MacGregorSailors.com

He used to keep the boat in Newport all the time, but was paying $4000 a month for the slip...so he was up in MDR trying to see if he could get a better deal!

Me Mine has seen too many insurance fraud thrillers. There are easier ways to collect insurance than jumping off onto a buoy. Just ram her into the rocks and swim ashore with a wooden carton of Schenley's, ice, and a rocks glass.

Sloop

Its my wife who watches all the thrillers and crime shows. The wifes suggestions of how convenient it was for the brother to find him and the fact he had been in the water for over 5 hours with a core temperature still above 94 degrees. Hmmmm? I believe my Wife may be justified in her doubts. The 60 Boat heads Directly for Catalina?Taking the 60 boat down to Newport alone to visit his mother, does she live on a boat? Wouldnt a vehicle provide a better choice, he was not on an island? There will surely be more to come on this one?

They Theirs wrote:Sloop

Its my wife who watches all the thrillers and crime shows. The wifes suggestions of how convenient it was for the brother to find him and the fact he had been in the water for over 5 hours with a core temperature still above 94 degrees. Hmmmm?

Read the articles. His core body temp was 90.

The articles also explain how his brother found him (he wasn't the first to "find" him). Would be some dumb plan to leave his brother in the water for five hours at these temps. Also, read the article posted by Aya. There were five boats (not including his brother's) and four aircraft out searching for the guy and it still took them *three hours* before the first boat found him. I guess it's always possible that boat is in on the "insurance scam"...

Why would his mother need to live on a boat for it to be considered reasonable that he visit her by boating down from MDR? And actually, if you are familiar with LA traffic and the fact the guy left during a.m. rush, you would know that going by water *would* make more sense.

I guess I don't have a suspicious enough mind because I can't for the life of me see how anyone could benefit from this. Why not just sink the boat at dock? The boat appeared fine in the video clip. The guy is an attorney. The risk of his boat hitting another boat before Catalina was a real possibility and he would have been responsible for any damage that caused including any injuries. Pretty risky way to generate an insurance claim.

There will surely be more to come on this one?

There's already a lot there. Why not check it out? But if your mind is already made up...

Jackie M

jetta01 wrote:This was pretty amazing....

We were sitting at the county docks just a week ago having drinks with this guy on Scott's Mac!!! We got to take a tour of his big yacht and then ended up going to dinner at the local Mexican restaurant with him. He was a great guy and we all had a lot of fun. We are just glad to hear that he lived through it!! .

Sounds like a nice guy. He had a tough time trying to hold it together during the press interview. The follow-up report said he had a lot of time to think out there and that he was going to stop focusing on money. Wants to contribute to the community (something to help kids).

I didn't read anything about a damage report to the boat.

I imagine there will be some damage but video clip of the boat shows that, over-all, it was fine.

Imagine being in Catalina and looking up to see an un-manned 60+ foot yacht coming at you with engines running!!! Would have sliced through a Mac like cutting butter.

Yup. That was a real possibility.

Jackie

jackie m

I suppose a very optimistic mind might be able to find some order in the events. Im not as suspect as my wife, and do consider her opinion to be heavily weighted (obvious reasons) I had not seen any articles but the wife brought it up to me on the news, and the Radio news both said His Brother found him! I suppose your research and worthy references are more reliable. After all a member of the board supported his moving the Million Dollar Boat from the Gold Coast of Newport Bay to Marina Del Rey to cut the $4000 dollar dockage charges. I doubt his motive would have been to get out from under a very costly yacht by collecting the insurance. They say the Channel is full of boats that went down mysteriously.

Im probably overlooking something here, as I guess he had a slip available for the 60 behemoth and transportation from there. Then again maybe someone was going to meet him when he comes in alone to help dock the yacht and transport him to his destination, or maybe mom lives on another yacht close by?

Oh! As for the credibility of any Attorneys integrity and conviction, , ask anyone, about their moral character and demeanor.

Im not convinced yet, but am glad the guy is OK. I also believe the wifes raised eyebrow and one eye squint says something else. She mentioned the scenario might just make more sense if the boat was an offshore racer pounding over the swells with the lone driver thrown out somewhere close to a very familiar easy to find marker by his brothers intensive search.

Ease up a bit They Theirs....

