Transcription
Hey everyone, I'm Ashley Vanfield and this is Dropped Ins. Welcome to Elbow Key. This is Cooktown Harbor. Um, Elbow Key is in the Abacose Islands. It would be quite a bit north of Nassau, Bahamas, where most people know where Atlantis is, and, you know, um, most people fly into Nassau.
I've had a really long journey to get here today, um, because I felt like I needed to be here to ask some critical questions about what happened to Lynette Hooker. Brian Hooker was arrested and spent the better part of like three or four days, uh, in detention on Grand Bahama Island, which is not far from here. Um, but he was released because it seems they don't have enough information or evidence to hold him and charge him. Uh, and you only have a finite amount of time to charge somebody. Um, you can't hold them forever. And so the 72-hour extension expired last night at 8 o'clock, and he was released.
So I got here and went right to Marsh Harbor because that is where Lynette and Brian had a mooring ball and where their yacht, Soulmate, is still anchored. Okay. So, I'm going to show you the yacht floating there, almost ghostlike, uh, with all of its life still appearing, um, as though someone lives on that yacht, but it's closed up. And I do know that the police were there today, that they are going every day. I've actually spoken with police. Uh, I saw the police, uh, docking. And so, there's activity. But as for a crime scene, that's a different story. You're going to hear, um, later exactly what that boat represents right now to the Royal Bahamian Police Force.
Also, um, I have this incredible boat captain named Ronnie Duncan, who took me all throughout Marsh Harbor and showed me, uh, the ins and the outs where Lynette and Brian were moored, where the Conch Inn was in relation to the boat, because that's the place they used for their services. And he also drove me all the way from Push Harbor over here to Elbow Key, because this Elbow Key is where Lynette was last seen alive. It's where they spent the day drinking and having fun before they got in their little tender to go out to their sailboat.
Now, behind me is, um, Hopetown Harbor. This is not where they were anchored. They were anchored further down that way. And I'm going to take you there tomorrow. I'm going to retrace their entire route tomorrow. Captain Ronnie is going to take me all throughout, um, this, this area of Elbow Key. By the way, Captain Ronnie has a couple things to say about Brian Hooker's story because Captain Ronnie's from here. Captain Ronnie is a captain here. Captain Ronnie was out on the water at 7:00 at night on April 4th, the exact time that Brian Hooker says the seas were rough and I just lost her in the wind and the current. He's got something to say about that. Wait until you hear him.
Something else you should know. I wanted very specifically to do this video at 7:30 p.m. local time. And that's exactly the time, 7:30 p.m. This is the time that Brian and Lynette Hooker apparently left the Abaco Inn, where they had been drinking most of the day and having fun and enjoying their lives, which all these sailors do. Uh, this was the time, and the sun has just sort of set beyond the horizon, and it may look like it's light out. It is getting dusky. And as a boater myself, I also know that this would be a time I would actually put on my running lights. Even though you can see it's still just a little gray, it's the time where the horizon and the water start looking more like the same color. And so if you're in a small dinghy, um, if you're in any boat, this is a time you'd start to put your running lights on. A lot of people would. And so, to my knowledge, that 8-foot dinghy, I don't think it had running lights. Most 8-foot dinghies don't have running lights. And so I could see them having to book it because Brian and Lynette, after finishing up their fun day here, um, on Elbow Key, had about a 10 to 15-minute tender ride out to where their yacht was actually anchored. It was not on a mooring ball. Here I have learned the place where it actually was. I'm going to take you there. Um, but they had about a 10 to 15-minute ride in their little putt-putt. It's about a 2, four horsepower. I mean, really, the thing does not go very quickly. And it's about the size of a big bathtub, you know. So, that's what a lot of these, uh, yachts that anchor out there use. And they're basically just to get into shore because you throw down in the middle of the harbor, but you got to get into all the fun. And let me just turn this around so you can see. There's like a little restaurant. You might even be able to hear some of what's going on behind me. But look at how lovely that is. There are people in there having fun and drinks and food. And this is just one area at the Hopetown Inn and Marina where I'm staying. By the way, it's really, really nice. It's gorgeous. And they didn't sponsor this, so I'm not saying that for any other reason than it is really, really nice. Um, in any case, I wanted you to see what 7:30 at Elbow Key looks like. This is what it looks like. And I would suggest total darkness, probably not for another half hour at least, maybe more. So, I'm still wondering what this was all about. Brian was saying, "Oh, yeah, you know, we just had a couple minutes before, you know, she, uh, she just disappeared and it became dark." Let's say they left at 7:30 and they drove for 10, 5 minutes, 7:45. I'm going to watch it and I'm going to let you know what, um, what exactly happens with daylight here at Elbow Key.
