The latest briefing for the western Atlantic is attached, updated for strengthening and broadening low pressure expected off of the east coast late this weekend and early next week.
The next briefing will be an update on Thursday, January 22 by noon EST.
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A sister ship of Tifosi underway with David Pendergrass, a felon from Texas.
The smooth-talking grifter whose motley gang stole two catamarans and took the second, more expensive model on a Caribbean joyride has been sentenced to 45 months in Florida state prison on grand theft charges—more than a month behind bars for every day at sea on someone else’s boat.
After two years in Broward County Jail engaging in a trial-delay strategy, David Blake Pendergrast, 47, finally entered a plea of no contest last week. The judge also ordered Pendergrast to serve 15 years of probation after prison and to pay $877,500 in restitution.
He was credited with 743 days spent in the comparitive comfort of a county jail with less dangerous offenders, people awaiting trial and maybe even a few who will be found not guilty.
Loose Cannon, which played a role in his apprehension, labeled Pendergrast and his partners in crime “The Blakes” after Pendergrast introduced himself using his middle name to a marina operator in the Bahamas—before they took off without paying the bill.
Besides the boss, the Blakes consisted of a former Texas bar owner named Karim Osman, Osman’s girlfriend Elexa Chism, Osman’s baby from a previous relationship (kidnapped from his mother), and two dogs.
First, on the night of September 14, 2023, the Blakes stole a Lagoon 450 named Dream Chaser from a residential dock in Fort Lauderdale, which they soon abandoned on someone else’s private dock at Pompano Beach after damaging the running gear. Then, on the night of September 20, the gang went over to Pier 66 marina and swiped a 58-foot Fountaine Pajot Ipanema.
The boat’s name was Tifosi, and she belonged to Tyson Bytzek of Ontario, vice-president of Litens Automotive Group, a global designer and manufacturer of automotive components. He also races cars on a Canadian circuit.
The Blakes replaced the Tifosi name with “Drip,” which is how they identified the boat to the 17th Street bridgetender as they headed out to sea at 3:30 a.m. en route to the Bahamas.
Authorities realized that Pendergrast was the culprit after he posted a TikTok video of himself giving a tour of Tifosi, saying, “Finally here. I’m on my boat.” He posted again with a video of himself languorously rising from Bytzek’s master bed, declaring, “Let’s see what the world brings today, shall we?”
Pendergrast was an ex-con, having served five jail sentences for either forgery or grand theft. For a while, he had successfully impersonated a lawyer and later an engineer for a highway construction company. He came off as an intelligent guy and could be charming when he wanted to be.
Insurance investigators trying to track down the boat failed to grasp that this particular model of catamaran had a very distinct appearance from the air, so they never bothered to put an airplane into the search, thinking that all cats look like from aloft. The Blakes even popped up once on AIS, apparently when another AIS vessel passed by and relayed their position at the North Anchorage, Isla Mujeres in Mexico.
By the time Tifosi arrived at Ambergris Cay in Belize, the boat bore the name “Aries.”
A beach cop at Ambergris messaged Loose Cannon on October 27, saying she had responded to a shoplifting report in the town of San Pedro. The trio had been caught on camera at a liquor store, concealing booze bottles in the baby stroller.
When they trio could not produce passports or entry papers, she used Google and found several Loose Cannon stories about the theft of Tifosi, and put two and two together. The trio was arrested and eventually flown back to the U.S. and into police custody. The baby was returned to his or her mother.
Yes, a beach cop in a Belize tourist town was responsible for the recovery of a $1.5 million catamaran but she was ineligible for the $20,000 reward because she worked in law enforcement. A delivery crew eventually came and took Tifosi home.
Pendergrast is required to pay restitution, beginning with any pay he gets for prison work. The rest is due by the end of his 15-year probation. The victims are to be paid $14,500 and $50,000, while the Tifosi insurer is due the balance, $813,000.
Tifosi, as Aries, awaits her return to the U.S. on a dock at Ambergris Cay.
LOOSE CANNON covers hard news, technical issues and nautical history. Every so often he tries to be funny. Subscribe for free to support the work. If you’ve been reading for a while—and you like it—consider upgrading to paid.
Fresh cold air will trickle into South Carolina Saturday night, then a storm system will arrive early Sunday to bring precipitation. There’s a chance it’s cold enough for snow, at least at the end of the precipitation or on the northwestern part of the area that sees precipitation.
The latest computer model trends as of late Thursday evening are toward a mostly rain event, but it’s a close call and we’re not out of the woods yet. Models sometimes flip-flop, even within a couple of days of an event.
I said y’all would probably be hearing from me again sooner rather than later, and here we go (now that Verizon has its act together and I can use 2-factor authentication to access the system that composes these … been trying to send y’all of these since Wednesday morning). I wanted to get something out now that I finally can, so enjoy this waiting for you when you wake up or something to read during the downtime of your graveyard shift.
We’re at risk of seeing a winter storm on Sunday, though nothing is set in stone yet due to uncertainties.
First, let me set the table for the potential Sunday snow dinner:
Winds are diminishing tonight, but aside from a bitterly cold morning, Friday won’t be as harsh as Thursday was.
