Sailors were baffled when they stumbled upon a 'ghost ship' in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, with no sign of life on board.
The ship, a 48-foot sailboat named Wolfhound, was found by a non-profit group called Ocean Research Project, who were sailing across the ocean for a scientific expedition.
The group's leader, Matt Rutherford, who is the first person in history to complete a non-stop, single-handed, voyage around North and South America, decided to board the ship and investigate.
He found the ship in good condition, but with no trace of the crew or passengers. He also found personal belongings, such as clothes, books, and food, scattered around the cabin.
He said: "This is one awfully abandoned sailboat; Wolfhound from the Irish yacht club. I have no idea what's inside. I'm going to go search around - I hope I don't find any dead bodies or anything like that."
He later learned that the ship had been abandoned for nine weeks, after the owner, Alan McGettigan, and his crew ran into trouble while sailing from Ireland to the Caribbean.
They lost battery power, followed by engine failure, which left them without communications or navigation systems for eight days. They were eventually rescued by a passing cargo ship, but had to leave the sailboat behind.
Rutherford and his team tried to tow the ship to the nearest port, but their own engine broke down, and they had to let it go.
He said: "Here I am, 800 miles from Bermuda, 1500 miles from the United States standing on a very nice Swan 48 in the middle of the ocean. It's absolutely crazy."
He added that he hoped the ship would be found by someone who could salvage it, or at least give it a proper burial at sea.
He said: "It's a shame to see such a beautiful boat go to waste. It deserves a better fate than this."