But I want to take you through the journey just to get here and how kind of remote we are in terms of how difficult it is to get from mainland USA to where I am right now on Elbow Key. Here's how the journey went all day. I have to tell you about Honey Love because this is one of those products that actually delivers on what it promises. Most sports bras are fine if you are working out and then immediately going home to tear the thing off. But for all-day wear, a lot of them are too tight. The straps dig in and they flatten everything out and they're miserable by the end of the day. Honey Love's Crossflex activity bra is different. It has the support of a sports bra, but it's designed to be comfortable enough to wear all day long. No wires, no digging, no suffocating squeeze, and I really love that it gives shape instead of that awful uniboob situation. It's my kind of bra because it works whether I'm moving around all day or just trying to be comfortable. Treat yourself to the most advanced bras and shapewear on the market. And use my exclusive link to save 20% off at Honeylove. Just go to honeylove.com/banfield. That's honeylove.com/banfield. And after checkout, tell them we sent you. Again, that's honeylove.com/banfield.
Hi, I just landed in the Bahamas. Um, I'm on the island of New Providence where Nassau is located. And Nassau, uh, is where most people fly in internationally. Um, if you know the Bahamas, New Providence has, uh, Lifeford Key on one end and Atlantis and Paradise Island on the other end. I'm kind of over closer to Lifeford Key in the airport. Um, this is what it looks like where I am right now as I wait in between flights. I'm not at the airport. I actually just scooted out to a place called Blue Sales. I've been here a bunch of times. My brother lives here, so I visit him every so often. But it's a nice restaurant right on the ocean. I mean, look how beautiful this is. It's just gorgeous here. Um, and since we're only like 5, 10 minutes from the airport, I figured it's a good place to kick around for the 3, 4 hours in between, um, my flight from Fort Lauderdale to Nassau and then I'm headed to Marsh Harbor. It's directly north of here. It's going to be a really quick flight, like I think maybe 30, 40 minutes up to, um, Marsh Harbor. And then I'm going to meet up with Captain Ronnie. And Ronnie's going to take us out into Marsh Harbor. Um, particularly out in the area in the mooring area where the Conch Inn is located, because the Hookers actually, um, rented a mooring ball at the Conch Inn and they would hook up to the mooring ball and kind of make that a home base, and they would use the Conch Inn for its, um, resort services, the pool and the resort, etc. So Ronnie's going to drive me around in the boat and we can at least see if the Soulmate yacht is still there. I don't know, uh, what Brian Hooker did after being released yesterday, but it was 8 past 8 o'clock at night. I don't think there's a whole lot of ways to get from Grand Bahama Island over back to Marsh Harbor. So, he might have had to do that this morning. And I don't know if he's going to get on that Soulmate yacht and get the hell out of Dodge, but that's his home. But it's a long way to sail back to Florida. And who knows if that's where you'd want to go anyway. You're not, you're not any safer if you go to the United States.
But it is a bird just flew into the window. Oh, little bird. A >> He's rescued that little bird. Little bit of breaking news. Oh, hi, buddy. >> Yeah, he'll get his wits back about him. Poor little guy. How about that happening? Anyway, um, Marsh Harbor is a, a flight from Grand Bahamas where he was being held in a detention facility. And, you know, you got to either take a flight or you got to take a, a long ferry, uh, back over to, to Marsh Harbor, but that's where the Soulmate was moored when he was arrested. So anyway, it's hard to be here and not be on vacation. Damn. I'd really love to like get in a bathing suit and, you know, go and enjoy. But I will say this. Lindsay and I at least decided to spend, Say hi, Lindsay. to spend our 4-hour layover, uh, at Pindling Airport in Nassau having a mojito at Blue Sales. All right, so we'll see you when we get to Marsh Harbor and maybe I'll show you a little of the flight on the way over.
