Tonga Storm

[bigpuff]

anybody heard about yachts in trouble sth. of tonga

[DumnMad]

Yacht rolls 230km south of Tonga | Stuff.co.nz

[bigpuff]

thanks for that.

[DumnMad]

No rescue tonight for stranded pair
Laura Heathcote, Newstalk ZB
November 8, 2012, 4:32 pm

No rescue attempt will be made tonight for an injured couple stranded on their stricken yacht between Tonga and New Zealand.

An overflight by a French navy aircraft has confirmed the yacht remains afloat after it rolled in rough seas overnight.

A New Zealand woman and Australian-based British man are on board and both are injured.

Search and Rescue Mission Co-ordinator Keith Allen says radio contact has been established and an Air Force Orion will remain in position above the yacht until 7pm.

He says the Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand has diverted a freighter, the 'Chengtu', to the yacht'™s position.

It's likely to arrive in the area sometime after 1am, at the around the same time as another yacht, Adventure Bound.

Mr Allen adds it will be extremely uncomfortable night for those onboard, but the yacht is still afloat so the correct approach is to remain where they are.

[atoll]

Sailing Yacht In Distress, Crew Injured Far Offshore in the SW Pacific

[DumnMad]

Two vessels are alongside them including yacht Adventure Bound.

[zeehag]

8 November 2012: 4.30pm

The damaged yacht Windigo remains afloat with two people onboard between Tonga and New Zealand.

An overflight by a French navy Guardian aircraft, from Noumea, confirmed the yacht was still floating and radio contact was established with the crew, a 52-year-old British man, and a 43-year-old Auckland woman. An RNZAF P3-Orion is back in position above the yacht and will remain until 7pm.

They are both understood to have sustained mild to moderate head injuries after their 11.6m yacht rolled after leaving Tonga two days ago. The man has also suffered a back injury. None of the injuries are believed to be serious.

The yacht is about 700km southwest of Tonga and 1260km northeast of New Zealand in 40 knot (75 km/h winds).

The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) has diverted a freighter, the Chengtu, to the yacht's position and it is likely to arrive in the area sometime after 1am, at the around the same time as another yacht, Adventure Bound. No rescue would be attempted at night, and it is hoped to have the Orion back in position at daybreak tomorrow.

The off shore patrol vessel HMNZS Otago has also been requested to assist and has diverted from exercises in the Hauraki Gulf. It will take approximately 35 hours to reach the Windigo's location.

Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator Keith Allen said sea conditions were moderating but remained rough.

"It will be extremely uncomfortable and the people aboard are tired, but the yacht is still afloat so the correct approach is to remain onboard."

Earlier, the P3-Orion established that a second beacon activated at around 5am this morning 230km southwest of Tonga is from the Tongan fishing boat Lesila which has lost power and has requested a tow to Tonga. The vessel, with three people onboard, is on a sea anchor and not in immediate distress. The Tongan police have been informed and will make contact with the owner to organise the tow.

For further information contact:
Maritime New Zealand Media Line
Phone 04 499 7318

[zeehag]

UPDATE!!!!


Desperate Sailors

Tania and Steve of s/v Windigo, that was rolled in the Pacific two days ago, have been rescued and are now on board MV Chengtu.

Wow! What an incredible effort by NZ MRCC, the crew on the Orion SAR aircraft, M/V Otago, s/v Adventure Bound, the amateur radio operators (David S Wheatley, plus many others)... just to name a few. Well done to everyone involved.

[SVNeko]

Hmmm... 40kn and the boat rolled. From all the armchair sailors on the HMS Bounty thread, I thought that was supposed to be a walk in the park.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by SVNeko

Hmmm... 40kn and the boat rolled. From all the armchair sailors on the HMS Bounty thread, I thought that was supposed to be a walk in the park.

it is! they probably did not have enough sail up to keep the boat moving.....

like a bicycle,if you dont have some speed you fall over

[barnakiel]

We got badly bruised there too. Every year boats get sunk, knocked and rolled on their way to NZ (and on their way from NZ to the islands too).

Some think NZ is a tropical destination, sure.

We were told that in NZ we can fix everything. Right. When we got there, we did HAVE TO fix many things. The good news is the Kiwi are fine people.

Bad place, bad stretch of water, stay away and you may just as well have a nice journey.

b.

