In a maritime ordeal near the coastal community of Puerto Velero, Atlántico, a Swedish-flagged sailboat named CORONA AQ, also known as Dhokus II IMO 794530, met a tragic end after a 64-year-old Swedish captain slipped out of the Santa Marta International Marina without proper authorization from Colombia’s General Maritime Directorate (DIMAR). The vessel embarked on an ill-fated journey from Santa Marta to the Western Caribbean, with a possible final destination in Panama, on February 15, 2024.
The 38-foot sloop, featuring a single mast and a distinctive European design, had arrived in Santa Marta on October 10, 2023, from Aruba. Prior to its arrival at the historic port, it had charted a course through the Caribbean, making stops in Bonaire, Curaçao, and Martinique. The lone mariner, Captain Ulf Magnus Reslow, claimed to have circumnavigated the globe 12 times single-handedly, and his YouTube channel has more than 250,000 subscribers.
The vessel’s unauthorized departure has raised concerns given that Magnus Reslow was allegedly broke and could not pay his fees with the Santa Marta International Marina. According to the country’s top maritime authority, an investigation is underway to determine the circumstances surrounding the sailboat’s last journey, and the events leading to its tragic end off Puerto Velero.
Upon the discovery of the stranded vessel on Monday near a popular resort community of Puerto Velero – between Barranquilla and Cartagena – rescue units found the boat’s hull partially submerged, leaving authorities grappling with the fate of the sole registered crew member, who remains unaccounted for. As rescue operations unfold, local fishermen uncovered the lifeless body of a man on the beach, presumed to be connected to the ill-fated voyage. The identity of Ulf Magnus Reslow has not been confirmed by Medicina Legal, the Medicial Forensic authority. Claims of an unidentified deceased person who was accompanying Captain Ulf Magnus Reslow is a focal point in this sailing mystery.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, a somber picture of the sailor’s circumstances is coming to light. U.S sailor Peter Emblin, currently visiting the Santa Marta marina, had met the experienced captain recently and recounts Ulf Magnus Reslow’s plight. “A boat does not sink or flounder with a sailor of that experience,” Emblin remarked. “He had no engine, electronics, lights, or navigation ability other than a sextant and broken sails,” he added. “He was down and out when I met him on the streets of Santa Marta. The Marina had told him to get out because he couldn’t pay for the slip.”
The Swede’s lament about forced eviction from the marina due to financial constraints adds a poignant layer to the maritime tragedy. A case of suicide has not been ruled out. The mysterious other crew member may have been a “sailor hitchhiker” accompanying Magnus Reslow to the San Blas Islands. According to Peter Emblin, Magnus Reslow probably scuttled the boat and went down with it. “He was too good of a sailor just to crash.”
The Swedish Embassy in Bogotá is working closely with the investigation into the death of an experienced seafarer who had been attacked by pirates on three occasions as he left Santa Marta for the San Blas Islands (Panama) on December 28, 2023. Captain Magnus Reslow was 20 miles out of Santa Marta when the first pirates attacked his sloop. During these attacks, the Swede confirmed to the former insurance executive that he “had lost everything.” In a video interview on YouTube, Reslow claims to have been beaten up several times and attacked at knife point by the pirates.
Here is Captain Magnus Reslow’s interview from Santa Marta recounting his encounter with the pirates just six-miles off the coast of Barranquilla:
