Missing honeymoon couple
 

Last night on Greta van Sustern's TV show, On The Record, she reported that a honeymooning couple took a fishing trip on July 29th from Flamingo and never returned. The fishing boat, the couple, and the three crew members completely disappeared. The weather was perfect, calm and sunny. The boat was known to be safe; it was about 30' so not a tiny one. WHAT HAPPENED? Has anyone besides me heard about this? It only happened a week ago, but I haven't heard a word mentioned anywhere else. She mentioned this story in context with the Natalee Holloway story from Aruba. I love the Flamingo area and it saddens me to hear this story. They had no money or jewelry worth taking and since everyone is missing, including boat and crew, this is very scary to me. Any opionins? Anyone else heard this?

This is the latest I've read in the AM Costa Rica (Thursday, August 4, 2005). The authorities are not indicating they believe it to be "foul play". It certainly is perplexing. The article is a bit further down the pages so scroll down. If I hear of any more info, I'll repost. Lisa in M. Antonio

http://www.amcostarica.com/thursday.htm

Go to amcostarica.com and search the archives. There were several articles right after it happened documenting the search. We returned from CR on the day it happened, July 29th. It was our first visit to Playa Flamingo, and yes, it is a beautiful area. Although we did not stay overnight in Flamingo, we did have dinner at a cliffside restaurant called Mar Y Sol. We had a view of the sunset and all the fishing boats floating in the water. We noticed that this particular area was very crowded with local people, (and less foreign tourists maybe?). In particular, driving by Flamingo Beach Resort, we noticed that most of the visitors seemed to be Ticos. I don't think this incident should scare you. Stuff can happen anywhere.

Thanks Lisa and Anita. I do agree that stuff can happen anywhere, especially since the places that I've lived in the states are Miami & New York....neither exactly the safest places in the world. However, I love that area of Costa Rica, plan on going back this winter, and I guess I was just verbalizing that I hate to see a place I love be associated with any trouble. I did read the AMCostaRica articles, and it seems like they don't know anything at this point. Thanks for posting back.

Stuff like this is unsettling for us to hear about a place we love..... and tragic for the families .

Hi Lisa and Faithie. .

Anita, we too were at Flamingo at the same time you were and were staying for three nights (Tues., Wed., and Thurs) at Flamingo Beach Resort. It did seem a little more crowded that usual, but so did the rest of the country.

We heard about the search right after we drove back to the airport area for our flight home. It is very sad, and I just assumed a boating accident. But with no trace. . .I agree, it is absolutely unsettling to think otherwise. I hope something comes to light soon.

Here's the latest information from insidecostarica.com

http://insidecostarica.com/dailynews...t/11/nac02.htm

Lisa in Manuel Antonio

This is such a sorrowful story. My daughter and I were visiting Paradisus Playa Conchal the evening before the King Fisher went out. I couldn't help but wonder if those poor people were there with us watching the show on stage.

With more and more tourists participating in so many varied activities (some with more than a small degree of risk), and safety being substandard in some instances, I fear we will be hearing more stories of this nature. There have been several in the past 6 months involving both boats and aircraft.

My niece will be fishing in Costa Rica on her November honeymoon. I looked up the story of the missing fishing boat and crew. Not sure if this is the same story but the Tico Times (www.ticotimes.net) reports in a story by Robert Goodier, Tico Times Staff, that Captain Harold Gonzalez, 27, 2 crew, and 2 USA passengers (Mark Vockery and Laura McCloud) set out on a 23-ft. deep-hull runabout called the Kingfisher the morning of July 29.

However the weather wasn't perfectly calm. According to the story the search began that evening when the boat did not return and "stiff winds had carved high waves since the afternoon". Two weeks later searchers still had not found a trace.

Also reported in the same story is that "the ship did NOT have its certification of seaworthiness from the Navigation and Safety Directorship of the Public Works and Transport Ministry (MOPT).

Our hopes and prayers are with the victims and their families, and I don't know the outcome of the story.

This incident should make every body do some research before hiring for any
fishing trips.
In july 04 We were in costa rica for 2 weeks and 6 of my family members went for a fishing trip in Manuel antonio; while they were leaving on the boat the guide told them that they were no fish running; probably they were not going to catch much.
They had paid $600.00 USD. He forgot to tell them that the weather was not appropiated; my daughter got very sick
and the boat almost turned over more than once.
Plus they only caught ONE FISH!!!!!!!!!
Kind of expensive. ah????

BY away that prize was only for half a day.
That1s why it does not surprise me at all.

I am a friend of Mark Vockery who is the man missing along with his wife from their fishing trip. I do not think their boat sank, nor do I think it's still adrift. I think they were kidnapped by pirates or drug runners. I hope they are safe, wherever they are. I wish the parents would continue looking and concentrate more on the Nicaragua area, etc. My brother in law was in Costa Rica fishing in Feb. He said as long as you stayed on the Pacific Coast and to the South it was safer but near Nicaragua you were putting yourself at risk. My brother in law knows of 2 men who were fishing in this area and were kidnapped and after 2 days when the kidnappers figured out they weren't worth anything they let them go. Lucky people. Mark was a very nice and fun loving person. It's a shame. One thing I did read was that he was a deacon in his church and also a member oh the Masons. I thought, oh no! The Masons are not an organization any christian should be associated with. Any association with them can bring many different types of curses into your life. I hope they are eventually found safe and sound, God willing.

dusty, I hope your friend is found safe. Sad story.