Another cold front will move through late Friday night into Saturday morning, causing a period of light rain in the Upstate. It may be cold enough for snow north of Highway 11, but you’d have to be on a high spot for a chance at an accumulation.
Reinforcing cold moves in behind the front for Sunday, and the front will turn stationary along our coast late Saturday night.
This Weather Prediction Center weather map for Saturday evening shows a cold front moving through South Carolina and precipitation breaking out along the Gulf Coast.
Here are the uncertainties for Sunday’s storm:
We know a storm will track along the front, moving along the Gulf Coast and then along our coast late Saturday night through Sunday. However, the storm could track farther inland or farther offshore, which will affect where the heaviest precipitation falls.
The storm’s intensity is uncertain; a stronger storm would lead to more widespread and heavier precipitation.
We’re not sure how well the cold air will penetrate South Carolina; it may not be cold enough for snow in areas where significant precipitation falls.
Even if it snows, the storm will mostly occur during the daytime, which makes it harder for the snow to stick.
To illustrate the point, here’s output from one of the computer models, the GEFS (Global Ensemble Forecast System). It’s an ensemble model based on our GFS model. The GFS is one of the ensemble members, and the other members are the same model run with 30 slightly altered inputs, for a total of 31 variations. That simulates potential input errors. It also allows us to see the range of possibilities with an upcoming weather event and to gauge how well the model is performing.
Total snowfall to forecast hour ending at 7 a.m. Monday from the GEFS using weather observations from 7 p.m. Thursday as the model’s starting point.
Image Source: WeatherBELL
The late-breaking information is that the overnight model runs available as of 11:30 p.m. Thursday (my bedtime!) show more moisture available but less cold air, resulting in not much snow in the Palmetto State on Sunday. We’re not out of the woods yet, but this trend favors snow haters. We’ll have the rest of the overnight models available when we wake up Friday morning, and the next round of models will start trickling in by late morning.
You can see that there is a wide range of possibilities, ranging from little or no snow in the state to a part of the state receiving a significant snowstorm. Also, this is just one model. There are also models from Canada, Europe, the United Kingdom, Japan, Korea, and others to consider, plus a few newfangled artificial intelligence-based models. Meteorologists spend a ton of time looking at computer model output!
As we get closer to the event, we’ll be able to start nailing down more details. The picture usually steadily improves once we’re within 72 hours of the event, as we are now.
But we can say that the risk is there. Also, chilly days behind the storm, should it come to pass, could mean it takes a couple of days for the snow to melt. So, you’ll want to think about getting ready. That does not imply a stampede toward the bread and milk aisles of your favorite grocery store (though if you need bread or milk, buy it; even if it doesn’t snow, it seems milk sandwiches are haute cuisine according to YouTube). Start by reviewing SCEMD’s SC Winter Weather Guide, see which preps fit your situation best, and go from there.
Frank Strait Severe Weather Liaison S.C. State Climate Office
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources 260 D. Epting Lane West Columbia, SC, 29172
This email was sent to curtis.hoff@cruisersnet.net using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: South Carolina DNR ·1000 Assembly Street · Columbia, SC 29201
A longtime CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, historic Edenton always has an exciting calendar of events and places to visit! Edenton is at the mouth of the Chowan River on the northwest shore of Albemarle Sound.
Maryland has crab, and Chicago has deep-dish; what does Edenton have?
More than you’d expect.
Edenton is a place where world-class chefs have called home, award-winning restaurants have started, and really good food is served every day.
Keep your calendar clear: Every season in Washington, NC brings something new and exciting. Enjoy local festivals, area concerts, or waterfront adventure.
Harbour Town Yacht Basin, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, is ready for your reservation with newly renovated docks, upgraded electrical service and onSpot WiFi, also a CRUISERS NET SPONSOR. And, as always, numerous activities at the Sea Pines Resort are offered for your enjoyment, as you will see in the Event Schedule below. Hilton Head Island is absolutely marvelous any time of year.
The City of Gulfport and Gulfport Municipal Marina, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, always has a full calendar of events for all ages. The marina and harbor, found on the northern shores of Boca Ciega Bay, are easily accessible from the Western Florida ICW, just north of Tampa Bay.
Beach Life: Exploring the History (and Future) of Gulfport’s Beach Friday, January 16 at 7:00pm at the Gulfport History MuseumWhen you think of Gulfport, it’s hard not to think of the beach. The town’s identity has long been intertwined with this treasured space for nature, recreation, social life, and subsistence. As we contemplate a future of rising sea levels and more intense storms, questions abound about how this space will change, and how our community will adapt.
This very special porch party event, co-hosted by Eckerd College’s Gulf Scholar program, will give attendees a chance to participate in an interactive exhibit exploring the history of Gulfport’s beach and its place in the life of Gulfportians, as well as learn how coastal communities are adapting to some of the environmental challenges we now face. Attendees will also have a chance to participate in a survey gathering concerns and ideas about the future of Gulfport’s beach.
Come enjoy some sand-sprinkled, sun-kissed treasures from the Gulfport History Museum’s archives and a fascinating glimpse into the lives of our beautiful beaches! Program is free and open to the public, and begins at 7pm.
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