I'm trying to learn about a missing family of 4 that disappeared south of Hawaii in August of 1989. The internet only has one article about the family--that of the sea search. That one is from the LA Times. Through a membership to newspapers dott comm, I was able to find 2 additional articles from the Honolulu Star Advertiser regarding the sea search, plus have the letter from the Air National Guard from last April. I'm attaching them for your perusal. Please note I have moved up substantially in their queue in the last 9 months.
Here is the only article online about this missing San Diego Family of 4:
San Diego
This is a volunteer effort on my part. No one is paying me, nor is there a financial gain in my learning about the missing family. My effort is similar to the motion of walking out of a public building and holding the door for someone entering….WHY do you do that, as there is nothing to gain? You hold the door as it is the considerate thing to do. Plus it feels good to help others.
Besides the occasional posting on a forum here, there seems like there’d be a lot of interest in learning about the Graham Hughes Family of 4 and their Sea Dreamer 39 foot sloop sailboat. I’m reminded of the 1983 “Red Sky in Mourning” book by Tami Oldham Ashcraft, which was made into the 2018 Film, “Adrift.” In that incident, one person died yet there’s lots known about the survivor. There is also the August of 1987 incident in which Garden Grove, CA attorney Manning John Eldridge’s sailboat “Marara” was found floating 1,500 miles south of Hawaii, sails shredded and partially demasted, with his skeletal remains onboard. In the present incident, a family of 4 perished yet NOTHING is known about who they were, their home port, the kind of sailboat, their skill as sailors or how much they prepared for their 1989 sailing.
Here's what I have learned in the last year:
• Obviously how this family of 4 died will never be known. It will never be known whether it was a rogue wave, a larger ship that ran them down or whether their sailboat hit sunken debris. The real story is whom they were and why nothing is known about them.
• There were no Missing Persons filed by family members in San Diego 4 county area in 1989;
• There are no birth certificates for son—Alex, 21 or Son—Ryan, 15 in San Diego County for their likely birth dates in the 1960s or 1970s;
• There are no death certificates filed for the family in California;
• There are no boat registrations on file for the Sea Dreamer with San Diego Marine/Aviation Unit as their records only go back to 2000. Similarly, the California boat registrar Dona Jenkins had no records of the Sea Dreamer, ever.
• Coast Guard, Air Force & Navy do not have any records for the 1989 sea search. Which is striking given the stated 300,000 square mile grid search area---a huge and likely expensive search;
• It is unclear if this Hughes family was related in any fashion to Howard Hughes. They share the same last name and location of San Diego. It is estimated a 39 foot sea sloop capable of bluewater sailing in the late 80s would have cost north of $100,000. This is seemingly out of reach for a young family. However, not out of reach of a young family related to Hughes Aircraft.
• My FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests of the U.S. Military branches involved in the search have only revealed one document related to the family. I’m told it is 20 pages long and in the possession of the Air National Guard. Currently, I’m holding at Position #144 with an expected fulfillment date by February of 2022.
• I was unable to find any sailboat registration for the Sea Dreamer in California owned by Graham or Sheri Hughes (or anyone with that last name) with the US Coast Guard. I also looked on BoatinfoWorld dott comm. There have been quite a few sailboats with that name registered and expired, but none that fit the specs currently known—39 foot sloop, made prior to 1989 with an earlier registration that is now expired. There are also no records for Hewes, Hughe or other possible misspellings of the family’s name.
• There are no Real Property records from Graham or Sheri Hughes in Imperial, Orange, Riverside or San Diego Counties in the 1970s or 1980s. It is like the family never existed.
• The lack of records in the family’s name, plus the “British-ness” of their name itself suggests to me that the Graham Hughes family may have been from Canada or the United Kingdom.
• I found records on Ancestry dott comm of a marriage between a “Graham D. Hughes” and a “Sheree Wheawall” in 1987 in Newcastle, Staffordshire, England. The only problem is that Graham was born in 1961 and Sheree in 1963. That would have made them 28 and 26, respectively, in 1989. This is far too young to have had a 21 year old son (Alex) and 15 year old son (Ryan).
• There are no pictures of the Sea Dreamer sailboat nor of the Graham Hughes family available online, nor any information of interviews of fellow sailors that knew the family and their sailing exploits and experience. Given the information age we are in, this mystery and the lack of information on the San Diego sailing family is very unusual.
