Raychel

The Raychel, a 164-foot-long Honduran freighter, frequented Miami, shuttling general cargo between South Florida and ports in the Caribbean and Central America. On October 18, 1990, as it cleared Government Cut, the Raychel prepared to turn southbound toward the Turks and Caicos Islands. Laden with cinder blocks, lumber, eight vehicles, and eight cargo containers, it faced challenging conditions. Captain Ray Minor had just taken over from the harbor pilot, who disembarked near channel marker number two. With winds gusting at approximately 20 miles per hour, the pilot boat pulled away from the freighter’s lee side. Suddenly, the Raychel’s cargo shifted, causing it to list and capsize. The crew of nine swiftly abandoned ship, escaping unharmed. The Raychel settled on its side in 43 feet of water. A lighted buoy marked the wreck while the shipping company consulted with salvors. Meanwhile, local sport divers flocked to the site. The sandy bottom revealed remnants of the vessel’s cargo: bicycles, PVC pipes, cinder blocks, lumber, automobiles, and crates of liquor and juice. Notably, opportunistic divers liberated numerous crates of Jack Daniels bourbon. For several months, the Raychel remained at the end of the shipping channel until salvage crews recovered what they could. Eventually, the freighter was raised in large sections and transported via barge to its final resting place. In July 1991, these sections were sunk in approximately 185 feet of water at the Pflueger Artificial Reef Site, now an intriguing destination for technical divers.