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60' ketch in "Captain Ron"

Discussion in ' All Things Boats & Boating ' started by LP , Sep 23, 2005 .

LP Flying Boatman

One of my favorite "fun" movies, "Captain Ron", has a 60' ketch in it. Does anybody know about the real yacht. Who are the designers and builders. Is she really 60' long. This will be pushing it, but does anybody know how much of the actual interior shots were done inside.  

capt'n ron Junior Member

i don't know any of the answers, learpilot. but i thought i'd add that movie is howi got my nickname. a buddy of mine saw the movie and started calling me capt'n ron because i reminded him of the capt'n ron in the movie, the name stuck and i am called by that monicer all over the area by most of the guys i work with in a about a 100 mile radius of my home town. funny thing is at the time of the movie's debut, there were several people who satrted calling me that at the same time with no co-laberation on thier part. it is a nice looking ketch though, isn't it.  

Wynand N Retired Steelboatbuilder

Hi LearPilot My most favorable memories of Capt Ron were those beautiful legs on the women However, the boat used in the movie is a Formosa 51. If I'm not mistaken, it is the same boat, after some cosmetic changes eg. metal mast etc etc were made, that was used in the movie "First 50 Dates" OTOH, the boat also looks remarkably like a Hudson Force 51.......  

There were 3 boats used in the movie. All three were Formosa 51's. One was a total mess, and that one was used in the initial scenes at the dock of the neglected boat. Another was not in quite as bad of shape, but still bad, and was used in the scenes where the boat was shot up by the "pirates of the Caribbean". The third boat used for all on deck and offshore sailing scenes is a Formoso 51 named Wanderer, if I'm not mistaken, from Kemah, Texas. All of the below deck scenes were shot in a movie studio, on a fabricated set.  

Formosa 51 Thanks Wynand N, You'll have to excuse my ignorance, a Formosa 51 would be 51' LOA? Just curious because they call it a 60' er in the movie. I was going to be quite impressed with the size of the interior if they had actually shot it in the yacht itself. Looked like the master suite had 10' ceilings. Thanks again.  

learpilot said: a Formosa 51 would be 51' LOA? Just curious because they call it a 60' er in the movie. Click to expand...

seabreeze New Member

both the "Wonderer" and another formosa 51 named "Windborne"are docket within half/mile of each other one in Kemath and the other across the channel in Seabrook,TX. I have been told that both were used in the movie. I have been aboard both, and seen the movie, and I thank, at lest some othe interior shot were inside.The "Windborne" is beautiful has just been refit&refinished.  

yokebutt Boatbuilder

Well, you do have to pay slip-fees for 60 feet, so why not? Yoke.  

Kaptin Kaptin

Do a Google Search for 51' Formosa ketch. The boat used in Captain Ron was a 51' Formosa Ketch called "Wanderer"  

landlocked02 Guest

Tis true. The Wanderer is a 51 Formosa Ketch. It is docked in Kemah, Tx. Located just down from my brothers boat. It is starting to waste away as the new owners have not been keeping her up.  

globaldude court jester

I too like the formosa design , so much so that I flew to Hawaii to look over a CT41 formosa but ended up buying a Transworld 41 for 20K , a centre cocpit aft cabin with fibreglass decks and cabins . It is esentially the same as the formosa's , that is, William Gardner design but unlike most of the Taiwan boats it has glass decks and cabins . Story goes a couple of American guys ordered the glass decks etc for the same design as the CT's , Taichi's , sea wolf's, hardins and by what ever else name they go under . I have edited this post severely as it has had the desired efect [ for those who read it first -- he has offered to pay me back ]  

Reckless Guest

You could just go out and buy the actual boat http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1978/Formosa-Cutter-Rigged-Ketch-2076793/Kemah/TX/United-States  

sbluejean54 Guest

60ft Ketch in "Captain Ron" Hi LP , as previously posted by Wynand N ., the " Captain Ron " Ketch is indeed, the " Wanderer ", a Formosa 51 and yes, it is slipped at the Kemah Boardwalk Marina in Kemah, Texas. My wife and I loved the movie and wanting to see the boat, sailed through the Marina last year and saw her. If memory serves, she's on the 3rd pier in from the marina's water entrance off the Seabrook channel (the Seabrook channel takes you from NASA's Clear Lake, to Trinity Bay). Stop in and see her sometime.  

Jack Tar Guest

The Wanderer is presently for sale on www.yachtworld.com . I also had my vessel the Angelique for sale last year but pulled her from the market until the economy changes. Many of the movie shots were filmed on sets. The engine room for one. It's not hard though to make a cabin look large. Here is a shot of my main salon shot through a fish eye lens. Oh and my overall length is just over 59'. LOA She is a center cockpit model.  

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Captain_Bly New Member

Captain Ron and the famous Wanderer Well... How about an update on the famous sailboat used in the Captain Ron movie, "The Wanderer"? The newest owner (owner number 10) wanted a project that he could renovate for retirement and cruising. The mystic of the Wanderer movie life and saving the vessel from Davie Jones Locker played a key role in her purchase. Not to mentions, an excellent price. After taking on what looks to be a 4 year project, I moved her over to the yard to let the work begin. Once in the yard, I took a long hard look at what once was a magnificent vessel; that, sadly to say individuals just could not take care of her over time. I stepped back and said, what did I get myself involved in, and, where do I start? That ended up being an easy decision...stop her from sinking! Next we evicted the live aboard "taking care of her". We immediately gutted the interior and sprayed to eliminate a zillion roaches and mites! We then pulled the 120hp Ford Lehman engine out and took it to the shop for a complete rebuild which should take about 7 to 8 weeks. As the days passed we cut out 9 stainless tanks and removed all the plumbing, wiring and everything that had either worn out or was just not needed. Starting with her bottom; as she had 18 thru-hulls. WOW! It looked as if each time a previous owner wanted to add something to her that required punching a hole in her, sadly they did. We closed off all but 9 and replaced the old gate valves with modern day brass ball valves. Then off with the old prop as it was badly in need of a new one. We moved to the rudder; off with it I said, as it was in worse shape than we originally thought. Water logged and damaged we cut it in half then rebuilt it from the inside out. After 30 days on the hard in the yard and a new bottom job, rudder and prop; oh, and all those new thru-hulls we splashed her for a short tow over to Waterford Harbor Marina where she will stay until she's a beautiful sailing ship once again. Once she's back you will be able to charter her on Galveston Bay through Windsong Charters. Now how about a little history? She was built in Taipei, Taiwan in 1978 by the Formosa Boat Building Company. The Wanderer got her name from the movie production company. Previously she was named Sea Deborah III, Le Charmay, Billie's Pearl, Lade Hawk and finally The Wanderer which is the perfect name for her future life! Hollywood created an amazing interior and wonderful story about the vessel. Many people want to tour her to see the engine room, have their photo taken in the shower and also see the carved bedposts with the initials of Clark Gable and Carole Lombard. You'll have to visit her yourself to see what might be true or possibly a little exaggerated! Many people also want souvenirs from her such as her hand carved doors...whatever people. One of the reasons the new owner selected Dockside Boat Repair for the re-fit was because we would modernize her but will still keep her classic historic look. Stay tuned for future before and after photos on her amazing transformation. Captain Bob  

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One man is a face among millions in a cold, sprawling metropolis. He dejected, lost in the crowd and tightly wound as he ambles through busy streets he walks into his office building, our protagonist — Martin Harvey, played by Martin Short —  is trapped in a revolving door by an inconsiderate younger man. Perhaps it’s a metaphor: stuck in a spinning cycle from which he cannot escape.

