The track also shows that Rule 62 diverted from her course about 300 miles E and then changed course SW toward Lynard Cay (where it grounded) about 5 km out. Regardless of the presence or absence of lit/unlit navigation aids, it was unlikely that the vessel could have made it safely through the pass in the rage conditions that existed, even if it were smack dab in the middle of North Bar channel when it attempted the entry onto the Bahama banks. The entry over the bar at North Bar channel is (as I recollect) about 18-20 feet deep and the bottom shoals from 1000s of feet deep to the channel in less than a mile, so that in strong Easterly winds the waves break completely across the bar making it impassable. The seas were reported to be 15-20 feet and breaking across the channel on the evening of the attempted entry. As has been suggested, the more prudent option would have been to stand off (heave to) until the rage subsided or to continue on S to Royal Island (about 50 miles away and more in the lee of Abaco). Until the captain of the vessel is heard from, we can only surmise that either something catastrophic occurred just prior to the SW turn toward Lynard Cay or that an extremely poor choice was made to attempt entry on to the banks in a rage.