Queen Bee, Regulator
The Queen Bee‘s amazing trans-oceanic story has finally come full circle. Many anglers and boaters heard the story of the 26-foot Regulator and how its occupants were tossed overboard by a rogue wave off Nantucket, Massachusetts, in 2008.
The boat floated away and the two men — thankfully — swam to shore. But like a hapless leaf on the wind, the Regulator rode the open seas until it was found in January this year, drifting off the coast of Spain, 3,500 miles away.
This week, the boat was returned to the Port of Baltimore, where it was picked up by Regulator and returned to the company’s Edenton, North Carolina, factory, according to WBALTV 11 News. The boat still appears to have intact outboards, gauges and electronics.
The news station also suggested that Regulator plans to use the boat as a learning tool. Too bad there’s no “black box” like those aboard commercial airliners that could tell the company exactly what the boat went through.
The fact that it had enough buoyancy to remain at the surface (though it appears to have turned over during its ordeal, according to the video) for three years in all kinds of seas is incredible. By the way, I see no mention in any of the articles or video as to whether the two mariners ever bought another boat.
