Curacao - Cruise ship docking timeline

[Admin]

A common misconception in this case is that Amy Bradley vanished while the ship was in the open ocean, in the middle of the night. This is completely false and people just don't stop with their concocted evidence. The ship was turning in the canal, and the ship was fully docked by 6:00 a.m. Ron saw Amy on the balcony between 5:15 and 5:30 a.m. Since the ship was docked by 6:00 a.m, the ship would have been fully involved in docking maneuvers when Ron last saw Amy and when Amy was seen on the upper deck area.

After Amy's disappearance, Tim Buckholtz, an ex-Special Forces sniper, offered his services to the family. One part of his investigation was to measure the time it takes for the ship to enter the canal and dock in the Willemstad harbour. Tim and forensics (Admiralty Bureau) estimated it took the ship about 50 minutes to come into the canal, turn the ship to the right (90 degrees), and then back into the port. It's not a fast process. Buckholtz was able to determine the ship was completely docked by 6:00 a.m.
 

Iva Bradley:

"When Tim Buckholz went back to measure the time once the ship entered the canal, they had changed the position of the docking. Tim and forensics (Admiralty Bureau) estimated it took the ship about 50 minutes to come into the canal, turn the ship to the right (90 degrees) and then back into port. So, it is not a quick process. We were docked completed at 6 am. We also spoke at some point with the dockmaster and he said the ship left Aruba at 1 and got to Curacao quickly and then sat out from the island waiting for their turn to dock, so that makes the docking procedure starting very early. When Ron saw Amy on the balcony, it was light outside, and when he reached the top deck at 6, the ship was completely docked."




A - Rhapsody of the Seas left Aruba at 1:00 AM and traveled 70 miles to Curacao. The ship waited off the coast of Curacao for clearance to dock.

B - Prior to 5:00 AM, Rhapsody of the Seas was given permission to leave the ocean, enter the canal in Willemstad, and proceed toward the Bunker Wharf area where the ship was designated to dock. Traveling through the canal is not a fast process. Ron Bradley saw Amy on the balcony of the family's suite between 5:15 and 5:30 AM.

C - Rhapsody of the Seas passed under the Queen Juliana Bridge. Witnesses have testified for a Federal Grand Jury that Amy was seen on the upper deck with Alister Douglas between 5:30 and 5:45 AM

D - Rhapsody of the Seas entered the Schottegat Bay and turned 90 degrees to the right. The cruise ship proceeded to back into the specific dock assignment at the Bunker Wharf location.

E - Rhapsody of the Seas had completed docking procedures by 6:00 AM when Ron Bradley went to the upper deck. By 6:00 AM, Amy had already disappeared.

[Admin]

This was the approximate location of Rhapsody of the Seas when Amy disappeared from the upper deck. The cruise ship had passed through the canal and had passed under the Queen Juliana Bridge. Rhapsody of the Seas was turning to dock at the wharf. The ship was not in the ocean.

[Admin]

This was the dock location at 6:00 AM when Ron Bradley went to the upper deck. By 6:00 AM, the ship was completely docked.

[Admin]

Rhapsody of the Seas required about 55 minutes to travel the distance of the Willemstad canal,  from the ocean to Schottegat Bay where the ship docked at the Bunker Wharf location at the far bottom right of this image where the orange ship is. 

[Admin]

Photograph of the Queen Juliana Bridge in the Curacao canal. The cruise ship had passed under the Queen Juliana Bridge when Amy was seen on the upper deck area between 5:30 and 5:45 AM.

[Admin]

Willemstad canal

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The Willemstad canal and the Queen Juliana Bridge in the background.

[Admin]

This is the canal in Willemstad. On March 24, 1998 the Rhapsody of the Seas passed through this canal to dock at the Bunker Wharf in Schottegat Bay which is a harbor. Passage through the canal required about 55 minutes.

[Admin]

Willemstad, Curacao harbor

[Admin]

In the aftermath of Amy's disappearance, an extensive search was conducted. It was the largest search in Curaçao history. It involved 4 full days of sea-and-air searches using 3 helicopters, a British warship, and a low-flying radar plane, coupled with numerous cargo ships, tugboats, and fishing boats that scoured the harbor, sea, and coast.

In the Netflix docuseries, the Curaçao Harbor Police Chief and the Curacao Coast Guard talked about the extensive 3-day search. It was the largest search they ever did, and they even went as far as to expand the search grid out to sea towards Aruba. They both expressed that, based on their professional opinion and experience, a body should have been recovered. The marines, the Venezuelan Coast Guard, and the Navy were also involved in the search. No trace of Amy was found.

[Admin]

The Curacao canal. It is not apart of the open ocean.

[Admin]

POV videos of a cruise ship passing through the Curacao canal in December of 1998.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSozIt4hKfo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVBucs5ylbw&t=197s

[Admin]

Boat sailing through the Curacao canal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5OwagGOkWw