"One thing I did read was that he was a deacon in his church and also a member oh the Masons. I thought, oh no! The Masons are not an organization any christian should be associated with. Any association with them can bring many different types of curses into your life."

As a Christian myself, I must say this is a sad commentary on you as a "friend" and a judgemental (at best) thing to say about a person in a very unfortunate circumstance.

I truly hope none of Mark's loved ones come across your statements.

Are you not familiar with the term "judge not lest ye be judged?"

Dusty,

Could you tell us a little bit more about what happened to your friends. It's a very strange story that has been written off very quickly as an accident. Would you tell us what type of trip they took, a couple hours or days? Did they go near Nicaragua or was it just Playa Flamingo. It seems very odd for a boat to sink in such a touristy area with lots of fishermen around. Has the family just given up hope?

I hope your friends are found safe.

Diana, I was not being judgmental in anyway of Mark in my comment about the Masons. I was merely stating what I know is the truth about this organization and how it can cause curses to be brought into your life. This is what I've learned in my teachings at church and I've seen the Holy Spirit and those of Satan at work firsthand. I am sure Mark wasn't aware of this and I was in the process of getting in touch with him to give him this knowledge, now this has happened. They were there an their honeymoon and as far as I know had just rented the boat for the afternoon to fish. My brother-in-law did the same thing back in January. When I talked with him after I found out about Mark he, as well as another friend of mine, both asked how close were they to Nicaragua? I hope the family will not give up searching myself.

hmmm??? troll

interesting post.

virginia - please pardon my stupidity, but what is troll?

A troll is someone who posts something to get a reaction, get a rise out of people. The cynic in me, upon reading the post, thought the same thing. Not only because of the imflammatory remarks, but because of this: &quot;One thing I did <b>read</b> was that he was a deacon in his church and also a member oh the Masons&quot;. My first thought was - must be a very distant friend to not have known this already.

Back to the original post, I think the sad truth is that the boat probably sank.

I have some involvement in this whole affair, as to how I cannot say, however,this is my opinion...
I empathize with the family of the Vockery's and worry immensley about the children. I agree that the most likely thing was that the boat sank. It does irk me that it has not been mentioned on any major news channels, at least not in detail. For a small town like Ashland Kentucky, this is BIG TIME!!!
Why is there no information anywhere? No info/press releases on the US Dept of State's website, no info/press releases on the US Embassy's website,no info/press releases on the Red Cross's website, no info on the Coast Guards website....
The only information I can obtain in really throught the local newspapers in Costa Rica. I have been trying to stay as informed as possible and it is nearly impossible. For those wanting to travel to Costa Rica I say &quot;Go for it, just be safe.&quot; Costa Rica is a beautiful country and crime and accidents can happen anywhere (Aruba, on a cruise ship, etc.)
If anyone can direct me to some viable information sources, it would be greatly appreciated.

A very unfortunate incident. I've been to Flamingo- 2 years ago. Went on a cruise with a whole group of language students from CPI where I was studying as well. Had a fantastic time. We weren't that far off the coast. The guys running the cruise do this daily. I would never think of &quot;renting&quot; unless I was an expert sailor or boatsman familiar with the ocean in that area. I hope that's not what occurred. I must confess, I didn't check on the &quot;seaworthiness&quot; of the cruise boat I went on. We tend to take these things for granted when tours are recommended. It is important to do your research - recommendations by reputable sources.
My wife and I were in CR July 20-Aug.3 and didn't hear a thing of this. The closest we were to this area was Playa Samara and Carrillo.

You're right. It's bizarre how this story went under the radar. Probably the reason the major media did very little on this is that there is almost no information out there. By the time it was reported, the search was over. I read that the family is satisfied that there is nothing else that can be done. Any of the insiders know if anything else is happening with the search or if when we're there we can help out in any way? Or has everybody just given up. It's a really sad story.

The Tico Times (print edition/August 19, 2005) indicates the search was called off Sunday (8/14/05)as reported by the Coast Guard. &quot;There is no sign of the boat. Nothing.&quot; Coast Guard station director Manuel Silva told The Tico Times.

I don't know why this wasn't picked up on the stateside newswires but it was certainly very much in the news here, reported in all the major CR papers and English papers published here. Additionally, there was quite a bit of TV media that covered this in CR. I'll keep watching for add'l news and will post of this site. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those missing, three Costa Ricans and two Americans.

