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.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Splendour lay-out Diagram

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10 comments:

  1. AnonymousDecember 14, 2010 at 1:54 PM

    Excellent diagram. Gives me a much clearer visual image now of where everyone was the night of....

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  2. AnonymousDecember 14, 2010 at 2:02 PM

    Ageed. This should've been in the book.

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  3. CreedDecember 14, 2010 at 4:53 PM

    Very well done graphic. Puts things in much better perspective. Thanks for posting it.

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  4. AnonymousDecember 14, 2010 at 4:58 PM

    Yes, this diagram really helped me to see where Walken was in distance. It's possible he heard the fight. I wish he would grown some nugets and tell the truth, if only about the bottle smashing. He knows Nat was there when it happened.

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  5. AnonymousDecember 16, 2010 at 11:56 PM

    There is a picture with the 2 small white fenders tied to the dingy. Those small white fenders would be completly in effective if it was tied to the dingy against the swim step. Look at the height of the swim step off the water. the fenders wouldn't touch anything to protect it. the small white fenders tied like in the photo would protect it and the big boat when tied against the side of the boat flush and tight. Although i believe RJ did it... the dingy tied to the back still doesn't make sense to me an experience Catalina boater. you would never tie it like it was explained.

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  6. Marti RulliDecember 17, 2010 at 9:29 PM

    Are you saying most would tie it port and flush? Because I asked over and over about this and Dennis says when in for the night, the dinghy was usually tied tight and flush with the swim step, as it was the night Natalie died. That way, you could step down to the swim step and board the dinghy. The fenders you mention were used when the dinghy was tied port, usually in the day time so it wouldn't create a lot of noise when banging against the side of the yacht on windy or rough days. On nice days, the dinghy would be tied port too so the swim step was open for swimming or jet skiing. The fenders wouldn't even "fit" between the dinghy and swim step, just as you say, but they were not used the night of Natalie's death, as the dinghy was tied at the stern, secured for the night. Just wanted to clarify that. I'm interested if you have more to explain about it. Thanks, Marti

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  7. AnonymousDecember 19, 2010 at 1:52 AM

    Marti
    At night you would tie the dingy to either port or starboard. At night, no one will be leaving, so it doesn't make sense to tie flush to the swim step all night and have the dingy get damaged by rubbing against the swim step, or sucked underneath it or ride up on top of it as the waves/swell roll underneath the boats. The flush against the swim step method is for loading or unloading passenger. After the passenger unload you would traditionally move it to the side of the big boat or only tie 1 line to a corner cleat so the dingy would float back behind the big boat. Because the wind shifts there all night the first approach would be more common. Next time I'm on my boat i could video this same scenario for you to show you what happens when you tie flush to the swim step in an open ocean. I've moored for several years at two harbors and know it well.
    Mike

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  8. Marti RulliDecember 19, 2010 at 11:08 AM

    Dennis says the same thing, Mike, but he is positive about where and how he tied the dinghy that night. It was drizzling, and there was no wind, and the water was extraordinarily CALM. He flushed it with the swim step TIGHTLY. They were in for the night, yes, but Dennis hopped up on the deck and tied the dinghy right there to the two cleats indicated in diagram. The dinghy was not tied port the night Natalie died. I went over and over this with Dennis, because he normally would tie the dinghy port, therefore recalls specifically that on this night it wasn't tied port. The weather was a factor in his decision.

    If it were tied port, there would be no way the swim step would be necessary to re-secure it. Wagner says it was tied port yet says she most likely fell from the swim step while securing it. That's what doesn't make sense. It's odd because it's as if Wagner knows it was tied where a swim step would be plausible, yet says it was tied port to support the fabrication of it banging against the headboard in the stateroom.

    Dennis pointed out to me the two cleats he tied the dinghy to that night, and he passed it on a polygraph test. I did question him about why it was tied at the swim step that night, and he says so it WOULDN'T bang against the side of the yacht and so that it would be ready for morning use if necessary.

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  9. AnonymousDecember 19, 2010 at 5:19 PM

    Marti,
    At the end of the day Natalie went in the water and drowned. Where the dingy was tied probably didn't have a lot to do with her death. All the facts that you and Dennis put forth in the book are believable. But this part still doesn't add up. If it was an "extraordinarily" calm night then why tie flush to the swim step? There would be no banging on the side of the boat. Even with a calm night there are always other boats motoring around(Shoreboats, other dingys, harbor patrol) motoring around all night which creates wave action around the moored boats. You only get banging on the side when you tie 1 line to the big boat, but when you tie flush to the side with 2 lines there is no banging traditionally. If the dingy was bothering Natalie or was a history of that you could just move the dingy more forward toward the bow away from their cabin or just tie on the starboard side forward. The swim step would not be the first choice or even the second choice because of the potential damage to the dingy. Like you, I also want the truth and am not questioning out of doubt of Dennis what to understand what happened that night. I am happy to shoot video of this scenario if you would like. I have a 55 ft Sportfisher similar to Splendour and a dingy also similar to Valiant that i could show all these different scenarios.

    Mike

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  10. Marti RulliDecember 20, 2010 at 5:55 PM

    Mike, yes, I'd like to see photos. You could email them to me. I will even post them. But, they never really had any trouble with the dinghy being tied at the swin step. According to Dennis, they tied it there a lot. But, I'm going to ask Dennis tomorrow more about this, and I'll get back to you here with what he says. Thanks.

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