All the while, during the cheerful opening sequence set in a wintery Chicago, a bike messenger zips through busy, snow-covered city streets. Oddly upbeat (and decidedly ’90s) island-ish music is juxtaposed in the background, strangely sanguine against the bleak world our protagonist inhabits. The paths of the messenger and Harvey, it seems, are destined to cross. Without him knowing, the sea calls to on of our heroes.

Harvey crams into an impossibly crowded elevator. A rotund and especially garrulous man reveals (embarrassingly, inappropriately) to the crowd in the elevator that Harvey wants to write a novel. “I mean that’s what he told me. But what’re you gonna write about, adventures in new product development?”

“I just said someday . . .” Harvey tries to answer.

“Well my point exactly, someday,” the obnoxious man says. Just then, the bike messenger crowds into the elevator and fates collide. He has a package, for Harvey — his uncle just died, and left him a boat in the Caribbean.

This is the story of captain Ron Rico, played by Kurt Russell.

Wackiness ensues.

The boat the Harveys inherit (reportedly one of two 50-ft ketches used in the movie) is a beautiful disaster. The Harvey family — including Martin, a wisecracking pre-teen, a teenage daughter rapidly growing into her sexuality, and a mom who’s the upbeat, unsung hero and glue of the movie — reluctantly go to work on their new home. (A staple of late ’80s and early ’90s movies seems to revolve around the ‘fixer-upper’ plotline.)

Calamity ensues.

Captain Ron steadily emasculates Martin Harvey by being  indefatigably easier-going than the suburbia dad who’s “worked very hard to plan a spontaneous adventure” for his family. In the end, captain Ron temporarily sacrifices his own manhood, pretending to be wounded when he’s not so that Mr. Harvey — who learns to throw at least a little caution to the wind — can lead and shine.

It’s the perfect arc for both our heroes.

A friend of mine likened captain Ron’s character to Mary Poppins. Really? “He swoops in, teaches everyone an important life lesson, and then swoops away just as fast as he arrived, onto the next family,” my friend explained.

T. Michael Leonard wrote: “We were cruising on a Flicka in Mexico when Captain Ron hit the theaters. It was the end of the cruise and we were back in the states to get the trailer to bring the boat home. The boat Serendipity was in Mazatlan (much of our adventure was chronicled in the pages of Latitude — including the 700-mile trailer home — via the Changes section.)

“We went to the theater to see the movie when we got home [to Tucson, Arizona]. I don’t remember the exact scenes we laughed so hard at, but the ‘regular’ people at the movie just didn’t see the humor. We started to get nasty looks from the folks in the seats around us because we were laughing so much. Keep in mind Tucson doesn’t have many cruising sailors. I still enjoy the movie, especially the end when they turn around and head for the great unknown rather than go back to Chicago.”

Michael Moen said that Captain Ron was on his “short list of best sailing movies, not only because it showed an attainable boat, but it also showcased the things that can go wrong, such as boats needing maintenance and the concept of ‘this is an adventure’ that we all know and occasionally love.”

Don Fox thought Captain Ron was robbed of consideration by the Academy Award. “Kurt Russell should have got an Oscar for that movie and a sequel.”

Here’s our always-being-updated list of sailing movies, some of which we’ve already reviewed: Moana , The Four Seasons ,  Captains Courageous , Wake of the Red Witch , Moby Dick , The Sea Wolf , Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World , Wind , White Squall , Pirates of the Caribbean , Dead Calm, Captain Blood and Waterworld .

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Touchstone and Beyond: A History of Disney’s “Captain Ron”

It’s cold outside where I am, and what better way to shake off the winter blues, then by setting sail with Martin Short and Kurt Russell in Captain Ron . This Caribbean voyage will be impossible to forget.

Martin Harvey lives a hectic life in an unfulfilling job in Chicago. One day while he is navigating the elevator at the office, he learns that his uncle has died, and bequeathed his yacht Wanderer  to Martin.

Excited from his childhood memories sailing with his uncle, Martin convinces his wife Katherine and two kids Caroline and Ben to fly down to a remote island, San Pomme de Terre (what an awesome name for an island) and sail the boat to Miami and sell it for a profit.

On arrival, the memories of an elegant yacht, give way to a trashy boat that is barely above the water line. To make matters worse, the boat skipper hired to help the Harvey family navigate to Miami, is Captain Ron.

This laid-back beach bum does not instill confidence in Martin. As the journey begins, skepticism gives way to downright hatred. Martin despises Captain Ron, and for everything that goes wrong with the journey, Martin blames the affable skipper. Confronted by pirates and with Captain Ron injured, it’s up to the Harvey family to make the boat function on sail power alone or else they are going to die.

Kurt Russell is well known for his action hero past, but his work as Captain Ron is something unlike anything he has done before or since. The audience doesn’t expect someone with Russell’s past to be able to pull off the beach bum look. Not only does Kurt Russell transform into this slacker perfectly, but he is also genuinely funny in every scene. Playing against type and building a unique persona that is unlike anything done in his past, Russell makes the audience love Captain Ron, despite the fact he is the worst captain anyone could ever hire.

Martin Short plays the perfect straight man to Russell’s absurdity. Known for being the over-the-top part of a comedy act, Short gets to play it straight, which is an incredible performance by the comic. His Martin Harvey is an everyman character who just wants to sail the boat to Miami. The fact that Harvey sees past the obvious issues with Captain Ron upon first meeting him, and then tries to stay positive for most of the journey until he hits his breaking point, is brilliant. As much as I laughed at how Russel brought Captain Ron to life, seeing Martin Short try to restrain himself as he dealt with Ron was some of the best parts of the film.

The scene alone where Captain Ron warns Martin to stay on the trail to avoid the guerillas on the island is incredibly funny for many different reasons.

The Bad and the Ugly

There is nothing wrong with the film. It’s funny, beautiful for a winter watch as it will place you in a warm location, and you will laugh along at the madness of Captain Ron.

Beyond the Film Facts

• Paul Anka has a small role as Donaldson, the yacht dealer that Martin wants to sell the boat to.
• Benjamin Salisbury and Meadow Sisto were nominated for Young Artist awards for their work as the Harvey children Ben and Caroline.
• We only learn Captain Ron’s full name, Ron Rico, when he introduces himself to the Harvey’s at the beginning of the film.
• Apparently, Kurt Russell provided much of the wardrobe for Captain Ron from his own closet.
• The movie was going to be released under the Walt Disney Pictures label, but the underaged drinking, and partial nudity, made for a better home with Touchstone Pictures.
• Many comedy legends were considered for the role of Martin, including Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Billy Crystal, John Candy, and John Ritter.
• Roselyn Sanchez, as well as Meadow Sisto and Benjamin Salisbury make their film debuts in this movie.
• Three different boats were used to represent the family yacht Wanderer .
• Screenwriter John Dwyer claims that Martin Short was supposed to play Captain Ron and Kurt Russell was supposed to play Martin Harvey, but after a night of drinking they decided to switch roles. (I find this doubtful, but hilarious if it’s real)
• When Ron mentions pirates, and the kids ask if there are really pirates of the Caribbean, Martin Harvey makes a reference to Captain Ron having gone to Disney World one too many times. (Intentional corporate synergy?)