Lisa in Manuel Antonio

I do not know if people are still reading of this incident as the last post was almost a week ago, but I am involved in this case by personally knowing the victims (fairly well) and I wanted to set the record straight on a few things. I never would have responded to something like this, but some of the info I read upset me and then others of you just seem to have questions -- well, welcome to our world, we all do and would love to have more info on this. For whoever wrote that things can happen anywhere is so on the target. This is a freak accident and that is all that any of us have any indication of -- we have no sign of pirateers or drug runners -- that MAY happen in that area of the world, but I sincerely do not feel as if this is the case in this instance. They were not on their honeymoon, they had been married for almost a year and all of their children from previous marriages are in good capable hands and have the prayers of HUNDREDS of people going for them. As do the rest of the families involved. I take issue with the attack on Mark being a Mason and I know Mark was a good man. I have a question for Dusti414 -- you acted shocked that you read that Mark was a Mason, but in the next post you say that you were about to contact him to talk to him about being a Mason before this happened -- well get your story straight! The search is over as there was nothing to be found -- hundreds of thousands of miles were searched by US Coast Guard boats, local fishing boats, 2 planes with infrared capabilities and permission was granted for land searches to take place in Nicarauga. Family and friends did not give up --- there just was no where else to search. This did make the huge media very much, but there is no sign, no information so there was just not much to tell. In the state of KY it did make big news but if there is nothing to see, nothing to report on, there is just so long that nationally this issue can be dwelled upon -- unfortunately there had been no new info that the media could report on.

I am sorry but I made a typo on what I wrote before -- I intended to say that this did NOT make the huge national media very much, but there is no sign, no information so there was just not much to tell in the way of advancements in the case. A few mentions nationally is all that there was, but as I said before in the state of KY it did make big news but. . . I am sorry if I sounded defensive and rude, but some of the comments of the character of a missing man REALLY irritated me (I agree with the post that Diana made about some comments being &quot;judgemental at best&quot;)-- and in general I am irritated by the loss that their community has suffered. One of these people was an integral part of my life and they both will be missed.

Here are the facts: they were to return from Costa Rica to the states on Saturday 7/30 but went missing on Friday 7/29. They left for their deep sea fishing on Friday the 29th early in the morning. They had radio contact with others on shore at about 11 a.m. they were to return into the shore by 5 p.m but after the radio contact were never heard from again. Searches began when the captain's wife was able to report that he had not returned home by 6 a.m Saturday morning. Please just pray for the families involved. For those of you who post out of concern, thank you for your concern.

Dear kycatfan - I am still very interested in knowing any additional or new information on this lovely couple. I appreciate you setting the record straight. To me it does not matter who the person is, where they come from, or what associations they may or may not come from...they are human beings with families and friends who are missing them. Everyone should be respectful of this.
Thanks.

Tiki123 -- Thank you so much for your thoughts. I am happy to set the record straight when good and reliable info is verified and the time is right for info to be out there. I read your previous post (8/20)and I agree wholeheartedly -- go where you want and do what JUST BE SAFE -- follow your instincts and if something scares you, do not be afraid to speak up, it could mean your life. I just hope that stumbling upon this in a google search, that I have been able to speak up for two who cannot speak for themselves by giving out some information and by setting the record straight about the character of at least one of the participants. In case you cannot tell, a particular post really got me fired up.

kycatfan,
I am very interested in what you wrote. I am very sorry for your loss and as a concerned traveler also have a couple questions. In one article about them it said that the boat did not have radios on the boat. You said they radio-ed in. Was it just a typo in the paper? The paper also made it sound like the boat may not have been up to proper standards. Do you know if there were life jackets on board?

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky...e/12436954.htm

Although I do not know your friends, I keep thinking about them and feel very sorry.

I stand corrected -- i have been in contact on many occasions with a family member who went to help with the search. He said that they have every reason to believe that there was CONTACT with shore before the boat was lost not to be seen again. This is coming from those who have been there and probably know more about this case than anyone else. I am not sure if the boat had an actual radio, but I DO know that contrary to what the small town local media have said that the boat had been refurbished very recently. The reports in one nearby town stated that the boat had not been inspected in over 4 years -- that is not true, it had been refurbished and was inspected. How detailed an inspection is in CR is questionable, but according to my source the boat had been overhauled and was owned by the extended family of the Captain, who by the way has also been taken from his family -- he has a two or three year old daughter. Tragic . . . Now, could we question what an INSPECTION means in CR? Absolutely -- I have not been told, but rather have read this part, that an inspection simply consists of an official boarding your boat to make sure that it is &quot;in order&quot; -- the visit is apparently a brief one and this is cited in a few articles. Knowing Mark was a safety consultant, and with his wife of almmost one year (married 8/2004) I cannot imagine that he would embark on a boat that he did not deem safe. As for lifejackets, there has been no mention of them in converstaions I have had and I do not know if other family members know either, but I would think that if a boat had even been inspected that LJackets were one of the few things that they checked on.

To be very honest, the only people who know what happened cannot tell us, we will probably never know. I know that many here hope to find SOME sign of tangible resolution to all of this even though the outcome that we hoped and prayed for since that terrible Saturday is not coming to us.

Thank you for your reply,
It sounds like you have been in contact with the boat's owners and the captain's family. What do they think happened? I have read to the boat was in good condition. Do they think their well cared for boat sprung a leak and sank very rapidly? Is that what you think? This is such a sad and scary situation, but your information is very helpful. I'm planning a trip to CR soon. If there is anything that can be done while there to help, I'd be happy to do it.