Man Sentenced After Dropping Cruise Ship Anchor

A man in California has been sentenced for dropping a cruise ship’s anchor while it was sailing.

Rick Ehlert, 45, from California has been ordered to spend 2 months in jail and two in home confinement, followed by three years of probation. He will also have to attend substance abuse counseling and pay a fine of $7,500

Mr. Ehlert was on board Holland America Line MS Ryndam sailing from Mexico to Florida when he dropped the stern anchor on November 27th 2010. Shortly after this first incident he then went on to throw a life buoy over board.

Deploying an anchor whilst the ship is moving could have resulted in serious damage to the vessel and endangered people’s safety on board. Mr. Ehlert’s actions could have damaged the rudder on MS Ryndam or even punctured it which would have cause the ship to sink.

Once the ship was safely docked in Tampa, Florida, FBI officials and the U.S. Coast Guard questioned Ehlert over his actions. He proceeded to admit he had entered an area which was off limits to passengers and released the anchor. He told investigators his own boat had a similar anchor system so he was familiar with how to use it.

In a letter of apology to MS Ryndam’s captain Mr Elhert wrote “Many people have asked me why I dropped the anchor. I believe that I was intrigued by the machinery and curious to see if I could operate it. I do remember trying to stop the anchor once it started moving, but it just kept going faster.”