Flying Colours Missing after Distress Call

[Entlie]

There has been nasty weather in the Atlantic off the Carolinas this week, with high winds and waves over 30 ft.

Flying Colours, a 54 ft. sailing vessel with a home port of Washington, D.C. is missing with 4 people aboard after putting out a distess call.

Here's a link to the news bulletin:

WITN | Search Continues For Four Missing Boaters


Entlie
Sailing Catamaran Sunspot Baby

[GordMay]

The USCG rescued nine people from three endangered boats off Cape Hatteras on Monday but were unable to locate the people aboard the sailboat “Flying Colours”.

”... "We're also sending out a marine information broadcast asking people to keep their eyes open for the boat," Wadlow said. "We're hoping that they've pulled in somewhere and turned the beacon off and just don't know we're looking for them...”

More: Four still missing near Outer Banks

[btrayfors]

According to USCG website (www.uscg.mil), they're still looking for these guys.

This is the type of report which is singularly unhelpful: there's no mention of last reported position. There's a beautiful hi-res photo of the boat, and mention she was headed from Tortola to Annapolis, and that they were searching near Cape Lookout, NC, but it would be helpful to know the last reported position of the yacht.

They said the boat's "automatic distress signal" was activated. Presumably, this means a 406 EPIRB (and not a 2182 KHz alarm). The EPIRB would have given a pretty good position, and the CG IMO should have passed this along so that boaters in any possible port of call could be on the alert.

However, I doubt seriously that this professional crew would have activated an EPIRB, then deactivated it, ducked into a safe port (e.g., Beufort Inlet), and failed to notify the Coast Guard of their situation. Just doesn't make sense to me, unfortunately, 'cuz it doesn't sound good at all.

Bill

[GordMay]

They cannot report information that they don't have; and should not report information they believe may be "out of date", or otherwise inaccurate.

According to the USCG Press Release: Crews Still Searching For 4 Sailors

”... The Flying Colours is home-ported in Washington, D.C., and the crew was transiting from St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, to Annapolis, Md.

A Coast Guard C-130 airplane is searching a 100-square-mile area, and the Coast Guard Cutter Tampa is battling heavy seas en route to join the search ...

Anyone who has information regarding the Flying Colours is requested to call the Coast Guard Fifth District command center at (757) 398-6390.'

[btrayfors]

Gord,

"They cannot report information that they don't have; and should not report information they believe may be "out of date", or otherwise inaccurate."

I agree with you. However, if this was a 406 EPIRB they would have a pretty good Lat/Lon, and the way to report it would be as a last known position, e.g., "last EPIRB-derived position at 4PM EST May 6 was 34deg 12mins North 75 degs 42 mins West". NOTE: This is for illustration only...it is NOT a real position for this vessel.

The "100 square mile search area" is completely meaningless, and other press reports have mentioned a several thousand square mile search area.

BTW, the pic of the Cutter "Tampa" is pretty neat.

Bill

[camaraderie]

They are broadcasting "be on the lookout for Flying Colors" messages on the VHF every hour here in coastal NC this AM. Three other sailboats were rescued off the coast in the last couple of days. 35' seas and 45+knots made for survival conditions. Hope the crew of Flying Colors makes it home safely.

[GordMay]

Although I read the CG despatch, I didn’t comprehend what they were saying.
ie: “...airplane is searching a 100-square-mile area ...”

I suspect they meant to say a hundred mile square area (100nm x 100nm), or 10,000 square mile.

[ssullivan]

Jeeeez. It seems I have read more threads on here about boat missing/destroyed, etc... lately than I have read or heard of in a long time.

Just more boats out there on the water?

[Alan Wheeler]

No Sean, just more reporting via more members here and probably more media coverage out there. Remember we are growing rapidly here at the moment.

[btrayfors]

Here's some more info about Flying Colours, taken from her documentation. She's a 1992 Little Harbour 54, apparently owned by a corporation in Washington, DC. Very well-found vessel and, from the pic, in very good condition.

Vessel Name: FLYING COLOURS USCG Doc. No.: 1032391 Vessel Service: RECREATIONAL IMO Number: * Trade Indicator: Recreational Call Sign: * Hull Material: FRP (FIBERGLASS) Hull Number: LHB54027D292 Ship Builder: * Year Built: 1992

Length (ft.): 54 Hailing Port: WASHINGTON DC Hull Depth (ft.): 9.7 Owner: DRONES MARINE LLC
SUITE 800 1300 CONNECTICUT AVE NW
WASHINGTON, DC 20036 Hull Breadth (ft.): 15.2 Gross Tonnage: 53 Net Tonnage: 42 Documentation Issuance Date: July 28, 2006 Documentation Expiration Date: August 31, 2007 Previous Vessel Names: LADY TWICK
PENTOGA
Previous Vessel Owners: No Vessel Owner Changes

Bill

[Pblais]

Just more boats out there on the water?

More eyes and ears connected to this forum would explain it more. CF helps a great deal with many things but alas not out there where it would be most helpful. I'm afraid reporting news and events is as good as we can do. Many are indeed interested if not very concerned. What is now called Andrea was here for the past few days. This isn't an easy storm to contend with and out in the Gulf Stream I don't imagine it is any less dangerous. Cold north winds counter to a warm northern flow current isn't the stuff of fair afternoon sailing.

[ssullivan]

Originally Posted by Pblais

More eyes and ears connected to this forum would explain it more. CF helps a great deal with many things but alas not out there where it would be most helpful. I'm afraid reporting news and events is as good as we can do. Many are indeed interested if not very concerned. What is now called Andrea was here for the past few days. This isn't an easy storm to contend with and out in the Gulf Stream I don't imagine it is any less dangerous. Cold north winds counter to a warm northern flow current isn't the stuff of fair afternoon sailing.

Hopefully, it is the case that more are being reported here than would make the news. I'd hate to see an increasing trend in this statistic.

I suppose it is probably true, since I wouldn't have heard about the ones from OZ and NZ and possibly the UK if it weren't for the board.

Yeah, Andrea makes one *heck* of a Norther to contend with in the Gulfstream. Ouch.

[GordMay]

From Fifth Coast Guard District Public Information Site:
5th District Public Information Site

The search for the missing sailors, Patrick Topping, 39, Jason Franks, 34, Rhiannon Borisoff, 22 and Christine Grinavic, 25, has covered more than 47,000 nautical square miles, roughly the size of Indiana.

[Curtis]

Bad news..they're calling off the search

Thoughts & prayers to everyone involved...

https://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/651/156421/

[JackieRichardson]

It's too early to call off the search! Strong boat, 2 experienced Captains on board.
The Coast Guard needs to expand the search. No debris found. There's so much evidence to indicate more than 85% chance of survival.
Not very caring of CG to call off search on the eve of Mother's Day either.