American couple's Bahamas dinghy was ill-equipped for conditions night of wife's disappearance: friend
HOPE TOWN, Bahamas — After Brian Hooker's arrest in the disappearance of his wife, Lynette, in the Bahamas, a man who was friends with the couple and knew them from the Caribbean paradise says that their small dinghy was "underpowered" and "undersized" for the conditions they faced.
Officials in the Bahamas said Lynette Hooker, 55, and Brian Hooker, 58, left Hope Town's Abaco Inn at around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and went on a smaller boat, referred to as a dinghy, to travel to their yacht. Brian Hooker reportedly told officials that Lynette fell into the water with the ignition key, which caused the engine to cut off. According to Brian, the current carried Lynette away, and he paddled the dinghy to a marina at Marsh Harbour.
Brian Hooker was arrested by Bahamian authorities on Wednesday night, but hasn't been charged with a crime.
A man who knew Brian and Lynette Hooker in the Bahamas told Fox News Digital that conditions on the night the American woman went missing were less than ideal, especially considering the fact they were on an 8-foot dinghy, as authorities have said. The man, who is also an American, asked to remain anonymous.
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"Their dinghy was really just too small to be out in those conditions. Their eight foot hard bottom dinghy with that electric motor, you shouldn't be out in anything more than like 12, max 15 knots. It's really underpowered, undersized for the condition they were in," the man said.
Winds in the Hope Town area were gusting at around 26 knots on Saturday night, according to a review of data by Fox Weather. Improvesailing.com states that wind speeds above 25 knots are considered "rough for any small/mid-sized boat."
"If the wind [is] blowing 30 knots, you're moving at four feet in the opposite direction every one second, you're separating by seven and a half feet. Even an Olympic swimmer would have a hard time getting back on — it would be impossible for two people that are 55 and 58 to reunite," the man said. "I've done three dinghy rescues in three weeks, really. I mean, it's crazy."
The man, who is a sailor himself alongside his wife, said Brian and Lynette were a couple in what seemed to be a great marriage.
"They seemed very much like the happiest of people in an extremely happy relationship. People to aspire to in the sailing and cruising life," he said.
The friend of Brian and Lynette Hooker told Fox News Digital there are common misconceptions about the engine key, noting that in rough weather it's sometimes the lighter person who drives while the heavier one sits in the middle in order to provide stability.
"People are really confused about a dinghy key. It's common practice to wear the key — it goes on the outboard motor, and it's got a tether on it that you wear on your wrist as the driver. So if you fall overboard, it stops the motor from the dinghy motoring away from you. And that's what everybody does. And they're really saying, 'why did she have the key?' Well, she had the key because she was driving."
Lynette's daughter Karli Aylesworth painted a different picture of her stepfather Brian Hooker in an interview with Fox News' Griff Jenkins earlier this week. Her comments included allegations of alcohol-fueled domestic violence, which Brian has denied through his attorney. He has not been charged with any crime.
"I've seen him choke out one of his daughters before. And we had to go to court for that," Aylesworth said. "So he's just repeating patterns."
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Aylesworth claimed that Brian Hooker had also become violent toward her mother.
"There's history of them choking her out and threatening to throw her overboard. So the fact that this is actually happening makes me believe there's more to the story," she said.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Brian Hooker's attorney, Terrel Butler, said he denies the allegations.
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"Mr. Hooker categorically and unequivocally denies any wrongdoing and in particular the allegations recently made by Karli Aylesworth. He has been cooperating with the relevant authorities as part of an ongoing investigation," Butler said.
Butler on Thursday night said that Hooker voluntarily gave a statement to police believing he was helping them find Lynette.
Hooker was initially interviewed and released, then brought back for more questioning as a witness. Police brought him back a third time and questioned him as a suspect.
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Lynette Hooker was previously arrested in a domestic violence case, according to a police report obtained by Fox News Digital, but wasn't charged.
Brian and Lynette Hooker both accused each other of assault during the February 2015 incident.
While Lynette Hooker was the one arrested, charges weren't filed due to "insufficient evidence as to who started the assault."
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In a Wednesday Facebook post, Brian Hooker wrote he is "heartbroken" over Lynette's disappearance.
"I am heartbroken over the recent boat accident in unpredictable seas and high winds that caused my beloved Lynette to fall from our small dinghy near Elbow Cay in the Bahamas. Despite desperate attempts to reach her, the winds and currents drove us further apart. We continue to search for her and that is my sole focus," Brian Hooker said.
Darlene Hamlett, Brian's mother, told the Associated Press that she hadn't heard from her son in several days.
"I’m going to be interested in what he says, because I haven’t heard from him in almost two days," Hamlett said.
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The U.S. State Department has issued a level 2 travel advisory for the Bahamas. Americans are urged to "exercise increased caution" due to crime, beach safety, as well as jet ski and boating dangers.
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A spokesperson for the State Department previously told Fox News Digital the agency is aware of reports regarding the missing American and is working with Bahamian authorities.
The State Department declined to share any additional details.
Boating in the Bahamas isn't well regulated, and the State Department has said that "injuries and deaths have occurred."