The Streamy Award

{Watch on your phone (1) Watch on a tablet (2) Perfect travel entertainment (3) Best at home with the biggest screen (4)}

The film was a failure at the box office, and for many critics, they couldn’t look past the fact that Kurt Russell was the comedic lead, and Martin Short played the straight man. To me, that’s the charm of this film.

Captain Ron  is a comic masterpiece that gets a “Level 4 Streamy Award”.  Watch this film on a big screen so that you can take in the beautiful blue waters of the Caribbean and laugh along at the insanity that Martin Harvey experiences with Captain Ron guiding his family through troubled waters.

Cast and Crew

• Kurt Russell as Captain Ron
• Martin Short as Martin Harvey
• Mary Kay Place as Katherine
• Meadow Sisto as Caroline
• Benjamin Salisbury as Ben

Directed by  Thom Eberhardt

Produced by  Touchstone Pictures / Touchwood Pacific Partners 1 / Permut Presentations

Release Date: September 18, 1992

Budget: $24 million

Box Office Gross

Domestic:  $22,518,097

Coming Soon

In honor of Sidney Poitier’s passing, next week is a look back at his Touchstone Pictures action/thriller, Shoot to Kill.  

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Captain Ron (the movie)

• Thread starter Manny
• Start date Aug 14, 2008
• Forums for All Owners
• Ask All Sailors

I just watched Captain Ron for the first time tonight and really liked the sailboat in the movie. Anybody know who the manufacturer is for the boat? Thanks, Manny  

There was a posting some months ago About the Captain Ron boat. Do a search in the archive. I think the boat is rotting away in some marina.  

I've seen it 50 times and I have the DVD . It is a Formosa, 47 footer. Keep it up, Ctskip  

research I have done some research and read that the boat was a Formosa 51 which is now in Texas for hire as charter. They used two boats for the movie one was the first which was made to be junky and the other was prestine. The boat in 50 first dates was a sister ship. Just something I have read Alan  

Last I heard the Formosa 51 that was the junker was drydocked somewhere for a total overhaul/restoration, but that was a few years ago. It may have been restored before going back on the charter circuit, or it may just be rotting away somewhere, wooden spars and all. The near-bristol sister ship, used later in the movie, was for sale (I saw the ad for it, and the owner mentioned that it was used in the movie) last I heard. There is another one that winters in my marina, and docks close by. I see it go by every so often. I love looking at it, but wouldn't want to maintain it.  

ChuckThomas

There is one next to me. I thought I heard they used 4 different boats in the movie. There is one right next to me in the marina. The guy has been working on it for the last three years. He took it out for first time last weekend. In the movie you can tell they used different boats by looking at cabin top.  

And the wheel One has obvious reinforcement, the other doesn't. They often alternate back and forth, from scene to scene, even after the beater has been cleaned up.  

Ross in Tampa

the 1200 hp diesel didn't help either... The 1200 horsepower diesel that loved it's oil like a sailor loves rum didn't help the credibility either. But, it's a movie, and one I have watched dozens of times, and will watch dozens more. And yes, the continuity issues are fun to watch for. "if it's gonna happen...it's gonna happen out there"  

Great lines The movie has some really great lines I find myself using.  

I get a kick out of the induction motor that's supposed to be the alternator. It's a plain-vanilla NEMA 56 C-face TEFC motor, NOT an alternator. It's probably driving the engine when he's "starting" it, in real life, in an engine room you could have a party in. And the way they go from a starboard tack to a port tack and vice-versa from one shot to the next. And the magically-appearing main sheet as they're being chased from the dock in Cuba (no main sheet), but it suddenly appears as they haul Martin (hanging from the boom) inboard using it. There's a million of them - Martin's just-purchased yet empty coffee cup in the lobby of his building, Ben's half washed then reappearing tattoo, plus his changing grip on the belt sander, appearing/disappearing/reappearing staysail bunched on the deck . . . I could go on forever.  

Thanks guys Definitely looks like the Formosa, I'd love to see the real interior of one. It looked way too cavernous in the movie... Yeah, lot of continuity issues in the movie but it's just meant to be entertaining. It does remind me how overwhelmed my wife and I felt when we went from renting an occasional sunfish to owning 27' boat that needed a lot of TLC. Loved the guerilla scene! Manny  

Stu Jackson

Hey Stu I can hook you up, check your e mail, Tom  

Fella I Knew ...was a Director of Capt. Ron. He was a good sailor and had a really nice French boat; can't recall the name. I left my wife with he and a couple of buddy boats in Catalina and came back after working a week later. Thought she'd be really happy to see me. After waiting on the dock for her to no avail, I hiked up to the bar, and there they all were, having Sushi and Buffalo Milks. Oops, she forgot I was due back! Anyhow, Rick (Rondell) has told how much they enjoyed making the movie, how it gave them a great excuse for messing around on boats for a couple of months and how it was a pretty good long running party interrupted by occasional work. I think that's why it works so well. Rick D.  

Thanks, Tom nm  

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Captain Ron

1992, Comedy, 1h 40m

What to know

Critics Consensus

Despite the swashbuckling charms of Kurt Russell's seafaring antics, Captain Ron capsizes in its hackneyed narrative waters. Read critic reviews

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Captain ron   photos.

When mild-mannered Martin Harvey (Martin Short) finds out that he has inherited a vintage yacht, he decides to take his family on a Caribbean vacation to retrieve the vessel. Upon arriving on a small island and realizing that the ship is in rough shape, Martin and his family end up with more than they bargained for as the roguish Captain Ron (Kurt Russell) signs on to sail the boat to Miami. It doesn't take long before Ron's anything-goes antics get the Harveys into plenty of trouble.

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Comedy

Original Language: English

Director: Thom Eberhardt

Producer: David Permut , Paige Simpson

Release Date (Theaters): Sep 18, 1992  limited

Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016

Box Office (Gross USA): $22.5M

Runtime: 1h 40m

Production Co: Touchstone Pictures, Permut Presentations, Touchwood Pacific Partners 1

Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

Cast & Crew

Kurt Russell

Martin Short

Martin Harvey

Mary Kay Place

Katherine Harvey

Benjamin Salisbury

Benjamin Harvey

Meadow Sisto

Caroline Harvey

Jorge Luis Ramos

General's Translator

J.A. Preston

Tanya Soler

Thom Eberhardt

David Permut

Paige Simpson

News & Interviews for Captain Ron

Does Captain Ron Deserve Cult Status?

Critic Reviews for Captain Ron

Audience reviews for captain ron.

Captain Ron is a hilarious cult comedy that delivers a ton of laughs. When Martin Harvey inherits a yacht he takes his family to the Caribbean to claim it, and hires Captain Ron, a local seaman, to help him learn to sail and get the ship seaworthy. Kurt Russell and Martin Short lead the cast and deliver great performances; Russell in particular does an outstanding job with the role of Captain Ron, creating a tremendously charismatic and fun character. At times the film is a little formulaic, but for the most part the writing is fresh and puts a new spin on the family vacation comedy. Outrageously funny and incredibly entertaining, Captain Ron delivers a ton of laughs in this high seas adventure.

