Welcome To My Book Blog

A place to update and discuss facts surrounding the controversial, tragic death of legendary Hollywood film actress, wife and mother, Natalie Wood who drowned mysteriously Nov. 29, 1981 off Catalina Island. Thank you for visiting.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

The Dinghy in the Cove


This photo taken by Dennis Davern offers an excellent view of the dinghy in operation, as it proves how the motor's position is "enclosed."  Noguchi's speculation (in his book Coroner) was that Natalie could have acquired bruises from the metal frame that held the motor in place on the dinghy, which is ludicrous because if she had made her way that far up onto the dinghy, she would have been able to get in it.  The back of the dinghy is lowered here in the water, but it's obvious she would have been in the dinghy had she reached a position where the motor could cause bruising on her legs. Thus, it's logical to dismiss Noguchi's untested theory.
Dr. Lyndon Taylor performed tests of trying to climb into a dinghy like "The Valiant" shown here. It was a very difficult task for him and took 10 attempts, and although he made it to inside the  dinghy, the attempt had caused NO BRUISING.


Paul Miller, of the County Medical Examiner’s Office was asked by Noguchi to come up with a theory. Miller was Chief Consultant on oceanic accidents in the L.A. County area. Miller prepared an advisory report, but later disagreed with Noguchi’s acceptance of Wagner’s banging dinghy theory, saying rubber doesn’t make noise, but Wagner, in Lambert’s book, supported the banging dinghy theory by saying the dinghy’s outboard motor would make noise because of the metal hitting wood against the Splendour.


This photo here says a thousand words. It would be IMPOSSIBLE for the dinghy’s outboard motor to bang against Splendour. The motor is “enclosed” by rubber. Even if the dinghy had been tied down "back-to-back" (which it wasn't) the motor still could NOT bang against Splendour.  It's all just another lie on the long list of SPECULATION to support "accidental drowning." Everything in reports relating to Natalie's death was theoretically based. Nothing was actually tested.


Accidental drowning was the rush-to-judgment call leaving a trail of questions behind. The theories supporting the call are easily debunked. Dr. Lyndon Taylor and I tested everything we included in Goodbye Natalie Goodbye Splendour. Everything!


While looking at this photo, take a moment to view the vast ocean Natalie floated in while wearing her red down jacket, her only link to possible rescue while it kept her afloat in the cold ocean in the intimidating dark of night.


It's too disturbing to even think about. Maybe that's why there has been nothing but THEORIES until GNGS. Did they even think to test their theories? Or maybe the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. just can't swallow pride. Theirs, along with the Medical Examiner's so-called investigation, was pathetic. Talking to a few Island workers does not constitute a thorough job, and Detective Rasure is the person responsible for the hornet's nest surrounding the case throughout the years. His investigation involved nothing more than a few hours of accepting lies. NO "evidence testing" was performed. Rasure so smugly told us "rough seas" broke the wine bottle. Wagner admits 25 years later that he broke it, confirming what Dennis revealed publicly in 1983.  It was on a documentary TV show that Rasure called Dennis a liar about the bottle.


Natalie didn't fall over a four-foot wall into the ocean. She never stepped out onto a swim step to quiet a banging dinghy. Natalie's death could have -- should have -- been solved with nothing more than some simple good detective work.

16 comments:

  1. It's nice to have a visual that disproves the lies and rushed theories. Unfortunately, no matter how many times you lay out the logic or proof that something couldn't be true, you only seem to reach those who already believe. For those who do not wish to see, no amount of evidence will satisfy them.

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  2. I fear you may be right. Robert Wagner said in his book that he is responsible for Natalie's death. People don't make statements like that without personal purpose. It is a factual statement, yet so stunningly and cleverly offered that its meaning is lost to his fan base. Making the statement gives him a "wash" - incredible! It's such a broad statement that it lends to people suffering the loss with him, sad for him that he feels that way. He elaborates with some detail of "not being there when she needed me." Technically, he wasn't there, in the water, with her where she REALLY needed him. He was on deck trying to figure out how to spare his image.

    You know, I hear the words hack, liar, profiteer, redhead, conspirer, leader, traitor, obsessed, hater...et al, but here's the accurate word to describe me in regards to this case: ANGRY.

    One more: FOCUSED.

