NEW YORK—Among the shiny new boats displayed at the 2013 New York Boat Show, tucked in the corner, sits a barnacle covered Regulator 26. The t-top is ripped off and the twin Yamaha engines’ innards are exposed, but it is intact.
In spite of its weathered appearance, the Queen Bee has proven to be the most helpful marketing tool for Regulator, a North Carolina-based boat manufacturer.
In August 2008, Scott Douglas and Rich St. Pierre were fishing off the coast of Nantucket in the Queen Bee when a rogue wave tossed them overboard. The pair swam a mile back to shore, but the boat stayed at sea, it’s motor still running.
Douglas and St. Pierre figured the boat was a goner and lost all hope of finding it.
On Jan. 25, 2012, the Spanish Coast Guard discovered the Queen Bee. It had been three and a half years. The boat had traveled 3,000 miles unmanned—and was fully intact.
