Novelist Wes DeMott Loses Refurbished Trawler Wasafiri; Rescued by Carnival Valor

Moving aboard a refurbished Marine Trader 38 was more than a lifestyle change for novelist Wes DeMott. He and his wife, Sabine, planned to simplify their lives, travel the Caribbean and gather material for a new book series influenced by John D. MacDonald’s Travis McGee tales. Their journey, however, took an unexpected turn on Jan. 22 when DeMott, two friends and the family cat were taken aboard the Carnival Valor roughly 12 miles off Cuba after their trawler Wasafiri lost steering in rough seas.

The passage had begun from Fort Myers, Fla., on Jan. 20. DeMott, along with friends Paul Rodriguez and Ken Quillen and Smudge the Sea Cat, planned a roughly 400-nautical-mile trip to Isla Mujeres, Mexico, where their wives were waiting. Wasafiri, a 1982 Marine Trader that the DeMotts had fully refurbished—new fiberglass, instruments, canvas and teak work—was outwardly in excellent condition and intended to be their sea home as they cruised the Keys, Caribbean and Central America.

Creative Goals and an Unsettled Passage

DeMott, a former FBI agent from a Navy family, had hoped the voyage would fuel his fiction. His forthcoming novel, “Tortuga Gold,” had been written while the couple had already embraced life aboard and was part of the narrative that framed the trip. Still, the immediate aim was practical: a 70-hour, low-speed passage at about 6 knots, guided by publicly available forecasts and local reports.

DeMott believed he had a favorable weather window. He chose not to install a single-sideband transceiver or employ a weather router for this leg, viewing the trip as the longest offshore stretch for Wasafiri but not a true passagemaking run. That decision would later be scrutinized.

Weather, Forecasts and Warnings

Had he used a weather router, DeMott might have received counsel similar to that given by forecasters like Chris Parker, who broadcasts daily over SSB from Florida and warns boaters of fronts and squalls. On Jan. 20 Parker advised listeners on similar routes to stay put, anticipating a cold front bringing winds up to 25 knots and squalls as high as 35 knots. Some mariners later reported squalls reaching 50 knots in their anchorages on Jan. 22.

Mid-December through March is typically the riskiest season for open-ocean passages in the region. Cold fronts tracked across the Gulf States and Florida can create shifting and strengthening winds—southwest to northwest to northeast—that disturb the usual easterly flow and steepen seas, particularly across the Gulf Stream.

Problems Aboard and the Call for Help

On Jan. 22, as north winds whipped up the Gulf Stream, Wasafiri began taking a severe pounding. DeMott altered course toward a known refuge at Cayo Jutias on the Cuban coast, a reasonable shelter with a marked channel and a distinctive lighthouse. But Wasafiri never reached that refuge. A line had wrapped around the prop and rudder, and the trawler’s water tanks had broken free of their mounts below decks, making the vessel unmanageable and dangerous to remain on.

DeMott radioed the Carnival Valor and requested assistance. Video filmed by passengers on the cruise ship shows Wasafiri struggling in 6-foot seas (conditions that can be more violent than they appear) and drifting as the cruise ship moved to create a lee. The Valor’s crew maneuvered to provide a relatively calm area for transfer, and DeMott, his two crewmates and Smudge were taken safely aboard. Passengers filmed the rescue and posted footage online, and viewers later watched Wasafiri drift away as the Valor departed for Miami.

One small, poignant detail: DeMott lowered the U.S. flag before leaving the trawler, a gesture noted by an onlooker and reflective of the pride and respect he felt for his boat.

Reaction, Rumors and Reality

News coverage quickly seized on the image of a cruise ship rescuing a cat, and online commentary veered into speculation that the loss might have been staged to promote DeMott’s novel. Those suggestions provoked anger from the author. DeMott insists the episode was a genuine emergency. The protagonist of “Tortuga Gold” is not rescued in the same way—he is a passenger who, in the book, is left behind and must hire a boat to reach a departing ship—so the rescue bore no direct promotional benefit.

DeMott also corrected misconceptions about the likelihood of such a rescue. He emphasized that arranging a staged incident would be implausible and costly: a refurbished Marine Trader of Wasafiri’s caliber represents a substantial investment on the resale market. The reality, he said, was an intense and dangerous situation that required immediate help.

Aftermath and Lessons

Most of the couple’s possessions were left aboard Wasafiri, including wedding rings and personal papers. The trawler’s ultimate fate was unknown at the time of reporting: she might have sunk, been carried off by the Gulf Stream, or been secured in Cuba. The DeMotts did have insurance on Wasafiri, and they were discussing acquiring another boat while rebuilding their lives after the ordeal.

DeMott’s account serves as a reminder of the margin for error when small, unstabilized powerboats attempt offshore crossings in seasonally volatile weather. Key takeaways include the value of conservative weather planning, the benefit of dedicated weather routing or SSB forecasting for longer legs, and the hazards of towing or securing loose equipment that can foul propellers and rudders in heavy seas.

Despite the embarrassment and the loss, DeMott recognized how much worse the outcome could have been. The episode will likely become part of his personal narrative and may influence future writing—perhaps adding greater realism to maritime scenes drawn from this experience.

This account originally appeared in the May 2011 issue.