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Notorious B.C. skipper John Philip Stirling had been trying for months to sell the luxury yacht before he was arrested on it last month carrying 400 kilograms of cocaine, The Vancouver Sun has learned.
Stirling, who is sitting in a Florida jail awaiting trial in January, had listed the 19.5-metre (64-foot) vessel for sale in June with international yacht broker Mitchell Gutcho of eGlobal Yachts.
Gutcho, who is based in Amston, Connecticut, told The Sun he was unaware of the charges Stirling is now facing or the fact the sailboat, christened Atlantis V, has now been seized by U.S. authorities who took Stirling and his crew into custody north of Colombia.
“He seemed nice on the phone,” Gutcho said, adding that he had no idea of Stirling’s previous cocaine trafficking history in B.C.
He said Stirling had lost a few potential buyers because he failed to get in touch with them after they expressed interest in the Atlantis.
Gutcho pulled the ad from the online site after talking to a Sun reporter.
The ad said the sailboat was built in 1988 by Vancouver Shipyards and originally cost $150,000.
Stirling said he was looking for offers and that the Atlantis lost part of its main mast off of San Blas, Mexico and needed repairs.
“The failure was due to a bad covered wire in 50 knots and a new crew who did not know enough to reef in the sails,” Stirling said in the ad. “It is built like a tank and a beautiful vessel that can go anywhere any time right now.”
He included more than a dozen photographs showing the sailboat’s woodlined interior, master cabin, bunks, head with hot tub and kitchen, as well as exterior shots of the boat. He boasted that even the storage lockers were heated.
“The Hull was professionally designed and built and the finishing was completed by a professional craftsman to a very high standard throughout the construction process. This vessel is in extremely good condition and the maintenance has been well kept-up,” the ad states. “Its owner, Captain John Stirling, holds Masters certification dating back 25 years and is a competent Master. He is well-known and has several published cruising guides for the Southern Pacific regions.”
Stirling, 60, may be better known for being arrested on vessels containing massive amounts of cocaine and other illicit substances.
Back in 2001, his boat, the Western Wind, was stopped in the Strait of Juan de Fuca with 2.5 tonnes of cocaine aboard, estimated to be worth $300 million at the time. The cocaine was stamped “Colombia” and wrapped in sugar sacks. Stirling claimed he was working for the Hells Angels, but was never charged. Then in May 2006, Stirling and four others were arrested again off Vancouver Island after police found $6.5-million worth of marijuana on board a 47-metre fishing vessel registered to Stirling. The men were all charged with drug-related offences, but the charges were later stayed.
His latest arrest came Oct. 18 when the U.S. Coast Guard got permission from Canadian authorities to board the Atlantis in international waters. Ion scans detected cocaine aboard the boat and coast guard inspectors found 358 packages containing 400 kilograms of cocaine.
Stirling, two other Canadians, an Italian and a Colombian were ordered detained and are now scheduled to go to trial Jan. 9, 2012.
kbolan@vancouversun.com