The guy lives on the 60 footer! You can only stay at the county docks for 7 days in a 1 month period in MDR, so he probably had to leave anyway, so since family is in Newport, he was heading for the county docs down there... Think about some other facts before bashing people!!

As for the comment about it being a million dollar boat....Hardly! Maybe when it was brand spanking new, but believe me, we were on the boat and it isn't worth a million bucks...I would give it maybe 250.

Rick

No bashing here. Just have a wife who is suspect of the scenario. I was not aware of the free dock or his living aboard. I only read the post of
This one:

jetta01 wrote:He used to keep the boat in Newport all the time, but was paying $4000 a month for the slip...so he was up in MDR trying to see if he could get a better deal!

This one:

He was found around 2:15 p.m. by people in a pleasure craft. Moments later, Lance McCabe who mounted his own search after the empty boat was found arrived and plucked him out of the water.

This one

Authorities began an air and sea search and McCabe's brother, Lance, of San Clemente began his own search. A passing boat, Mahoot, was first on the scene and McCabe's brother showed up almost at the same time, finding him at the buoy.

This one

Meanwhile, about 26 miles away, a search for McCabe began after his yacht ran aground on Santa Catalina Island with the engine running, U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Tony Migliorini said.
Authorities began an air and sea search and McCabe's brother, Lance, of San Clemente, began his own search. He found McCabe at the buoy.Just when he was getting worried, McCabe said he "heard a sound, turned around, and here was my brother."

On the way to Catalina, Newport, Boat For Sale, Hit a lobster pot, Big Swell off Palos Verdies, 58 degree water for 6 hours Its all up to you?

My wife Says: Hmmmmm, Lawyer/Actor, did he play the religion card? Hmmmm? You be the Judge?

Four Vids and Story

A few to check out

Ever since I put my 90 hp on my mac. It is too fast for the wheel pilot. So I end up steering the whole time. I don't mind since it is twice as fast as before. However, now I make it a point to always wear that little red coily tether. I think It should be a requirement for insurance companies. Like wearing seatbelts in a car, at least for single handling. Also autopilot should be illegal for single handling within trafficky coastal waters. Leave that to the offshore cruisers who don't seem to have much to live for anyway. That guy was pushing his luck. I think we could save millions in tax dollars (did you know that red coast guard helicopter cost 25 million each) by just hiring the brother as a full time rescue force. I would feel safer knowing this guys lucky brother was searching for me than all that coast guard equipment that obviously failed this time.

Yeah, I agree w/ that CSI-fan, TT's spouse - religion or homeless relief regardless. Falling off a boat adjacent to a buoy, and brother just happens by ... hmmm.

Sounds mighty fishy. Since the losses are deminimus the insurer won't be chasing it - guess that makes him twice-lucky.

Mermaelee...

Ever since I put my 90 hp on my mac. It is too fast for the wheel pilot. So I end up steering the whole time. I don't mind since it is twice as fast as before. However, now I make it a point to always wear that little red coily tether. I think It should be a requirement for insurance companies. Like wearing seatbelts in a car, at least for single handling. Also autopilot should be illegal for single handling within trafficky coastal waters.

I agree!
whenerver alone I:
1) wear a lifevest
2) wear a teather
3) when powering, clip the red coil w/ the emergency engine stop to my belt/trunks.

Come on cut the guy some slack, I met him, nice guy. the boats home port was newport beach where it had a slip,( 4000 a month) his mother lives near Palos verdes and he was headed for long beach to visit her.

He was down to MDR to, he said meet a freind and sail with another friend in the sailboat race that was going on at the time we were there.

his core temp straight from the doctor at the hospital was in the 80's.

The boat didnt have any major damage and the liability alone of that boat going off by itself and hitting someone else even if you fell off would make this setup dumb even for a lawyer.

He used that boat alone alot, acording to him when we talked to him.
Not that he admitted this to the press nor would I.

He lived on the boat in Newport.

he does have a few mishaps in his life like losing the 13 foot whaler he was towing on the way to MDR, didnt notice it gone for ten miles and went back and found it.

But all in all the the guy was pretty decent and didnt seem like the kinda guy that would pull a stunt like this, you know the kind, kinda nuts.

Read the La times artical on what happened its very good and they seem to have the facts straight for once.