Another rescue

[Alan Wheeler]

Yet another rescue is underway in our back yard. A couple of Kiwi's have been dismasted and injured out in the Pacific on the way to thye Cook Islands. They are beign battered by 14m(46ft)waves at the mo. A ship tired a rescue, but it was too ruff. Another rescue vessel is under way, but it is 56hrs away. Another ruff front is on the way.
Actually the weather down he has been different this year. The normal path to the Islands as been ravaged by storms this year. In NZ, we have had a very mild winter, almost no winter at all, but it has been very windy and we get the odd very cold snap come through. Infact, it is now our spring and we just got the most snow we have had all winter just last weekend. We measured wind gusts of 63 knots in our Marina two weeks back. Hope the weather smooths out soon.

[BC Mike]

The new born lambs have been having trouble I hear.
Minus 10 is about the crossover point between life and death and that is if they are inside. Outside they can die around freezing.
63 is the highest ever recorded wind speed in Kelowna BC. That was the day the gooseneck broke. It was not adequate so I installed an industrial strength unit.
Hope they get the yachties rescued.
Michael

[Alan Wheeler]

And yet another rescue is taking place write now as I speak. Another yacht has been dismasted and both crew are injured. A container vessel is picking them up within the hr, and providing they aren't too severly injured, will be heading on to Panama. A little in the opposite direction and further away than the Cook Islands the two had originaly been trying to reach.

[Alan Wheeler]

Oh and to updatge the first post I made, an Orion has returned to drop supplies to the couple. They too have been dismasted. A vessel is still on the way to there position.

[Alan Wheeler]

Ooops, I have stuffed up here. The two rescues I have stated here are in fact one and the same. So to update, the couple have been picked up safe and well, apart from bruised and battered and a slight hip injury. A rescue Helicopter is flying out the 12-1500kms today to pick them up off the Ship. This in it's self is a very dangerouse exercise. It seems we Kiwi's lead the world in long endurance chopper rescue flights. I dunno why, maybe the Pilots are just damn good, or plain stupid Actually it is because aircraft have become so good to make it now possible to carry out this sort of thing. Just last week a rescue from a Foriegn vessel was made from the deep southern ocean. Those Pilots (from any country)have my greatest respect at flying such extreme distances and then picking someone of the deck of a pitching/rolling ship in the most extremems of weather.

[NoTies]

Just a little advice from someone with no sailing experience (yet). The guy in question was an experienced commercial fisherman and sailor but the only other person on the boat didn't know how to sail. The guy had a heart attack and wasn't able to tend the sails etc. This appears to be where a lot of their problems came from, losing control in rough weather. Sue & I have discussed this at length and on our first bluewater passage we will definitely be taking an experienced ocean sailor with us.