A drifting sailboat discovered near the Kermadec Islands in 2015 was identified as Althea, the vessel of solo navigator Elena Vance, who vanished during a Pacific crossing in 2000. The boat showed no damage or distress signs, and its interior appeared orderly, suggesting an abrupt but unexplained interruption.
Investigators recovered a sealed digital archive containing three hours of footage from the day she disappeared. The recordings show Vance calmly adjusting instruments as the vessel traced repeated circular paths instead of moving forward. Forensic analysis later confirmed the boat continued looping in ocean currents for years.
No emergency equipment had been used, and Vance was never found. The vessel returned intact — carrying preserved data, but no answers.