It is located rare. Please be reminded that smoking is not permitted for the duration of this flight. It is policy that while seated, you keep your seat belt securely fastened to prevent injury due to unexpected turbulence. Heading over. Once the captain has turned off the fast and seat belt sign, complimentary water can be made available upon request by pressing your call button. Please sit back, relax, and enjoy the short flight with us. Thank you. This is one of those little puddle jumpers that go between islands in the Bahamas. So, we're leaving Nassau and we are headed north to March Harbor. So, we just landed here at, um, Leonard Thompson International Airport. There it is. Marsh Harbor. It's real little. We're walking to the domestic arrivals. That's the little plane we were on. It's, um, seen better days, that's for sure. Anyway, Lindsay and I are headed to the dock now. Uh, we're going to pick up with our captain, Captain Ronnie. He's a trip. He's a really cool guy. Um, we're going to, uh, jump on his boat. Um, and he's going to take us out, uh, to the mooring at Conan where the Hookers had their mooring ball. So, here we go. >> Hey, made it. This is, uh, this Marsh Harbor. Uh, this is Union Jack Dock. Um, right there, that's Ronnie. Captain Ronnie is going to take us out into the harbor. And I don't know my way around here yet. Super windy, so I'm putting the phone close. I don't know my way around here yet, but, uh, he's going to take us to where the Soulmate found its mooring ball just off the Conch Inn. Hey, Captain Ronnie. You okay that I videotape you? >> So, we're going to take off. We're going to go find a Soulmate, which is, uh, from my class of knowing it's just up in that vicinity over there. >> So those, uh, those are all mooring balls over there, and he had one of those. >> He's got, yeah, the boat is on a mooring, but it's around the Conan Marina. So in that direction is where the Conan Marina is at. So we're going to go up there and we're going to see if we can find it. >> Okay, great. >> Now, I did hear word that he's not here. >> Did he pick up and leave? >> Not that he left, but I heard word that he wasn't. Uh, word was that he was still in Freeport. I don't know. And what about, uh, the, the boat? >> That's right. I don't know. We're gonna go see now. >> All right. We'll go check. Thank you. >> I hope you're with me to go see right now. All right. So, as we're ready, you ready, OJ? >> Yeah. >> All right. So, let's, uh, let's cast off. >> Okay. Thanks, guys. >> Feel, feel free to be out here in the back of the cockpit cuz we're going to go up and, uh, actually anything. Okay. >> Okay. Thank you. Thank you. All right. So, uh, listen, I'm finding this out as we go. And, uh, this is super helpful that Ronnie's going to take us cuz I know jack about Marsh Harbor. And thank you, OJ, as well. We appreciate the help. Yeah. All right. So, when we get going, I'll come, I'll come back on. >> The name. It's a catch. >> It's 46 ft. >> Yes, ma'am. And this is the very boat I, yep. This is it. This is Sing. And well, they said near the Con. However, it's more near to Marsh Harbor Marina. But that's okay. It's here in Marsh Harbor. >> It's just so sad looking at it up close. It just feels like there was just such a happy, you know, potential future. Um, with two people who had sold everything to sail and now here it is. Sort of eerie being this close to it. Actually, >> Wow. >> So, I do not see the tender. Do you? >> No, I don't. The, uh, the dinghy that >> Right. >> He would use to, they would use to get off of the boat and into land. >> Now, last words were if I'm correct and then also, you know, just seeing off of TikTok, uh, up until, uh, about 11 this morning, he was still in Grand Bahama. >> You think he was? But his lawyer went back to, uh, Nassau. Yeah. >> Which is why I wondered if maybe he might be coming back to his, his home. This is his home, >> right? This is his whole around. >> So this is it. >> This is the catch. 