Very silly and occasionally funny, Captain Ron is not a recommendable movie but is, at the same time, an unforgettable cult comedy. Who is fan of Martin Short, like I'm, is good to know this rare dumb picture.

A completely corny attempt at a comedy. While Kurt Russell is undeniably funny, that is literally the only thing this film has going for it. The plot is horrible and the acting from everyone else is terrible. It's almost just sad at how cheap and throw away this movie is.

Good comedy to spent your time without extra thoughts about. Kurt Russell is the only thing that makes this film want to see it.

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ABOUT RONNIE

Ronnie Simpson is a 38-year-old professional racing sailor who has sailed more than 140,000 miles at sea. We are sponsoring him on his quest to win the first ever Global Solo Challenge, a single-handed non-stop sailing race around the world.

There’s a number of reasons we decided to support Ronnie, but chief among them was his military background and association with the non-profit, U.S. Patriot Sailing.

Ronnie is an Iraq War Veteran. As a member of the Marine Corps, he was severely wounded in combat during a 2004 deployment when he was just 19 years old. After a lengthy recovery, he found sailing and credits the sport with saving his life.

As a part of this venture, we are working with Ronnie to raise awareness and money for U.S. Patriot Sailing. This organization uses the inspirational and therapeutic benefits of sailing to help facilitate healing with Veterans.

We are thrilled to be a small part of his enormous journey. Learn more about this man’s incredible story here:

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Top 23 Captain Ron Quotes From The Classic Family Comedy

Best 'Captain Ron' Quotes

Fantastic 'captain ron' quotes.

A delightful and hilarious source of pure enjoyable entertainment, 'Captain Ron' is definitely a package deal.

“A diesel loves her oil same as a sailor loves rum,” this quote from the hilarious movie gives us an insight into the bold, nasty and funky character of Captain Ron.

'Captain Ron' is a movie that stays with you for a long while and also triggers the craving to buy a boat, move to any tropical island and go out drinking with Captain Ron!

'Captain Ron' Rico is an ex-Navy boat driver, who has experienced many squalls of life; he's a man of worldly knowledge.

In fact, as the movie progresses, you come to terms with the fact that Captain Ron is far more cunning and blunt than first suspected.

Besides the stellar performance by Kurt Russell, the beautiful locations, catchy soundtrack, and hilariously comical performance from the rest of the cast, everything is set out to make the movie probably one of the most enjoyable films of its genre. Kurt Russell, an actor who can get away with any role, plays the hysterical one-eyed Captain Ron.

Beside him, Martin Short, Mary Kay Place, Meadow Sisto, Benjamin Salisbury Sunshine, and Logroño Jorge also star in the movie.

Here are some of the best 'Captain Ron' quotes for you to enjoy. If you like these 'Captain Ron' movie quotes, then do check out our 'Home Alone' quotes and Addams Family quotes as well.  

This goofy, comical story unfolds the adventurous journey of a family that inherits a yacht and decides to sail for Miami. The Harvey family set sail with the assistance of Captain Ron, overcoming various hurdles along their journey; hurdles such as different aspects of their life, Capt.

Ron, and their voyage on a boat. We have assembled some of the best 'Captain Ron' gorilla quotes as well as various other funny 'Captain Ron' quotes.

1. “Captain Ron: We're getting into pirate waters, here, pretty quick.

Martin Harvey: What pirates?

Captain Ron: Pirates, of the Caribbean.

Martin Harvey: Been to Disney World, one too many times? Have we, Captain Ron?”

- ‘Captain Ron’ (1992).

2.  “We’ll be spontaneous when we have time.”

3. “Martin Harvey: Slow down! There’s boats all over the place.

Captain Ron: Don’t worry. They’ll get out of the way. I learned that driving the Saratoga.”

4. “Hey. Uh, leg feels a lot better now, boss. I always been a fast healer, you know. 'Course I believe in Jesus, so that helps.”

- Kurt Russell, ‘Captain Ron’ (1992).

5. “Alright, that's more like it, now you're talking. You can do it, mates. I've never seen such sailors. Not in all my born days, I ain't. Naturals. My God, every one of you, naturals”

6. “Captain Ron: Hey. Get your hands off that.

Benjamin Harvey: I was just moving it. I wasn't gonna drink it.

Captain Ron: You bet your little booty, you wasn't. You want a beer, you get your own beer.”

7. “Bill Zachary: Mr. and Mrs. Harvey? I'm Bill Zachary from the U.S. State Department. I've got some good news for you.

Katherine Harvey: Oh. You found our children.

Bill Zachary: No. But you're not being charged with subversion.”

8. “Handsome Guerilla: The American girls are very... what's the word? Superficial.

Caroline Harvey: Yeah. God, I really hate that. Like, I'm into different cultures and different ways of doing things. Like we're watching ‘Mr. Ed’ on TV the other day, and he's speaking French, or something.”

9. “Martin: We don't know how to drive a boat.

Captain Ron: The best way to find out, Kitty is to get her out on the ocean. If anything is going to happen, it's going to happen out there.

Katherine: But we don't even have supplies.”

10. “Captain Ron: [to Ben]  Hey swab. C'mere. Listen up. Now, the way it works shipboard is, you do your job. You do it good, you get a better job. Maybe you get promoted from swab to mate.

Captain Ron: Alright. Get on it.

Captain Ron: [to Martin]  Sort've an incentive kind of a deal, huh?

Martin Harvey: Ah. Good.

Captain Ron: Yeah, incentives are important. I learned that in rehab.”

Basically, this movie is Pandora's box and is a little piece of everything: adventure, family dynamics, pirates, thrill, anticipation, and plenty of laughs. Captain Ron himself is a fantastic, binding character, one that keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering what you will stumble upon next.

He beautifully steers you towards the sense of freedom and fun with his character. Read on for some interesting quotes from the movie 'Captain Ron'.

11. “Nothing. They were playing hide the Salami in the shower.”

- Captain Ron, ‘Captain Ron’ (1992).

12. “Captain Ron: if you just let me back into that game I can widdle it down some.

Martin Harvey: Why don't you widdle your way out of my life!”

13. “Well if anything's going to happen it's going to happen out there.”

14. “When we left, we had just enough fuel to make it to San Juan. And now... we are out of fuel!”

15. “Captain Ron: Ok that's 37 cents

Benjamin Harvey: That's half the money I have left.”

16. “If we get lost we will just pull in somewhere and ask directions.”

17. “Katherine Harvey: Wait. The Great Barrier Reef?

Captain Ron: You've heard of it, huh? Smart lady."

18. “Caroline Harvey: Captain Ron, I was wondering. Are we going to be going to any more 'human' type places?

Captain Ron: Well, you heard of St. Croix?

Caroline Harvey: Yeah.

Captain Ron: We're going to the island just to the left of it.

Caroline Harvey: What's it called?

Captain Ron: Ted's.”

19. “Captain Ron: [after losing his glass eye] It never did fit anyway. Guess you gotta get 'em custom made.”

