Crowd sourcers Needed: view satellite images

The failure of the search to spot the Nina is little evidence that she is not there somewhere.
Even a search in the correct area and with suitable equipment for such a small wooden boat would be scant evidence of their loss.
The trouble is that for some unknown reason a local politician started making a fuss about costs and unseaworthy conditions.

Even the vessel NZ detained later was in perfectly fine shape for the intended voyage and the vessels detention for "reasons to be determined after haul out examination" reeks of political motivation.

Costs are always a problem in any SAR operation but when you calculate the tourism dollars that yachties and other tourists bring to New Zealand the occasional "tax" for a SAR operation is minimal. In rural areas many businesses lose money during "missing hiker searches" or the like because they devote time and effort to searches. Yet, would all those money-spending hikers be treking to rural recreational areas if they thought that there would be no rescue efforts for the unfortunate few? How many tourists would visit New Zealand if signs at the airport said "If you get lost, you are on your own".

Although there is always some chance of a rogue wave, by definition, it can never be eliminated. However whatever events befell Nina she is without the engine or any battery power at all now. Inability to communicate does not prove that she is sunk.

Though although she may be still afloat and dismasted, she may also have suddenly pitch-poled or suddenly lost her keel or any other very rare but technically possible disaster. Even with the absence of a debris trail, yachts can sink. The problem is that this was a well designed yacht with experienced sailors aboard, lots of supplies and lots of survival training.

So its a cold night here and what else do I have to do but TommyNod till dawn looking at satellite images.

Catastrophic event? Five of the seven aboard were experienced Blue Water sailors. A sixth was a vagabond with survivalist training.

EPIRB No battery? Six out of Seven experienced people on board and they all forgot about it? Absurd.

Anyway, its a cold night. So I search , but I fear Davy Jones has had them from the start.

Crash site in Idaho found by Tomnod images. Five dead.


"...They found the plane!Thank you to all the Tomnod searchers who found images that were right on. Dellon and his crew spent the entire day, from 3am onward trying to find the right location. The snow was very deep and the going was very slow. Less than two hours before they needed to wrap up the search for the foreseeable future, Dellon and Arthur found the plane. I am so grateful that Dellon was the one who found his brother. The plane is in pieces and buried in snow. They have not yet found all the parts. However, we do know my family members on the plane died quickly and painlessly. They did not suffer."

Recapitulation:

The American-flagged schooner, Nina, was in New Zealand intending to continue its circumnavigation by "crossing the ditch" to Australia. It was time for David Dyche to enroll in a university in the USA and it was time for 18 year old psychology student and photography model Danielle Wright to resume her studies at Louisiana State University.

Normally yachts intending to transit the Tasman Sea would depart in early May or mid May to avoid stormy weather. Usually the intended track is to sail far north and then turn and head for Lord Howe Island and after making official entry into Australia on Lord Howe Island to continue on to Newcastle, NSW, Australia.

The problem was that Nina required the installation of a new engine. The Captain was a craftsman, had previously had his own marine construction business and was at the time on leave from his Anchor Boat captaincy in Brazil which earned him well over 150,000.00 per year. Despite Captain Dyche's known craftmanship, a local politician in New Zealand whose nautical skills are a joke has argued poor workmanship and poor state of the wooden vessel despite many expert yachtsmen having been there to observe the installation of the engine and the general appearance of the vessel. One expert yachtsman, a retired mathematics professor, left her yacht in New Zealand to join the Nina's crew as navigator.

Although departure from New Zealand was in the first week of June and was known to be into the face of two or three gales, no one felt it was some sort of suicide mission. Even if it was intended to make a quick trip straight across rather than sailing more northward first, no one considered it suicidal or even wrong. They were in contact with a private citizen who acts as a volunteer weatherman for yachts in the area. He is a retired weatherman from New Zealand and his skill are above reproach. His final communication to the Nina advised them to deviate to the South but to expect more gale force winds. A later investigation revealed a technologically delayed response of: Lost storm sails, heading NW at 4 mph under bare poles.

Relatives and friends were unsure of the destination and ETA but were aware of the captain's independent attitudes and habit of altering his plans enroute to take advantage of wind conditions. New Zealand officials intentionally delayed any start to a search and started the search in what is now acknowledged to have clearly been an incorrect area. New Zealand officials decided to use coordinate data from an electronic source rather than rely on the skills of an elderly navigator, perhaps not knowing she was a retired mathematics professor and her navigation was always spot on. New Zealand made a very prompt determination of "Lost due to unknown sudden catastrophe" and suspended the search despite no debris having ever been found.

