Man charged with dropping anchor

Don’t ever believe it if your travelling companion tells you that whatever happens at sea stays at sea. It’s certainly not the case for 44-year-old Californian Rick Ehlert, who has been charged with attempting to damage a cruise ship and endangering its safe navigation.
The man is alleged to have released the anchor on Holland America’s Ryndam, which was en route from Costa Maya in Mexico to Tampa, Florida at the time of the incident in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Ehlert, who is said to have entered a restricted area and put on work gloves to deploy the stern anchor, also threw a lifebuoy overboard from Deck 11. He told investigators he had been drinking.
He faces a possible $250,000 fine on each charge, and up to 20 years in prison.
The 1,260-passenger ship was not damaged. It is reported that at 7.30 a.m., the captain made an announcement asking passengers and crew if they had any information about the incident.
When no one came forward, the ship’s emergency alarm was sounded and all passengers and crew were mustered on deck for about 40 minutes, until Ehlert was identified from CCTV footage.
According to a federal affidavit, he told investigators he knew how to release the anchor because he owns a 50-foot boat with a similar anchor.