20. “Benjamin Harvey: What about your other eye?

Captain Ron: Glass, swab.

Benjamin Harvey: Too cool!”

21. “Captain Ron: The boss is right. We should be okay. 'Cause I know we're near land.  

Martin Harvey: Great, Cap. Great. Ya hear that? We're almost there. Explain to the kids how you know that, Captain Ron. Someone translate for General Armando.

Captain Ron: Alright, now stay with me: When we left, we had just enough fuel to make it to San Juan. And now... we are out of fuel!”

22. "Benjamin Harvey: Man. What happened to your eye?

Martin Harvey: Ben.

Katherine Harvey: Sweetie, that's rude.

Captain Ron: No, that's alright. Shark attack, swab.

Benjamin Harvey: A shark ate your eye?"

23. "Captain Ron : [telling how he lost his eye]  Yeah, it happened when I went down off the coast of Australia.

Katherine Harvey: Your boat sank?

Captain Ron: No, no, no, no. Not my boat. My boss's boat. Yeah, we hit this reef."

Here at Kidadl , we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 'Captain Ron' quotes then why not take a look at 'Indiana Jones' quotes , or 'Grease' quotes .

Article image credit: Studio R3 / Shutterstock.com

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Bachelor of Arts Hons specializing in Modern Languages (French and Spanish)

Monisha Kochhar Bachelor of Arts Hons specializing in Modern Languages (French and Spanish)

A Modern Languages graduate from the University College London, Monisha with a passion for travel and exploring different cultures. She is fluent in French and Spanish and is currently learning Hindi. Monisha enjoys discovering new foods and is an avid sports fan, following soccer and Formula 1. In her spare time, she enjoys playing tennis and watching TV shows.

1) Kidadl is independent and to make our service free to you the reader we are supported by advertising. We hope you love our recommendations for products and services! What we suggest is selected independently by the Kidadl team. If you purchase using the Buy Now button we may earn a small commission. This does not influence our choices. Prices are correct and items are available at the time the article was published but we cannot guarantee that on the time of reading. Please note that Kidadl is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. We also link to other websites, but are not responsible for their content.

2) At Kidadl, we strive to recommend the very best activities and events. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability. Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.

3) Because we are an educational resource, we have quotes and facts about a range of historical and modern figures. We do not endorse the actions of or rhetoric of all the people included in these collections, but we think they are important for growing minds to learn about under the guidance of parents or guardians.

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- All charters include complimentary high resolution photos of your sail. 

Only 20 minutes from dock to ocean sailing

What you can expect :

Our rates vary according to the duration of your charter and the size of your party.

Please call, text or e-mail to learn about our current offers.

We invite you to join us for an unforgettable and authentic sailing experience and we look forward to  welcoming you aboard soon! 

  - For your convenience, we offer many scheduling options.

(954)401-9278

     [email protected]

Curious about the boat and crew?

- We provide bottled water, soft drinks and snacks. You are welcome to bring anything else that you'd like including food and alcoholic beverages. 

  *Book early and book direct with Captain Ron Yacht Charters for best availability and lowest rates.

  - We specialize in private charters : you and your party will be our only guests.

Captain Ron Yacht Charters

Fort Lauderdale Sailing at its Best!

Personalized Service :

After boarding, we travel by motor for approximately 15 minutes along the intra-coastal waterway. We then raise the sails as we head out to the ocean through the Hillsboro Inlet passing the picturesque and historic Hillsboro Lighthouse. Once in the ocean the engine is turned off and we enjoy a fabulous sail along the beautiful coast of South Florida.

We invite you to actively participate in sailing the boat or you can just sit back and relax while looking for dolphins, manatees, sea turtles and flying fish. During one of our charters we saw a 30 foot whale shark, the largest fish in the world! They are very docile and seeing one is a very rare and exciting experience.

Included in the price of your charter; our first mate, Andrea, an accomplished photographer, will take high resolution photos and e-mail them to you. This makes a great keepsake and a wonderful way to share your experience with family and friends.

And, if you are interested, we can include a short tour (no extra charge) by motor along the intra-coastal waterway in exclusive Hillsboro Beach to get a close look at beautiful oceanfront mansions and their accompanying yachts.

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•     Day Sails
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            3 to 6 Hour Charters                         Maximum: 6 Guests

The Captain - With a lifetime of sailing experience through several Trans-Atlantic trips, countless offshore races and deliveries, and prestigious international regattas, Captain Ron has the expertise you’re looking for and plenty of sea stories to share.

The First Mate - Andrea’s maritime heritage springs from her family sailing commercially in the Caribbean (and may include a few pirates! ) An avid photographer, her photos have been published in numerous sailing magazines.

The Boat - Endurance is a Sabre 402 which was featured in Ferenc Mates’ The World’s Best Sailboats. Meticulously maintained by her proud owners; she is safe, fast, comfortable and beautiful…and has been awarded numerous racing trophies.

Captain Ron (1992)

Kurt russell: captain ron.

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Quotes 

Caroline Harvey : Captain Ron, I was wondering. Are we going to be going to any more "human" type places?

Captain Ron : Well, you heard of St. Croix?

Caroline Harvey : Yeah.

Captain Ron : We're going to the island just to the left of it.

Caroline Harvey : What's it called?

Captain Ron : Ted's.

Captain Ron : Alright, that's more like it, now you're talking! You can do it, mates! I've never seen such sailors. Not in all my born days, I ain't. Naturals! My God, everyone of you, naturals...

[beat; to himself] 

Captain Ron : We're gonna fucking die!

[as Ben, who's 12, moves Captain Ron's beer] 

Captain Ron : Hey. Get your hands off that.

Benjamin Harvey : I was just moving it. I wasn't gonna drink it.

Captain Ron : You bet your little booty, you wasn't. You want a beer, you get your own beer.

Captain Ron : [telling how he lost his eye]  Yeah, it happened when I went down off the coast of Australia.

Katherine Harvey : Your boat sank?

Captain Ron : No, no, no, no. Not my boat. My boss's boat. Yeah, we hit this reef. Huge son-of-a-bitch. Ran the whole coast.

Katherine Harvey : Wait. The Great Barrier Reef?

Captain Ron : You've heard of it, huh? Smart lady.

[Lost in a heavy storm] 

Captain Ron : The boss is right. We should be okay. 'Cause I know we're near land.

Martin Harvey : Great, Cap. Great. Ya hear that? We're almost there. Explain to the kids how you know that, Captain Ron. Someone translate for General Armando.

Captain Ron : Alright, now stay with me: When we left, we had just enough fuel to make it to San Juan. And now... we are out of fuel!

Captain Ron : Hey! Uh, leg feels a lot better now, boss. I always been a fast healer, you know. 'Course I believe in Jesus, so that helps.

Benjamin Harvey : Man. What happened to your eye?

Martin Harvey : Ben.

Katherine Harvey : Sweetie, that's rude.

Captain Ron : No, that's alright. Shark attack, swab.

Benjamin Harvey : A shark ate your eye?

Captain Ron : [after losing his glass eye]  It never did fit anyway. Guess you gotta get 'em custom made.

Martin Harvey : [Walks down to the Ship's Cabin]  What's this?