45. >> That's Soulmate. >> Soulmate. >> Does that look as though, um, it's closed up or that he might have been on it? >> Yes, ma'am. Um, doesn't appear at this point to say it doesn't seem that anybody's been on prior or since, but it's, it's definitely in a closed up looking state right now. >> Yeah, there's the mooring ball that they connect to that they rent. >> You know, you're safely anchored in this safe harbor. Um, >> They're rated at 2,000 lb. Uh, pretty much a ton. So, yeah, they're, they're, you know, for holding grounds in here. That's what that's how they do it. Okay. So this island here is all available. But because of their boat being a catch with a certain amount of draft, um, they didn't take the boat into the main channel to go have drinks, appetizers, slack, whatever. Too, too, too, too much of a draft. And this is common to boaters like that. So there's a popular anchorage just outside around the corner here, which, from, from what the reports say, it shows that they were anchored somewhere in, in somewhere kind of like in here, and that's just outside of the White Sound channel. Okay. >> To your left here's this island right here. Lover's Quarters. Yeah. Yeah. >> So, how do you pass and bypass >> And all in the vicinity there with your wife and whatever to say she went missing, but how do you bypass Lovers to get all the way over here to, to, um, to the main, to the main shore of what they call Kolkata, which is a boatyard, Kolkata Creek. >> Where would he have landed? Just point out where the landing was. >> Right here. This is where he landed. Reports say he landed the nine hours plus later. >> Is that white all water? >> Yeah, that's all. So he'd have gone through that shallow water, land on that shore, and then walked over the yellow to the through the woods. >> The yellow is the land. Yeah, that's how Garmin displayed. >> And he said that he went through the woods. Uh, so can you show us how far he would have gone through the woods? Like, can you move the >> But I don't know what woods because they say a security guard at the boatyard spotted him. >> Oh. >> Saw him come in. However, there's no woods, uh, there at the Kolkata Creek because when you land at the Kolkata Creek, it's all boatyard. It's, it's paved. It's, uh, multiple boats, numerous boats, and it's a tred road. Now, unless if they're getting it construed of the fact that maybe it wasn't exactly the boatyard, but in the Kolkata area. >> Yeah. Well, he said he w he said he walked through a bunch of, >> you know, uh, rough, you know, rough terrain to to get to help. But >> Oh, wow. >> But you're right. It would be tricky to get up and overact the, you call it Lover's Island. >> Lover's Island. Lovers. It's called Lover's Quarters. >> And the currents wouldn't pull you up and around. I listen, it ain't no major reoccurrence like that. And I can tell you I was out that in particular day with my boss. We were out in this boat. Yeah, we had some winds, but they weren't crazy as to how he made them sound. >> This was on on Saturday night, the 4th of, uh, April. >> That's right. We were out. We were out all day with my boss. >> And what time of night were you guys out? How late? >> We, we got done. Well, we also had, uh, dinner. Uh, well, no, actually, Saturday was we did all day island hopping with our boss, and the boss told us no run for tonight because he was having dinner on Montage Key. So he did a grill out and stuff. So, so OJ and I got done, we were done like about 7:15ish or so. >> So you were out at the same time? We were out, and that's how I can tell you the conditions were nowhere near as he described, per se, even though I'm in a bigger boat versus them being in a little 8-foot dinghy, but it was nowhere near severe, per se, like that for her to fall over and I mean, as quick as something like that would have happened. I mean, right in there, ain't no current, man. Trust me when I tell you that. I used to swim practice in that area. Ain't no current like that. Current significantly comes mostly when there's two bodies of land, masses of land so close together with a narrow passage, and, and the current will speed up. But typically here, no. >> Let me ask you this. Go back to the spot where you said they anchored out from, uh, Elbow Key. >> Right here. >> Out, out the channel. >> So, White Sound channel into the Abaco. They were anchored out somewhere in, in >> And how rough is it once you get out the channel if you're in that little 8-foot, uh, >> The wind's being out at the east, right? They were close to the land because the anchorage is somewhat close, as you can see, a little anchor there. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. Close in there. So the wind's blowing, you're being that close to the land, you're somewhat in a lead. So you got some surface wind, but it's not even really, I can't tell you it's a three-foot chop. No way. >> Not a three-foot chop. And he was saying it's two to three-foot chop, right? >> No way. No. He's talking ocean type chop, and that this is considered to be the Sea of Abaco. Um, it doesn't get that nasty in here, per se, unless if it's a major blow, storm, or nor'easter or something like that. But >> Isn't that a really long, like, isn't it a long way to go? Can you, like, start at the Abaco Inn and then, like, with your finger trace where they would have had