I’m spending my own money on this matter. If you have any suggestions for me, or know how I can conclusively trace the Sea Dreamer sailboat registration in California or any other states, you can reach me in Orlando, Florida at four oh seven, seven one nine, six nine eight eight. Call or Text. You can also email me at stormstoppers dott john at gmail dott com. Thank you!
Here is the only article online about this missing San Diego Family of 4:
San Diego
This is a volunteer effort on my part. No one is paying me, nor is there a financial gain in my learning about the missing family. My effort is similar to the motion of walking out of a public building and holding the door for someone entering….WHY do you do that, as there is nothing to gain? You hold the door as it is the considerate thing to do. Plus it feels good to help others.
Besides the occasional posting on a forum here, there seems like there’d be a lot of interest in learning about the Graham Hughes Family of 4 and their Sea Dreamer 39 foot sloop sailboat. I’m reminded of the 1983 “Red Sky in Mourning” book by Tami Oldham Ashcraft, which was made into the 2018 Film, “Adrift.” In that incident, one person died yet there’s lots known about the survivor. There is also the August of 1987 incident in which Garden Grove, CA attorney Manning John Eldridge’s sailboat “Marara” was found floating 1,500 miles south of Hawaii, sails shredded and partially demasted, with his skeletal remains onboard. In the present incident, a family of 4 perished yet NOTHING is known about who they were, their home port, the kind of sailboat, their skill as sailors or how much they prepared for their 1989 sailing.
Here's what I have learned in the last year:
• Obviously how this family of 4 died will never be known. It will never be known whether it was a rogue wave, a larger ship that ran them down or whether their sailboat hit sunken debris. The real story is whom they were and why nothing is known about them.
• There were no Missing Persons filed by family members in San Diego 4 county area in 1989;
• There are no birth certificates for son—Alex, 21 or Son—Ryan, 15 in San Diego County for their likely birth dates in the 1960s or 1970s;
• There are no death certificates filed for the family in California;
• There are no boat registrations on file for the Sea Dreamer with San Diego Marine/Aviation Unit as their records only go back to 2000. Similarly, the California boat registrar Dona Jenkins had no records of the Sea Dreamer, ever.
• Coast Guard, Air Force & Navy do not have any records for the 1989 sea search. Which is striking given the stated 300,000 square mile grid search area---a huge and likely expensive search;
• It is unclear if this Hughes family was related in any fashion to Howard Hughes. They share the same last name and location of San Diego. It is estimated a 39 foot sea sloop capable of bluewater sailing in the late 80s would have cost north of $100,000. This is seemingly out of reach for a young family. However, not out of reach of a young family related to Hughes Aircraft.
• My FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests of the U.S. Military branches involved in the search have only revealed one document related to the family. I’m told it is 20 pages long and in the possession of the Air National Guard. Currently, I’m holding at Position #144 with an expected fulfillment date by February of 2022.
• I was unable to find any sailboat registration for the Sea Dreamer in California owned by Graham or Sheri Hughes (or anyone with that last name) with the US Coast Guard. I also looked on BoatinfoWorld dott comm. There have been quite a few sailboats with that name registered and expired, but none that fit the specs currently known—39 foot sloop, made prior to 1989 with an earlier registration that is now expired. There are also no records for Hewes, Hughe or other possible misspellings of the family’s name.
• There are no Real Property records from Graham or Sheri Hughes in Imperial, Orange, Riverside or San Diego Counties in the 1970s or 1980s. It is like the family never existed.
• The lack of records in the family’s name, plus the “British-ness” of their name itself suggests to me that the Graham Hughes family may have been from Canada or the United Kingdom.
• I found records on Ancestry dott comm of a marriage between a “Graham D. Hughes” and a “Sheree Wheawall” in 1987 in Newcastle, Staffordshire, England. The only problem is that Graham was born in 1961 and Sheree in 1963. That would have made them 28 and 26, respectively, in 1989. This is far too young to have had a 21 year old son (Alex) and 15 year old son (Ryan).
• There are no pictures of the Sea Dreamer sailboat nor of the Graham Hughes family available online, nor any information of interviews of fellow sailors that knew the family and their sailing exploits and experience. Given the information age we are in, this mystery and the lack of information on the San Diego sailing family is very unusual.
I’m spending my own money on this matter. If you have any suggestions for me, or know how I can conclusively trace the Sea Dreamer sailboat registration in California or any other states, you can reach me in Orlando, Florida at four oh seven, seven one nine, six nine eight eight. Call or Text. You can also email me at stormstoppers dott john at gmail dott com. Thank you!