Caroline Harvey : Monopoly.

Martin Harvey : No, this.

[Holding a handgun] 

Benjamin Harvey : Two .45's and a Mac-10.

Caroline Harvey : It's this total macho trip, Dad, just ignore it.

Martin Harvey : Where'd they come from?

Benjamin Harvey : Captain Ron traded the Guerrillas for 'em.

Captain Ron : Yeah, I thought we'd ought to have them, Boss. Cause, you know, we're gettin' into pirate waters, here, pretty quick.

Martin Harvey : What pirates?

Captain Ron : Pirates, of the Caribbean.

Martin Harvey : Been to Disney World, one too many times? Have we, Captain Ron?

Benjamin Harvey : It's true, Dad! They come up on you in high speed boats!

Captain Ron : You know, I don't believe I've been to Disney World...

[Interrupted by Martin Harvey] 

Captain Ron : I've been to DollyWood.

Captain Ron : Captain Ron: A diesel loves her oil same as a sailor loves rum

Captain Ron : Hey, you wouldn't be trying to cheat Captain Ron there, would you, swab?

Benjamin Harvey : Uh, no sir. Uh, so what happened?

Captain Ron : Ah, nothing. They were just playing hide-the-salami in the shower

Captain Ron : [Ben spits his beer up]  Oh, come on, man!

Martin Harvey : [stressing to his family that they need to learn all the things about seamanship that Capt. Ron is trying to drill into them]  You gotta' learn the basics.

Captain Ron : And, you gotta' be prepared.

Martin Harvey : That's right...

Captain Ron : I'm not talkin' Boy Scout prepared, I mean *big-time* prepared.

Martin Harvey : [downplaying it]  Well, prepared for any kind of *normal* accident...

Captain Ron : This is the Caribbean, guys. "El Caribe." The Spanish Main. The land of hoo-doo and voodoo and all kinda' weird shit.

Benjamin Harvey : Whoa!

Captain Ron : [to Ben]  Hey swab. C'mere. Listen up. Now, the way it works shipboard is, you do your job. You do it good, you get a better job. Maybe you get promoted from swab to mate.

[Ben nods] 

Captain Ron : Alright. Get on it.

Captain Ron : [to Martin]  Sort've an incentive kind of a deal, huh?

Martin Harvey : Ah. Good.

Captain Ron : Yeah, incentives are important. I learned that in rehab.

Martin Harvey : Slow down! There's boats all over the place!

Captain Ron : Don't worry. They'll get out of the way. I learned that driving the Saratoga.

[being chased by pirates] 

Benjamin Harvey : All right! They're pirates of the Caribbean, just like you said Captain Ron.

Captain Ron : Yeah, squirt. Pirates are easy to deal with. It's the Cuban cops that you gotta worry about. Grand theft auto is a major biggie here in Cuba.

Martin Harvey : Grand theft auto? You stole this car?

Captain Ron : Nah, I didn't steal it, boss. I borrowed it. Sort of...

Captain Ron : [Captain Ron and Benjamin are playing Monopoly for money]  Three houses, 375! That's 37 cents.

Benjamin Harvey : Well that's... half the money I have left.

Captain Ron : Yeah, shit happens. Cough it up.

Benjamin Harvey : What about your other eye?

Captain Ron : Glass, swab.

Benjamin Harvey : Too cool!

Captain Ron : Yeah. I won it in a crap game a few years back.

Captain Ron : The leg feel's lot better now, Boss. I always been a fast healer. Ya know, 'course I believe in Jesus, so that helps.

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The underwater hunt for the lost ship of an American slave trafficker

ANGRA DOS REIS, Brazil — Gilson Rambelli motored out into the dark waters, thinking of the crime that had haunted him for years. The evidence of it was down there, in the bay’s depths. That was where the researcher believed he’d find the Camargo, the long-lost slave ship of Nathaniel Gordon, the only person ever executed in the United States for the crime of trafficking enslaved Africans.

As dense clouds muffled the December morning sky, Rambelli and his research team approached a small island off the coastline of Rio de Janeiro state. There wasn’t much to distinguish it from the dozens of others dotting this vast bay. But it was here that the crew dropped anchor.

“This is it,” Rambelli said.

For decades, Rambelli and others have researched the shipwreck. According to contemporaneous accounts, Gordon sailed his American-made vessel into Brazilian waters in December 1852. As authorities closed in on him, Gordon sold his “cargo” — more than 500 enslaved Mozambicans — to the coffee plantations in the mountains beyond. Then he burned and sank his ship somewhere in the bay and escaped arrest dressed as a woman, scandalizing Brazil’s government and leading to its first crackdown on the country’s illegal slave trade.

The remarkable story is part of a forgotten chapter in the history of America and slavery, when American ships and the American flag were used to illegally transport enslaved Africans to Brazil by the tens of thousands.

In the first half of the 19th century, after much of the world had banned the transatlantic slave trade but before the end of slavery, a highly lucrative contraband trade continued to supply Brazil with enslaved Africans. Some of its most important players, according to historians and a Washington Post review of thousands of pages of records, were American merchants and sailors.

They sold ships, captained slaving voyages and ultimately assumed such an active role in the illegal commerce that senior U.S. diplomats at the time suggested it couldn’t have happened without them.

“The African slave trade ‘thickens around us,’” wrote U.S. Brazil Minister Henry A. Wise in an 1845 letter to Secretary of State John C. Calhoun. “Without the aid of our citizens and our flag, it could not be carried on with success at all.”

In all, between 1831 and 1850, American-made ships brought approximately 430,000 enslaved Africans to Brazil — nearly as many as were shipped to the United States during its entire history of slavery, Brazilian historian Leonardo Marques has found . During the latter half of that period, according to Marques’s review of British consular reports, more than one-third of all slaving vessels that made landfall in Rio de Janeiro did so under an American flag.

Hunting in December for one of the most notorious of those vessels, Rambelli and colleague Luís Felipe Santos pulled on their wet suits. This expedition, scheduled to last four days, was their fourth attempt to find the Camargo in two years. All previous efforts to retrieve physical evidence of the ship had failed. Funding opportunities were drying up.

If they didn’t find the Camargo soon, the team worried that the tale could again slip through the cracks of history — and deprive a nearby community of descendants of enslaved Africans of answers about its role in Brazil’s history.

“When our elders told us stories of this ship, we thought it was just another tall tale,” said Marilda de Souza Francisco, a leader of the Santa Rita do Bracuí community in the city of Angra dos Reis. “Now we find out it could be true.”

The men fastened on their oxygen tanks. They pulled down their goggles. Jumping overboard, they vanished beneath the water.

‘Our flag is preferred over any other’

How U.S. nationals became “leaders in fomenting the illicit slave trade” and “permanently transformed Brazil for all time,” in the words of historian Gerald Horne , was largely a function of two historic developments.

The first was a diplomatic dispute. In the early 1800s, Great Britain led an international campaign to end the transatlantic slave trade. It signed accords with several of the world’s naval powers, allowing British patrols to inspect suspected slaving vessels. But wary of British influence, the United States refused to sign on, effectively placing ships sailing under the American flag beyond the reach of the crown.