to take that dinghy out, uh, to find their, their mooring? >> Right. So the Abaco Inn is up here. >> Okay. >> Right. So they left out this channel, out this channel. They got to make a turn because the catch. >> Okay. >> Oh, just keep your eye open. The catch is around this corner. >> Okay. >> So, giving a little more perspective. Zooming out. That's the channel coming up. We're going to turn left. >> The boat is anchored somewhere just before the ant, just where, like I say, this is a popular anchorage area. Other boaters, they're always out there to get a little protection for >> That, that little dinghy goes about two to four miles an hour. >> Yeah. And >> How long would that take? >> Not very long, per se. Um, give or take, um, maybe 10 minutes at tops. >> 10 minutes. And would there be a lot of boaters around there that might have been able to witness this happen? >> Possible. Don't get me wrong. Then again, it could have been very limited, per se. I couldn't say for sure to say because we personally didn't traverse that area particularly that day for where we were with our boss. But just knowing the conditions in general, the conditions go for all around. And where we were, we're, we're all in the Sea of Abaco. You know what I'm saying? >> What is the law, um, about a boat that is uninhabited? No one's on it. It's on. It's private property, but what's the, the mariner's law for, uh, boarding a vessel like that? >> Uh, yeah. Um, well, it's private property, of course. Um, not that it's, you know, in any case to say, the moor is public. I, I, I think >> I mean, it's on a mooring, which, which probably gives it, uh, it doesn't make it an abandoned vessel. If it's floating out there, it's an abandoned vessel. >> Exactly. Yeah. >> And you could board it. >> That's right. >> Hi. >> I was wondering if you knew anything about your neighbor. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. No, sorry. Uh, Soulmate over here. >> No. As a matter of fact, there, we've only been here for a while. >> You've only been here how long? >> A little while. Like a week. >> A week? >> Yeah. >> So, you've never, you haven't seen him on board? >> Nobody on. It hasn't been lit up at night. >> Well, then the police came by this morning. >> The police came by this morning? >> Yeah. >> What did they do? >> They looked around. >> They got on board. >> Yeah. >> They did. >> How many were there? Did you see? >> I don't know. A handful. Five or six. >> Five or six? >> Yeah. Did they leave with anything? Like, did they have boxes? >> Well, it's a little hard not to watch. It's out here, you know, in the morning, you know. What do you think about that? What happened? >> I'm just hoping she shows >> Tell me what the, um, Defense Force is. That's like the Coast Guard in the Bahamas, >> right? They like, they, they guard our borders and, um, um, illegal immigrants smuggling. >> Would they be a part of this investigation? >> Um, oh yeah, I would see them being a part of it because, um, you know, you know, maritime, they're more like our maritime police anyway. So, you know, >> Right. >> But, yeah, there's, uh, they're tying back up now. Um, I would see if I can get around the other side. That's the police vessel that was, uh, that was out earlier today looking at Brad's boat. >> And the lights are still on. They just pulled back in. >> How often have they gone out to the boat? You know, >> to search or to investigate. >> Really not sure. >> See, and this being the Marsh Harbor side where we're located, we don't get to see a lot of this on the daily because we're, we don't, we don't traverse this area. Um, you'll see in my route window, I'm taking you to Hopetown, but Montage D is in between Oaktown and Marshall. >> Oh, I can try to land on the side there. Just try to >> You can? >> Yeah. I mean, hey, we let them know that we got, uh, we got a report. >> Yeah, I'd love to be able to talk to them if they'll talk to me. And they docked their police boat just on that inner, uh, birth, that gray one right there with the lights on. