to the US Coast Guard.

Coast Guard watchstanders and other local boaters made several attempts to contact the Karolee, but no communication was ever received.

On the morning of August 12, a Coast Guard C-27 fixed-wing aircrew from Air Station Sacramento spotted the vessel and attempted to make contact, but nothing was heard.

The aircrew described the boat as 'rigged for fishing, lights were energized, and a life raft was observed in its cradle.' 

They flew over the Karolee's previous course but did not find any signs of distress, so they went back to Sacramento.

Later that day, members of the Coast Guard continued their search by water and air, but did not locate Kawahara.

(more)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15014417/ghost-boat-sails-california-fisherman-disappears-joel-kawahara.html

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Self navigating boat behaves like a horse. If a horse loses its rider, it will usually just go home without him.
That's what this boat did.