The second was innovation in American ship engineering. In the early 1800s, shipyards from Maine to Maryland started pumping out ships built for speed. The Baltimore Clipper, which could easily outrun British patrols, grew popular among merchants moving high-profit, low-volume goods. Few were as lucrative as enslaved Africans. Their value skyrocketed upon making landfall in Brazil, where officials did little to impede the commerce.

Seizing the opportunity, American merchants based in Rio de Janeiro sold U.S.-made vessels to slavers sailing for Africa. The proliferation of the American ship and flag — used by slavers of all nationalities — in the illicit commerce soon provoked alarm among diplomats.

“Our flag is preferred over any other,” complained Gorham Parks, the U.S. consul in Rio de Janeiro, in an 1848 letter.

Half of all enslaved Africans brought to Brazil, estimated U.S. diplomat David Tod in January 1850, “are introduced through the facilities directly and indirectly afforded by the American flag.”

What ultimately ended the involvement of U.S. nationals in the trade was Brazil’s passage in 1850 of a new anti-trafficking law. The legislation was virtually the same as an 1831 prohibition, save one crucial difference. This time, Brazil vowed to enforce it.

An early test of that commitment came in late 1852, when the Camargo neared the Rio de Janeiro coastline. With authorities in pursuit, Gordon dropped anchor at the mouth of the Bracuí River. His human cargo was brought ashore to the farm of Santa Rita do Bracuí. Then Gordon set fire to his ship and fled.

“He escaped in woman’s clothes,” a U.S. diplomat at the time reported, “hastily put on in the cabin.”

The Camargo sank to the depths of the bay, where researchers believed it had sat, undisturbed, ever since.

Diving beneath the current

Embarking on their mission, the aquatic archaeologists were painfully familiar with its challenges. First was the immense size of the bay. Next was the water’s opacity: The thick sediment blinded Rambelli and Felipe, researchers at the Federal University of Sergipe, just feet beneath the surface.

“Like you’re in a grave,” Felipe said.

Then there was the mud. It coated the seafloor in a thick film. The scientists believed the ship’s remains had sunk into the clay, further concealing its location.

But after several fruitless searches, they had a breakthrough. During an expedition in July 2023, they detected what they called an “anomalous” shape using sonographic technology. Sketched out, it looked like an exact blueprint of a historic skipper. They believed it had to be the Camargo.

“The only thing left to do is go down and touch it,” Felipe now boasted, on the second day of the December dive, as he plunked into the dark waters. Sixteen feet beneath the surface, he and Rambelli combed a search perimeter the size of a soccer field, plunging pointed stakes into the muck. After 30 minutes, they surfaced.

They submerged again. Thirty more minutes passed. Again, nothing.

“It’s just mud down there,” Rambelli vented.

Another dive. Nothing.

The men began to get nervous.

“You come in with so much expectation,” Felipe said. “And sometimes, the result isn’t what you’re hoping for.”

Years of diving, and their strongest lead yet hadn’t yielded a thing.

A hunt decades in the making

The search for the Camargo began by happenstance.

In the summer of 1994, historian Martha Abreu was scouring old newspaper clippings at Brazil’s national library in Rio de Janeiro, working on her dissertation, when she learned of an untold history that left her stunned. It was, in her understanding, Brazil’s first real attempt to crack down on the illegal slave trade. At the center of the tale were an American captain and his ship, the Camargo.

After the ship burned, Brazilian police launched an operation to rescue the Africans sold by Gordon and searched the region’s coffee plantations. The action was seen as a direct challenge to Brazil’s powerful slaveholding elite and helped establish a new precedent in a country that had allowed enslavers to do as they pleased.

Police ultimately found 75 people whom Gordon had sold into slavery. Most of them were children. The youngest was 11.

The rest were lost.

Abreu published a book chapter on the fallout and moved on to other projects. But she never stopped thinking about the Camargo or its captain. She later learned that Gordon continued his slaving exploits until he was convicted in federal court in New York of slave trading in 1861. The punishment was death. No one had ever suffered that consequence. But this time was different.

“Any man, who, for paltry gain and stimulated only by avarice, can rob Africa of her children to sell into interminable bondage, I will never pardon,” Abraham Lincoln said, according to author Ron Soodalter , denying Gordon’s pleas for clemency.

Nearly 150 years later, Abreu was researching how slavery was remembered along the Rio de Janeiro coastline when, at the mouth of the Bracuí, the story of the Camargo again found her. In the community of Santa Rita do Bracuí, founded by descendants of enslaved Africans on what had once been the farm of Santa Rita do Bracuí, she met a bald patriarch named Manoel Moraes, 85. He told her a story he first heard in his youth. He didn’t know the name of the boat that had gone down. But all the details aligned. Moraes was describing the Camargo.

“I got goose bumps,” Abreu said. “I said, ‘It’s not possible.’”

Then Moraes, now deceased, provided a bit of information even more tantalizing: He knew where the Camargo had sunk.

“People often talked about that boat,” he said, “because it was a good spot to fish.”

“It sank at the point of an island” named Cunhanbebe.

A community in the mist, long ignored

For generations, the people of Santa Rita do Bracuí have told and retold the story of the Camargo. Their version, recounted in spartan homes set against a misted mountain, included details not found in any historical text. The sinking of the Camargo was more chaotic than recorded. Many of the captured Africans perished. The fate of those who survived was little better.

“They were brought into the mountains beyond and put to work up there,” said Flavia da Silva Adriana, who’d heard the tale from her grandmother. “But first, they were brought here.”

The land on which this village was built was then a crucial entry point in Brazil’s illegal slave trade. The Souza Breves family, among Brazil’s largest enslavers, had used its Santa Rita farm to receive and revive newly arrived enslaved Africans. Many came ashore so emaciated, Moraes once told researchers, that “they’d lost their value” and had needed a “fattening station” before being sold into labor.

This story and others, told in informal settings, helped form a cultural framework through which the community came to understand its place in Brazil’s history. But many of the tales were impossible to prove.

“They were myths,” said Emerson Luís Ramos. “We didn’t have any documents.”

As a result, residents said, the community had always been easy to ignore. The people never secured official ownership of the land, and a federal highway cleaved it in two. Many have only known poverty and struggle.

But then, several years ago, came a new story, this one told by visiting researchers: The Camargo was not a myth. It was real. And the evidence was there in the bay, waiting to be found — proof of the historic injustices suffered and witnessed by the people of Santa Rita do Bracuí.

“If God wills it,” said Adriana, “we will find the ship.”

Desperation, then sudden hope

With time running out, the researchers remembered Abreu’s research and the clue provided by Moraes. They had initially discarded it. For one, there were two islands in the bay named Cunhanbebe — Big Cunhanbebe and Little Cunhanbebe. And in an area known to attract illegal treasure hunting, where fisherman eyed outsiders with suspicion, they’d had trouble corroborating the lead.

But they felt they had to try again. They called a local man affiliated with Santa Rita do Bracuí, who had once told them he’d fished over the Camargo as a child. The man, Jorge de Almeida, soon brought them to the spot he remembered, near Little Cunhanbebe. But again, nothing.

As the prospect of failure hardened into reality, a fisherman approached their vessel.

“I know what you’re looking for,” the man shouted. Then he continued on, without stopping to talk.

