An Ill-Fated Atlantic Crossing In The Ocean Wave
The Artist Rights Society Dutch artist Bas Jan Ader disappeared while on his vessel Ocean Wave in 1975.
A conceptual artist from the Netherlands, Bas Jan Ader created a number of notable pieces in the 1960s and early 1970s. Often times, these would be photos and films showcasing various forms of performance art — and many of them were showcased in museums and galleries around the world.
But after 1975, Ader arguably became better known for his mysterious disappearance at sea — and the ghost ship that he left behind.
Along with being a respected artist, Ader was also a talented sailor, and he set out on an ambitious journey on July 9, 1975. His plan was to sail solo from Chatham, Massachusetts across the North Atlantic to Falmouth, England. From there, he’d travel to his home country, the Netherlands, to exhibit some of his artwork at a museum there.
He chose a very small vessel, a 12-and-a-half-foot pocket cruiser named Ocean Wave, to make the voyage. According to Hyperallergic, Ader’s goal was to complete his journey in about two or three months in what would have been the smallest boat to successfully cross the Atlantic.
But after his departure, Ader was never seen again.
On April 18, 1976, a Spanish fishing boat, the Eduardo Pondal, spotted a small vessel about 150 nautical miles away from Ireland. The empty ship was floating vertically and was obviously damaged.
The crew of the fishing boat lugged the vessel onto their ship and thoroughly searched it, finding Ader’s identification cards. By that point, the ghost ship had been adrift for six months, judging by the barnacles attached to it.
The fishing boat took the vessel to Spain, where an unknown thief stole it.
In the Netherlands and the United States, several theories about Ader’s fate emerged. Some observers believed that Ader’s intention for the trip was to die by suicide as a macabre form of artistic expression.
However, his wife strongly disagreed with this theory, stating, “I’m absolutely convinced that was nowhere in his consciousness. We talked about it, and he assured me repeatedly these were not his intentions.”
Both Ader’s wife and his brother believed his death was a tragic accident, and that he likely had been knocked overboard during bad weather.