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  3. Note: I realize I needn't convince those who comprehend this travesty of justice, but my next posts, a series of them, will be geared toward new eyes and ears. I've rarely tweeted the blog, but have started to and I'm receiving a lot of direct messages about it with positive feedback. My goal is to bring this story to the attention of everyone I can. I will do all I can myself, and leave the rest to a wonderful publicist joining the effort. In the meantime, Amazon has offered its authors a new system to follow book sales. The LA Times did an article about it today.

    http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2010/12/amazon-gives-nielsen-bookscan-to-authors.html

    Anyhow, I was astounded at what the new Amazon Author Program offers. They provide graphs of all sales history and rankings (GNGS really had several good periods), plus a map of the states that you can move your cursor over and it tells you exactly how many people in actual cities purchased your book. It's something that should've been done for authors ages ago, but I'm sure all are delighted it's finally here. Publishers are known to procrastinate with data for authors.

    I was so satisfied to see that in the past two weeks, GNGS was purchased in 49 of 100 regional districts. That really motivates me. It shows that people ARE interested in this story. People care about Natalie Wood. They may not be on the Internet arguing her case, but they care. So do we. So, even if one new person sees this photo and has the intelligence to comprehend it, that's one more person who knows that Natalie Wood didn't "get drunk and fall off a boat."

    Good night.

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  4. Marti,

    I'm up late wrapping Christmas presents and, as always, before turning in, I check your blog. I get disappointed when I don't see something new, even if what's new is something old that bears repeating.

    Honestly, you are a wonder to me. I don't know how you do it. I really don't. I have such respect for you. This is a very significant post about the dinghy. I look forward to more, but I do hope you take a holiday break. Breathe deeply. You do make a difference.

    I have one question about the Amazon information: of the regions GNGS sold in, what region(s) did best? I would never asked for totals, am just curious if certain regions of the nation are more inclined to be interested.
    I'll understand if you choose to not answer.
    Thank you!

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  5. I would be curious about the Los Angeles area. (I also don't need to be answered) That's where it all started. It would be interesting to know how many closet readers there are in the film community. It would be nice if something in GNGS struck a chord and someone came forward with something they were initially reluctant to discuss. At any rate, I am excited by the prospect of reaching new readers.

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  6. I read the Los Angeles article, thanks for the link, as it clearly shows the map of the United States by regions and supports your claim of being able to review this data. I think it smart of you to have shared this link. Otherwise, simple minds would've been easily amused and claimed you fabricated this service to tout your book. It's amazing, with all the internet information about Natalie available, your blog is the only stop offering proof of claims, data to annoucement, sanity to an investigation or lack of it, and most of all, a tribute to a lady who deserves it, the violated legendary Natalie Wood. I wish you the best of regions with your book, always.

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  7. The most favorable cities for GNGS happen to be the usual: LA and NY. For Regional Areas, it's CA and the NY region at the top of the list. Miami, Washington DC, and Chicago come next, and Detroit beats Philadelphia, which surprises me as Philly is my "neighbor." I have an interview coming up with a Philadelphis based reporter for a local publication so that might help acquire new readers in this region. What's so helpful about this Amazon service is that an author or publisher can target the "dry areas" with promotional effort. I've heard different figures for total books Amazon offers, and now Amazon has clarified it: Eight million! Amazon is responsible for 75% of ALL books sales. That's a staggering market hold.

    Off to get my Christmas tree :-)

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  8. One thing I've struggled to picture in my mind is *how* the dinghy was positioned when Dennis tied it down. I'm not a boater so I don't know this stuff. I understand the two ropes were tied about 12 feet across on the stern of the boat, but how was the dinghy oriented? How could Natalie potentially fall through the swim step opening and over the swim step into the water if the dinghy was there? I'm not picturing this correctly and I would like to understand it better.

    ...from KB

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  9. This pic shows the engine couldn't've banged against the yacht like Wagner said in another of his lies. I'm not positive but from what I understand, the dinghy's one side was against the splendor one side pulled tight, the other pulled tight making it almost against the entire span of swimstep which would've protected Nat from falling in ocean I think, which is another clue that she might've gone off the side where Wagner claims the dinghy was tied port but it wasn't. I'm sure he mixes it up alot, but he's caught in his lies now. I'll wait for Marti to answer.