The next morning, on the last day of the expedition, the researchers again saw the fisherman. This time, he did stop. He said his name was Luiz Henrique de Freitas. He’d grown up on Big Cunhanbebe, where his family had lived for generations, and had fished the bay’s waters his entire life. He knew where the Camargo had sunk and, after hours of conversation, agreed to lead the researchers there.

They motored to the northeast lip of Little Cunhanbebe — just 500 meters from where they’d looked the day before — and dropped anchor.

There, on their first dive, they came upon something, buried in the muck. It was a hard, wooden. They grabbed a few pieces of the debris. What they saw when they emerged elicited shrieks of euphoria. The wood was blackened and charred. The sunken ship they’d discovered had been burned.

“We found it!” Rambelli yelled.

In the weeks to come, the researchers would alert government authorities and designate the area as an official excavation site to ward off potential treasure hunters. They’d test the wood fragments, revealing traces of copper — the material that had encased the Camargo’s hull. And in partnership with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and George Washington University researchers, they would plan another expedition in May to further examine the remains, to study the hull and engineering and hopefully render a final conclusion on whether it’s the Camargo. The true scholarly work was only now just beginning.

But for this moment, they sat on the boat, cherishing the discovery and what it meant.

“This is an answer for the communities here, that the stories they’ve always told were true,” Felipe said. “They weren’t just stories.”

Marina Dias in Brasília contributed to this report.

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In this image taken from video released by the National Transportation and Safety Board, the cargo ship Dali is stuck under part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after the ship hit the bridge, Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP)

No, the captain of the container ship that hit the bridge in Baltimore wasn’t Ukrainian

If your time is short.

When The Dali hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge, a crew of 22 Indian nationals were aboard, according to a spokesperson for Synergy Marine Group, the company that manages the vessel. 

We found no evidence that the captain during the March 26 incident was from Ukraine.

The ship was being directed by local pilots at the time of the collapse. 

Here’s how PolitiFact chooses which statements to fact-check.

Officials briefed on the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse say there’s no credible evidence the container ship’s collision with the bridge’s support column was a terrorist attack or an intentional act . 

But that hasn’t stopped social media users from questioning who was in charge of the ship when the incident happened.

"You won’t believe who is the captain of the ship that collapsed the bridge in Baltimore," an X user wrote March 26 in a post that contained punctuation errors. "The captain of the container ship Dali, who demolished the bridge today. Francis Scott, is a Ukrainian."

The post included a screenshot of a website showing information about a 52-year-old man whose name began with the letters "Se." The rest of the name is obscured. Ukraine was listed as the unknown person’s citizenship and nationality. The information also said the man had "experience on container ships."

(Screenshot from X.)

But claims that this anonymous Ukrainian was in charge of the container ship that hit the bridge March 26 are inaccurate. 

That container ship was a Signaporean-flagged vessel called Dali that is managed by Synergy Marine Group. The ship was leaving Baltimore and heading to Colombo, Sri Lanka, with a 22-person crew, according to Synergy Marine Group . 

Singapore’s Maritime Port Authority, which is investigating the collision, also said there were 22 crew members on board the Dali. 

The captain’s identity has not been released, but we found no evidence to support claims that he was from Ukraine. The Dali’s crew was from India. 

"I can confirm, all 22 crew members onboard the ship were Indian nationals," said Darrell Wilson, a spokesperson for Synergy Marine Group. 

The company also confirmed that although a minor injury had been reported, all members of the crew were safe as of March 27.

False claims about the captain’s nationality stemmed from information people found on the website BalticShipping.com. 

The image shared in the X post was a screenshot from the website. People who searched for information about the Dali on BalticShipping.com appeared to have scrutinized the previous "seafarers" who’d worked on the vessel. One of those previous crew members was Ukrainian.

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Shayan Sardarizadeh, a BBC journalist, said in a March 26 X post that "online records show a Ukrainian man was the Dali’s captain from March to July 2016." 

We were unable to independently verify this, because the Ukrainian man’s information no longer appears under the "worked on" tab on Dali’s BalticShipping.com page. 

The change prompted some commenters to write that "they deleted that the ship was operated by a Ukrainian" and claim that they could "smell a cover-up."

But other commenters rebutted the claims: To all the people commenting about a Ukrainian captain, one wrote, "when his profile was available on (the) web page, you could download his CV where you’d see that his last contract on Dali was way back in 2016." 

Sardarizadeh, who covers disinformation, said this false narrative had been pushed by "pro-Kremlin influencers." The person who made the post on X that we’re fact-checking describes himself as "a Russian internet communicator, blogger." 

At the time of the collision with the bridge, the ship was also being directed by local pilots . There were two pilots, according to news reports — one with more than 10 years of experience and an apprentice who’d started his training in February. Their nationality is unknown. 

Wilson explained that pilots are local experts who know the area and harbor and guide commercial ships in and out. 

"The Pilot is the chief person, duly qualified, to navigate ships into or out of a harbor or through certain difficult waters," reads the Association of Maryland Pilots’ website . "The Pilot’s familiarity with the water that is being traversed allows the ship to be safely navigated to its port." 

Foreign-flagged ships like the Dali are required to have local pilots to guide them in and out of U.S. ports, The Washington Post reported .

We reached out to the Association of Maryland Pilots and the American Pilots’ Association but received no response.

An X post claimed the captain of the container ship Dali that hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge check "is a Ukrainian."

The ship had a crew of 22 Indian nationals, according to a spokesperson for the company that manages the vessel. Two local pilots, one with 10 years of experience and a new apprentice, were also helping direct the ship out of the port when it collided with the bridge. 

We found no evidence the captain on board that night was Ukrainian, so we rate these claims False.

RELATED: Edited Wikipedia entry doesn’t prove Israel caused the Baltimore bridge collapse

RELATED: Maryland bridge collapse a false flag event? No, authorities say it was an accident

Our Sources

Post on X, March 26, 2024

Phone interview with Darrell Wilson, a spokesperson for Synergy Marine Group, March 27, 2024

CNN, Who was piloting the ship? A local pilot , March 26, 2024

The Washington Post, Pilot on board the Dali tried to slow ship before it struck Key Bridge , March 26, 2024

CNN, ‘Black box’ data recorder recovered from ship that struck Baltimore bridge as recovery efforts continue , March 27, 2024

Synergy Marine Group, "DALI", Francis Scott Key Bridge Incident , March 27, 2024

The Baltimore Banner, No, it’s not WWIII: Experts say bridge collapse ‘almost certainly not’ planned attack , March 26, 2024

FBI, FBI Baltimore Statement on Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse , March 27, 2024

U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland, Statement of U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron Regarding the Collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore , March 26, 2024

The New York Times, Coast Guard Ends Search for 6 Missing in Bridge Disaster , March 26, 2024

Shayan Sardarizadeh post on X, March 26, 2024

NPR, The Baltimore bridge collapse gave conspiracy theorists a chance to boost themselves , March 27, 2024

BalticShipping.com, DALI, IMO 9697428 , accessed March 27, 2024

Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, Investigators from the Transport Safety Investigation Bureau and MPA are making their way to Baltimore, Maryland , March 26, 2024 

X user’s profile , March 27, 2024

Association of Maryland Pilots, What is a Pilot? accessed March 27, 2024

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