Abby Sunderland Activated EPIRB

[Microship]

This is disturbing...

Teen sailor Abby Sunderland focus of emergency rescue effort - Outdoors, action and adventure

Anyone have news?

Keeping her in my thoughts...
Steve

[Jennybug]

Abby Sunderland, Teen Sailor Possibly Lost at Sea - ABC News

Abby's mother, MaryAnne Sunderland, told ABC News that Abby manually activated two beacons around 6 a.m. Pacific Time Thursday.
A beacon designed to automatically go off when it contacts water had not been activated, she said.

The closest land to Abby's boat was Reunion Island, which is east of Madagascar. The nearest ship was 400 miles away. Rescuers were trying to contact the ship.

I was unable to open your link - I apologize if this is duplicate information. This is troubling news for those of us that are keeping tabs on her journey.

God Speed Abby

[idpnd]

Link A may be overloaded, it takes a while to come up over here

[Microship]

Her website is overloaded also. Latest reported position is at Latitude 38:

Latitude 38 - 'Lectronic Latitude

Steve

[CharlieCobra]

This is from SMSScott on SA, who performed some of the work at both stops:

Between about 3:00 pm PDT and 5:00 pm PDT we had many very short broken calls from iridium phone from inside boat.

Abby had been Knocked Down several times in 60 Kts winds earlier in the day. Last Knock Down stripped radar from gimbaled mount on mast. There was slight amount of water in boat. No other damage was noted running backs were intact. A full damage survey had not been done yet outside.

She felt she was in good shape after these incidents. The main reason for the call was engine would not start. We got engine started and it was working OK. B&G wind instruments atop mast were still in working order she had 35 Kts wind and was sailing. Basically she felt all was OK.

Iridium dropped another call and we expected a quick call back as she had been doing for several hours. 30 minutes to 1 hour passed with no contact.

Then USCG called with first EPIRB deployment this was a manual EPIRB from inside cabin. Short time later Personal EPIRB was also activated. There is also a Class 1 automatic deployment EPIRB in cockpit that has not activated.

Just about the time of EPIRB activation it would have been getting dark.
She does have a life raft and survival suite.
Her last water temperature report June 5 was 54 degrees F and cabin was 60 degree F...since then she has reported a cabin temp of 65 degree F

Search and Rescue has been handed over to the French.

French navy vessel 2 1/2 days away has been diverted to EPIRB position. Fishing vessel 40 hours away has also been diverted to EPIRB location.

Initial EPIRB location was 557 NM NNE of PORT-AUX-FRANCIAS.

That is the extent of what we know.

This is the most full and complete info you will get from anywhere I was on the phone calls with her. If you hear anything else but this it is either not true or it is new info.

[shadow]

Our prayers and thoughts are definitely with her!! Watching very intensely on how this turns out.. I hope there will be a happy ending..

[marc2012]

Hope there is a quick & safe end here.marc

[SaltyMonkey]

understand through a report there is an EPIRB onboard to activate 15 ft ++ below water surface. This is not activated, so boat may still be afloat.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by CharlieCobra

... That is the extent of what we know.

This is the most full and complete info you will get from anywhere I was on the phone calls with her. If you hear anything else but this it is either not true or it is new info.

Thanks Charlie.
I trust you'll update as appropriate information become available.

[paradix]

For those not following this on the "other" sailing forum, the latest news from Scott is that Qantas are sending out a commercial airliner (Airbus) from Perth this morning. (Abby's position is about 2000nm from Perth). It's currently coming up to 6am there so I'm guessing Qantas will reach her location in a few hours from now.

Being a commercial airliner, I assume they will only be seeking to locate and make radio contact with her - not much else they can do from that sort of plane is there?

[Jennybug]

Thanks Charliecobra

My prayers are with her family. I understand her mother is due to deliver at the end of the month. They must be frantic, although they must have prepared for something like this. One would think?

[axel&andie]

Boats, ships scramble to reach teen drifting in Indian Ocean - CNN.com

the comments section below that page is full of people berating the parents. i think the cruising community should support them.

[bill good]

Australian Gov have sent a Qantas Aircraft to try to locate & communicate on VHF. Should be in the area within 4hrs after getting into the air.

[unbusted67]

Uck I feel sick just thinking about it.

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by dana-tenacity

Let's stir up a hornet's nest - this was inevitable - a kid in the Southern Ocean in June???? And JW was bloody lucky not to die on her first night out. It was only a matter of time till one of these juniors got into serious trouble.
I too hope she's OK but don't hold your breath.

Now it not the time, unless you are an attention whore!

Plenty of time later for the second guessing.