Their response was quicker than she had imagined. By 5:00 p.m., the first search operation was underway: a helicopter scanned the area while multiple vessels headed out in various directions. The ocean was calm—no rough conditions that could explain a delay. By 10:00 p.m., an official alert was issued: missing vessel, two passengers.
The next day, investigators found something that chilled everyone involved. El Albatros was discovered 17 miles offshore, drifting aimlessly. The sail was ripped, the radio dead, and the deck bore marks of recent impacts, as if the boat had struck something large. Most disturbing of all, neither Julián nor Laura were aboard. Not even their belongings remained.
Early theories pointed to an unforeseen accident—perhaps they had fallen overboard. But several details didn’t fit:
– The food they had packed was gone.
– The safety lines showed no signs of use.
– And someone had torn a page from the ship’s logbook.