John C. Anstess, 55, was on the final leg of a yacht delivery from Cape Town to Seattle when tragedy struck. On December 8, 2006, he and two American crewmates, David Rodman and Richard Beckman, were aboard the 44-foot catamaran Cat Shot. After stopping in San Francisco they sailed into a violent storm about 10 miles off Cape Blanco, Oregon, with sustained winds of 40 to 50 knots and swells later measured at 30 to 40 feet.

The vessel’s last log entry was at 3:00 a.m. on December 11, noting lowered sails and two sea anchors deployed. The Cat Shot was later found capsized and de-masted about 120 miles north of that position; there was no sign of the three men. The boat’s emergency position indicating radio beacon was found locked in its box and could not be activated. The Coast Guard’s search involving aircraft, helicopters and boats turned up no survivors and was eventually suspended.

The three are presumed lost at sea. If anyone has information about the voyage, the ship’s last movements, or saw wreckage along the Oregon coast during that period, please share what is known.