The Witchraft disppeared in the Bermuda Triangle in December 1967. The occupants are considered "missing - but not lost at sea".
On the evening of December 22, 1967, hotel owner Dan Burack and a friend boarded Burack's 23-foot-long cabin cruiser, the Witchcraft in Miami. The purpose of their trip was to travel a short distance off shore to observe the Christmas lights and the Miami skyline. They stopped near Buoy #7 - less than one mile from shore.
Burack was by all accounts an experienced and careful yachtsman. The Witchcraft was equipped with life jackets and floatable seat cushions. Burack also had a flotation device installed in the hull to render the boat "unsinkable" - even if the boat was completely flooded, a part of the hull would remain above the water.
All was well until approximately 9 p.m., when Burack radioed the Coast Guard stating that he had hit something and would need a tow back to the harbour. He did not indicate there was an emergency; one would assume that the rudder or propeller had been damaged in some fashion, but that the hull was still intact. Burack stated that he had flares ready and would fire one to indicate his exact position.
The Coast Guard responded immediately and arrived at the Witchcraft's reported location at approximately 9:20 p.m. No sign of the vessel or its occupants was found. No further message was received; no flares were sent up; no debris or bodies were recovered.
A 1,200 square mile search was started that night. Nearby vessels were asked to be on the lookout for the Witchcraft. When the search was finally called off on December 28 (having covered an area of 24,500 square miles), not a single clue as to what happened had been found.
So, we are left with a vessel that did not sink but also was not recovered. A Coast Guard official stated, "We presume they are missing - but not lost at sea".