Australia had reasons to keep its assets involved in military exercises and not embark on a search of the Tasman.

No one has admitted error, but New Zealand announced there will be a full review of the file and the decision making process.

Meanwhile, hydrologists, geologists, drift analyzers from Texas Equusearch continue on duty despite their volunteer status that fails to net them even the traditional one dollar a year. The family of Danielle Wright have spend several hundred thousand dollars on search expenses, mainly planes and pilots. Danielle's parents are now in Australia but are flat broke and the father is taking flying lessons in a desperate hope to find his daughter still alive.

Technical information that would be of use to the US search team has been denied them by NZ and largely by American officials who have refused aid from Navy and Coast Guard assets in the area.

The families and friends look forward to the NZ Review of the File that will take place. The post-Titanic SOLAS treaty divied up the world's oceans and NZ sure got alot of seaspace in relation to its resources. NZ also gets nothing but mooring fees and tourist money from rich retired Americans who visit NZ by the thousands.

Looking anew at the responsibilities might be good. The M/V Lady Domina was officially the responsibility of the Portugese coast guard and neither the boat nor anyone on it had ever been to Portugal or intended to go to Portugal. And of course Portugal has rather little interest in a vessel carrying mainly Norwegians and Brits who have no connection with Portugal at all.

Ten months: It may seem strange that Danielle's parents hold out hope at the ten month mark and even hope for a marriage noting that Danielle and David (IV) were very much attracted to each other and that David (III) is licensed to perform marriages. Most of course have a somewhat more realistic view point of the situation and consider the ship to be lost and probably lost on June 4th. However, there were gross errors made in the search there are many islands and reefs in rugged areas the ship could have found its way to and the Tasman Sea is famous for its circular currents that trap floating debris for dozens of round trips.

Texas Equusearch is still conducting a search but is awaiting funds and specific leads from hydrologists and coastal debris collectors.

Quote: Fleastiff

American flagged schooner, the S/V NINA was declared by Rescue Coordination Center--New Zealand to be sunk in some undetermined catastrophic manner soon after noon of June 4th during their Crossing The Ditch (New Zealand to Australia).
No searches turned up any debris but searches started a few weeks after likely trouble and were based on an incorrect LKP.
Seven Souls Aboard either the NINA or its Life Raft await your help.

Via > Cherie Martinez
There will be a Celebration of Life service for my brother David, Rosemary and Davy Dyche, March 26, 2014 at 4.30pm.
Good Shepherd United Methodist Church (in the Chapel) 2341 S. Military Trail, West Palm Beach, FL 33415, 561-965-4311. All are welcome!

Robin Wright who long ago had a dream that her daughter would see her 20th birthday before coming home, continues to hope that all the Nina crew are safe somewhere and will soon be found.

Sometimes you just got to respect people of such faith.

Several of her friends from home schooling in Baton Rouge came over and held a birthday party in Danielle's room in which they left notes for her to find when she "gets home".

Faith!!!

Oh the social niceties of our modern world.

At a Celebration of Life ceremony no one says "death" or "funeral". Indeed there is a empty table at the front that is reserved for the crew of the sunken vessel that everyone refers to as being "over due". Celtic Women's rendition of "Sailing" is played. All in yachting attire sign the book of remembrance and take their leave in high spirits.

I don't do well at such functions. I prefer to extend my efforts in the Search phase. Funerals are difficult for me even when laden with a non-death vocabulary.

Its the Review phase that is most difficult however. I've had enough of this politically motivated whitewash and utterly absurd "independent review". Why do rescue coordinators lack the courage to stand up and tell the truth. No hem, no haw, no song, no dance. The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

at some point unjustified faith is just sad.

Like the woman who made the video appeal to spare her son, because she studied Islam and, she claimed, she can see innocent people are to be unharmed.

Yeah, that was going to work.

In the news today, son beheaded.

Quote: odiousgambit

In the news today, son beheaded.

Bet she is looking to buy some Ebola today.

Quote: odiousgambit

at some point unjustified faith is just sad.

Like the woman who made the video appeal to spare her son, because she studied Islam and, she claimed, she can see innocent people are to be unharmed.

Yeah, that was going to work.

In the news today, son beheaded.

Isis doesn't follow Islam just as the Westboro Baptist church doesn't follow Christianity