RedactedNarrative: V1 was drifting approximately 16 miles South of the Destin Pass. Smoke began to rise from the bilge area before the vessel caught on fire. O1 and the female passenger aboard were rescued by a fishing vessel in the area who saw the smoke. Both subjects were then picked up by Coast Guard and transported to Coast Gaurd Destin. The vessel became engulfed in flames eventually burning down to the water line.  
   OP1 stated while on the way a steering sensor fault code came up on his screen on his vessel. He stated that this was the same code that had come up just days before. He stated that he had the vessel at Emerald Coast Marine for several months being worked on.  He also stated that he had just had the vessel looked at the day before by Emerald Coast Marine’s technician. The technician told him that it was possibly a computer glitch. He stated the technician did some software updates and instructed OP1 that if it did it again to turn the key off and turn it back on.
   OP1 stated that on the morning of the fire he turned the key off and back on just as instructed by the technician. OP1 said the code cleared itself and he proceeded to go out fishing as planned. OP1 said that they went out to a spot approximately 20 miles offshore. OP1 stated they started fishing when PAX1 noticed smoke coming from the rear starboard rod holder. OP1 stated that he opened the hatch to his bilge and a large cloud of black smoke came out. OP1 stated that he could hear noises that sounded like crackling and sizzling. OP1 stated that he could smell an odor from the smoke that smelled like burning electrical tape. OP1 stated that both PAX1 and he got out 2 life jackets out and put them on. OP1 then placed the vessel in gear and put the coordinates of the pass into the GPS but stated that he was unable to steer due to the steering wheel not working.
  At approximately 9:27 AM, a charter boat in the area saw the smoke and came and got OP1 and PAX1 off the burning vessel a few minutes after the incident began. OP1 and PAX1 stayed on the charter boat until approximately 9:50 AM when Coast Guard arrived and picked them up. They were then transported to Coast Guard Destin at approximately 12:00 PM. The vessel washed up ashore approximately one week later and was removed by a salvage company.
  