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  10. Maybe I can post a photograph to show it. I'll look, but you are both correct. The way it was tied could easily have protected Natalie from falling in the water from the swim step door.

    The dinghy covered the majority of the span of the back of the boat. At the top wall of the back of the boat are two cleats about 12 feet apart. The front end of the dinghy was tied to one cleat (near the door to enter the back deck) and the rear of the dinghy was tied to the cleat 12 feet away.

    The swim step is 15 feet long, the dinghy 13 ft long. The 13' foot side of the dinghy was tied and flushed at the back of the boat, along the swimstep. It would be hard to fall in with about a foot opening on either side. This is hard to describe. I'll diagram it and post it. With some things, visuals work best, and that's more for me to describe it (not that I think you can't comprehend it). I have difficulty describing it. Thanks for asking this good question.

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  11. Thank you so much, Marti. :-) That will help. I constantly turned back to the photos section while reading the book and studied the pics of Splendour to understand everything. I'm not a boater, so the pics are really helpful for me.

    I had been wondering if Natalie had gone over the side. If so, it had to have been quite a physical effort to get a struggling woman over the side.

    I can't stop thinking about this story.

    ...from KB

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  12. KB,

    After you learn the truth, it stays with you because it's such a disturbing story. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it for the past three decades. It angers people for many reasons, and it is so frustrating because the facts are there but celebrity privilege in this case lingers.

    I'm working on that diagram I will post today.

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  13. It has been a year this Thanksgiving since I read your book and was so profoundly affected by the tragic truth of Natalie's death and the hideousness of Wagner's lie. I thought of you again this year as the holidays progress and am pleased to see that you have not let this go (as some people would have, after completing the book), and that you continue to work on this sad story. Thank you! Your efforts are truly remarkable. As has been stated here, you DO make a difference. Wishing you all the Best and Happy Holidays! ~ Sincerely, Carolyn

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  14. No one knows what Natalie went through exactly She obviously held onto that dinghy to keep from drowning. The dinghy was found not too far from her. I think the notion that the red jacket alone kept her afloat is plain silly.Just because one person testing getting into the dingy did not get bruises. that means nothing! The person testing getting into the dingy who got no bruises was not fighting for their life, either! I think wagner obviously untied the dinghy which would explain Davern hearing Wagner yell'get off my fucking boat." wagner either pushed Natalie into the boat or picked her up and stuck her in it. He was drunk stupid, Davern walken, and Wagner all need to be charged with not helping Natalie immediately. I think Davern was spineless letting wagner walk on him as he did. Walken and wagner need to be charged with not helping Natalie in a timely fashion. Walken did not sleep the entire four hours it took to get proper help! Wagner of course needs to be charged with manslaughter, But Wagner it seems definitely caused her death.

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  15. I just posted. I want to add that the person who tested getting into the dinghy who did not get bruises was not only not fighting for their life as Natalie was, I doubt the person testing getting into the dinghy was intoxicated and had taken pills (a horrible combination) as Natalie had. Someone just 'testing getting into a dinghy" is not at all in the same scenario as the scene poor Natalie fought in which she was fighting for her life in dark water to keep from drowning, intoxicated on top of it all! Im sure she DID sustain bruises during this ordeal. Im not discounting Wagner abusing her. I also want to say that though I don't respect Davern for being intimidated by wagner and not looking properly for Natalie, at least now Davern is telling the truth. He was spineless during Natalies horrible drowning scenario. However, he has probably had hell living with himself all these years. Davern needs to be forgiven < he knows he messed up. Wagner and Walken both need jail Walken knows a hell of a lot more than he is telling.

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  16. Marti- I do want to commend you for contacting detectives and other law enforcement who were retired as you did. .I read part of your book and it was shocking at the misinformation law enforcement had on this case, who were involved at the time. Though I didn't respect Davern for not helping Natalie as he should have, I find it sad he has lived with this incident haunting him all the years . Davern needs to be forgiven. It was sad he said 'how can I die without helping Natalie." Robert Wagner deserves to be haunted by this for the rest of his life. and that is what is happening to him. Walken looks like the walking dead anyway. Walken and his excuse 'I slept though it all " is a damned lie. Another celebrity worried about their image.

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