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> And that's Royal Bahamian Police. >> Yeah. They just came back. >> Right. Right. I said very sore. >> So, these are the Royal Bahamian Police that were out at the boat earlier today, uh, investigating, and they're just docked, uh, next to the equivalent of the Bahamian Coast Guard vessels. Let me see if I can't talk to him when he comes around. I don't want >> Anything else. All right. You switch? >> Yeah. All right. So, we're now leaving Marsh Harbor behind us. And that's of course where we, we're just touring you around, um, Soulmate and the other boats that are mooring there. And what we're doing now is we're heading out, out of the Marsh Harbor, um, you know, protected mooring, and we're heading across to Elbow Key. So, start to speed up a little bit. >> So, yeah, leaving Marshall, taking you to Hopetown where you're going to be staying. I'll point out one or two, uh, things for you as we get closer in our circle, uh, vicinity. >> Okay, so to be clear, we've just come around from back there. >> Yes. >> Which was the safe harbor. And now we're coming around to the right. >> And here's what's so critical. Um, all the way up there, you can see we've got to go all the way around that before we can see Elbow Key. And he would have floated >> How many miles do you think? Uh, if he says what he says, he had no oar or he had a broken oar and he floated all night, how many miles would he have floated? >> Well, as to what he stated, I mean, he's way off in any case because it wasn't this side that he landed. >> Okay. And that's what I'm going to point out to you once we get to far up. There's two sides of Marshall, >> right? >> We're on the more northern side. The southern side, the southeast side around the corner is where he made it into where I showed you earlier, the Kolkata Creek. >> Yeah. >> That's all Marsh Harbor as well. >> How many miles do you think? >> Um, from where the boat was to say they were in that anchorage. >> Yeah. >> Give or take three and a half miles. >> Would it take nine hours to float all the way? I know, right? >> Especially with the wind. >> I swam that in two hours. >> What? >> Because I'm a swimmer. Yeah, we did a swimathon from Marsha to that very Abaco Inn. >> You swam that in two hours. >> Two hours and 18 minutes. >> And he's saying that it took his dinghy almost nine hours from 7:30 at night till 4:00 in the morning. >> Exactly. That's right. That's right. >> In the wind. In the current. >> In the current. That's right. >> In a current or wind strong enough to take Lynette away from. >> And listen now. You see my compass? It's mostly in the easterly quadrant. Those winds have been pretty easterly all week during this time. They've been mostly in this used to be quadrant. So the journey. >> So you'll see the quadrant once we get around to that whole town side. Winds were typically basically like this the whole time. So look at the wings. Give it a push. The winds could have even given him a push from >> Would have been faster. >> It would have been faster. >> Even if he was paddling along with a push of breeze and wave motion because this is kind of like how it's been all week. Would you say Captain Ronnie, this is a very choppy seas? This is what one to two footers. >> This is about a one to two right now. >> And he was saying it was two to three foot. >> That's right. It's been about like this. >> And you were out there. >> We were out. We were out the whole day. >> And it was not two to three feet. >> No, not two to three. I know. Two to three. >> That's very >> Right now, we're looking at about a one, but an occasional possible two. >> He said I couldn't see your head. It kept disappearing. It's two to three-foot seas. That's, that's bogus. >> Bogus. >> That's bogus. >> Interesting. >> It ain't like you're out there in the wild deep ocean and >> You don't. There's no scenario where you think everything he says could be true. >> That he couldn't get to her, that that current in the wind blew them away from >> I don't believe that. No. Apparently moving that. >> And then do you also think if, if what he says was true, would her body have been easily found or surfaced in in one of these, uh, areas, whether it was Lovers or whether it was >> Exactly. Lynette should have been easily found in the event of so because first of all, too, where the winds were blowing, her body should have would have ended up on a shore of Lovers, possibly around the shoreline or further back to the shore of Marsh Harbor, where I kind of showed you, um, you know, over to that side, to the western, you know what I'm saying? >> What about sharks? >> That's another factor. But I mean, come on, man. I mean, it would have been some sort of trace or something. We would have seen somebody, some local, because there's boaters every day traversing that area to get either to work or it's a boat passing out there every day. >> Yeah. >> The Candy Strike Lighthouse, last of its kind in the whole wide world. >> Oh, wow. >> Kerosene operated and cranked with a winch. >> Really? >> Yeah. And it's operated with a mantle because it's got chandeliers. >> And this is Hopetown Harbor. >> This is Hopetown Harbor. We're coming into Oldtown Harbor right now. >> On Elbow Key. >> Yes, ma'am. Oldtown is your