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

We got badly bruised there too. Every year boats get sunk, knocked and rolled on their way to NZ (and on their way from NZ to the islands too).

Some think NZ is a tropical destination, sure.

We were told that in NZ we can fix everything. Right. When we got there, we did HAVE TO fix many things. The good news is the Kiwi are fine people.

Bad place, bad stretch of water, stay away and you may just as well have a nice journey.

b.

Weather windows need to be carefully picked to improve your odds. We had a dream run from the Bay of Islands to Nuku'alofa in May one year.

[Mr B]

Not sure where the South Pacific Ocean stops and the Southern Ocean begins,

But the south of NZ is definately in the Southern Ocean,

And The Tasman Sea can be very rough, same as the Southern Ocean and the South Pacific, They are definately not protected waters,

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Mr B

Not sure where the South Pacific Ocean stops and the Southern Ocean begins,

But the south of NZ is definately in the Southern Ocean,

And The Tasman Sea can be very rough, same as the Southern Ocean and the South Pacific, They are definately not protected waters,

Southern Ocean starts well south of NZ. Still, wild water around NZ on all directions!

[annk]

British mother waits for news of her son whose yacht capsized in 50mph winds off Tonga as weather delays rescue
Couple named as Welshman Stephen Jones, 52, and Kiwi Tanya Davies, 43
Pair left island of Tonga two days ago
38ft yacht 'Windigo' rolled in 30ft waves
Pair forced to spend another night on stricken vessel as bad weather hampers rescue operation
New Zealand Air Force P3-Orion plane successfully dropped life raft
By AMY OLIVER
PUBLISHED: 11:01, 8 November 2012 | UPDATED: 20:20, 8 November 2012
Comments (10)
Share

The mother of a Welshman who remains stranded on a stricken yacht in the Pacific Ocean said authorities have not been able to rescue him and his Kiwi partner because of bad weather.
Elizabeth Jones said her son Stephen, 52, and his 43-year-old partner Tanya Davies are battling nearly 50mph (75kph) winds and 30ft waves on the yacht, now listing around 435 miles south west of Tonga.
Mr Jones, originally from Llandudno Junction in Conwy, Wales, and Ms Davies left the island two days ago.

Battle: Stephen Jones, 52, and his 43-year-old partner Tanya Davies are still on board their stricken yacht after it capsized in a storm around 435 miles south-west of Tonga

Concerns: Mrs Jones from Llandudno Junction in Conwy, Wales, said she had originally feared her son's yacht 'Windigo' would sink after it turned over in the storm
They activated an emergency beacon on Wednesday evening and are now floating 783 miles north east of New Zealand, according to rescue workers.
Mrs Jones told the BBC she had originally feared her son's yacht 'Windigo' would sink after it turned over in the storm.
But it has now managed to right itself and the pair are still on board.


She added the couple had suffered head injuries and that Mr Jones had hurt his back when the boat rolled over.
A New Zealand Air Force P3-Orion plane was able to successfully drop the pair a life raft earlier today and establish communications.
Authorities say the pair have secured themselves to the yacht's stern and will stay there until forced to move to the raft.
Boats are on their way to the scene, but authorities say a rescue operation will not take place until Friday morning at the earliest, due to the continuing bad weather.
Mrs Jones said: 'The storm is 75kph an hour with the wind, and the waves are 10m high so they're in the middle of that.
'They (authorities) didn't find them until last night but they can't go near them because of the weather.
'They've been in distress for nearly two days now.'
Mr Jones is an experienced yachtsman who has been sailing for more than 25 years.

Mr Jones is an experienced yachtsman who has been sailing for more than 25 years. He has been living on board the 38ft yacht for around two-and-a-half-years
He has been living on board the yacht for around two-and-a-half-years and in Australia for years before that.
He and Ms Davies were travelling from Tonga to New Zealand when the storm hit.
Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator Keith Allen told the BBC that the swell was dying down but conditions remained rough.
He said: 'It will be extremely uncomfortable and the people aboard are tired, but the yacht is still afloat so the correct approach is to remain on board.'

Rescue: A New Zealand Air Force P3-Orion plane has been able to successfully drop Mr Jones and Ms Davies a life raft

The pair are now floating around 434 miles south-west of Tonga and around 783 miles north-east of New