Photos
James "Jimmy T" Trindade is a man's man who enjoyed demanding sports like spearfishing, auto racing, and kickboxing.
Jimmy T left Spanish Cay on January 12, 2006 as part of a convoy of three boats. He's seen here that morning at the helm of Roger Gamblin's 38' Donzi sportfishing boat. Roger's son Chris was piloting the 35' Donzi in the background.
A Coast Guard jet with infrared radar found the big Donzi doing cirlces off the Florida coast about 11 hours after Trindade's last transmission. He was not on board.
Jimmy T is a champion kickboxer who competed throughout the United States in the 70s and 80s.
During the 1980s, Jimmy T raced Porsches for the Black Forest Racing team on a national circuit .
Jimmy T is a handsome man with a commanding presence.
Family means a lot to Jimmy T. Pictured here are his wife of 16 years, Candace, and his now 15 year-old daughter, Taylor.
Jimmy T started teaching his daughter Taylor about the sea from an early age.
Jimmy T and his wife, Candace. She calls him a "man among men."
Jimmy T and Candace know how to enjoy life. Here they sharing a lighter moment.
Jimmy T met his best friend Roger Gamblin at a real estate seminar in 1976. They have been fishing, boating, and vacationing together ever since. Here's an old picture from back in the day.
Jimmy T values his friendships. Here's a recent photo of him and his best friend, Roger Gamblin.
Jimmy T lives to fish. Here he is with a nice grouper.
Jimmy T was captaining this 38' Donzi sportfishing boat on the day he disappeared. He's pictured here leaving Spanish Cay that morning.
Another Forward Looking Infrared Radar (FLIR) image of the 38' Donzi, as captured by the Coast Guard jet.
There were four coolers like this one on the 38' Donzi containing leftover tenderloin, shrimp, and beverages. Two of the coolers were missing when the Coast Guard discovered the boat.
Pictured here are some of the contents from the
two coolers remaining on the 38' Donzi. Contents from the other two coolers were spilled over the deck.
The two Global Positioning Systems (GPS) on the 38' Donzi were capable of tracking the boat's progress from the moment it left Spanish Cay until it was found circling off the coast. This chart was made using the GPS tracking information from Chris Gamblin's boat.
The three Mercury 275 hp outboard motors on the 38' Donzi were capable of pushing the boat to speeds in excess of 60 mph. At normal running speed, the three motors consumed one gallon of gas per minute. After topping off its 320 gallon tank, the the big Donzi traveled 70 miles before Trindade's last transmission, meaning there should have been about 250 gallons of gas remaining. But the tank was dry when the Coast Guard found the boat 11 hours later. This chart shows the boat's possible range at different speeds.
Brian Pratts claims to have spotted a boat like the big Donzi speeding in the direction of Freeport about 35 minutes after Trindade's last transmission; a cruiseship in the vicinity also had a clear view of the vessel.