main town. Settled by the Loyalists in the 1700s. >> Yeah. >> Yes, ma'am. >> A lot of people think this Hopetown is where a lot of, you know, uh, the story emanates, but it's, it didn't happen here. It was down >> Further south. That's right. >> Yeah. This is, this is Elbow Key and, and this is the main sort of settlement, Hopetown, but this is not where they were drinking or enjoying themselves for the day. Now, >> This is just sort of a real, uh, uh, >> popular spot for all these boats coming in. >> One thing that's really interesting is that it is now what, 2 minutes past 7, and I want to show everybody. >> It's getting close to sundown, right? So, if you're out drinking and having fun in town, uh, around 7 o'clock, you should probably be thinking you should be heading towards your, um, your yacht. And a lot of these guys have their tenders hanging off the back. The little, see that little rubber dinghy? It's not that different than the one that Brian and Lynette had, but, you know, it's starting to get dark and it gets dark fairly quickly. And again, this is 7:03 p.m. And the sun is heading to the horizon. And a lot of these boat owners would be making their plans to be back on board. Some will travel at night, but it's not smart unless you have lights on your boat, but not a lot of those little dinghies. They don't usually have lights on those little dinghies. >> Exactly. And depending on your location, like I said, as to where you are prior, you know, in some cases, it's just a little jog around the corner. >> Yeah. >> You know, and in, in Lynette and Brian's case, quite frankly, it's just outside the channel and around the corner. >> They had like a what, 15-minute, uh, tender ride. >> Yeah, about 10 minutes, maybe 15 tops, but >> 10. I, I'd say 10, you know, >> Because, like I said, they're just outside the channel. But that's, I mean, you know, if you're, if you're at a bar, you know, I got to get back to my boat. I don't have lights on my little tender. And, you know, if anything goes south, I, I'm going to be in trouble. You see these little tenders all hanging off everybody's back of their sailboats. Well, that's a nice one. >> Yeah. >> It's a nice little >> I feel. Yeah. >> Beautiful. >> And he center consoles. Got a wheel. Got a shift. >> Gorgeous. >> Lynette and Brian didn't have that. >> No, they had just a little tiny one with a little tiller. Yeah. >> Yep. >> And a kill switch, of course. But >> Yeah. Okay. It is now 7:58 p.m. and I'm just above the harbor. So, I'm trying to give you the best shot. Um, I'm basically up at the room where I'm staying now. But you can see it's dark. It got dark fast. Actually, way faster than I expected. So, if Brian and Lynette were, uh, leaving the Abaco Inn at 7:30 and then 10 to 15 minutes or so on their dinghy before he said, you know, uh, she fell off. Frankly, I don't even think it was that long because they didn't make it back to Soulmate, and it would have taken 10 to 15 minutes to get to Soulmate. So, it would have only been about 7:40 at the point where he says she fell off, and they would have had 20 more minutes until this light where you can still see someone in the water. It's not pitch black, but it is getting dark.
Okay, so there you have it. What a day. Like, first of all, Captain Ronnie. Oh my god. Hello. He's amazing. Love him. Um, and now I'm going to make it a, a mission of mine to to vacation here and call up Captain Ronnie and spend time with him, go drinking with him, have fun. This is the hard part about being here. I think I mentioned it earlier is landing in the Bahamas and this beautiful water and all the people having the fun and the time of their lives and knowing I'm working. Um, but I do want to let you know that tomorrow my plan is to completely retrace the steps that Brian Hooker says he took with his wife Lynette when they left Elbow Key because I've now found out a lot. I also have learned exactly where they were and I know some people now who actually were there serving that day. So, I'm going to be talking to them as well. What they saw between Brian and Lynette. Were there fights? Were they arguing? Were they having a great time? Was it the greatest day ever? I think there's some story here that, uh, it has yet to be told. And so, I hope you'll continue to watch. Subscribe. You'll get alerts. It'll be there for you. And also, it would be great if you would like this video. I traveled a long way to do this. Thanks so much for listening. Thanks so much for watching everybody. Um, from Elbow Key in Hope Town, uh, in the Abacose Islands in the Bahamas. I'm Ashley Banfield. And remember, the truth isn't just serious, it's drop dead serious.