Missing 75´s.y. Lady Domina

[sinbad7]

The 75´motor sailer Lady Domina left St.Martin 31 March with a presumed course for the Azores,a distance of some 2.235 nm and has since not been seen or heard from. The relations and friends are anxious to have news about their whereabouts.

She has a 220 hp diesel but no working sails other than an old foresail and does around 5-6 knots under power.

The boat is self built some 16 years ago in grp and the hull colour is black.
She carries a South African flag in the starboard stay,although there is no evidence that she is registered there.

She is captained by a Norwegian plus a crew of another two Norwegian nationals,one Dane and a British female.

She has apparently been sailing around in the Caribbean for some years so I am certain someone here has encountered the vessel at some time.

Please forward any information to me: tore.christiansen()gmail.com

Tore

[sinbad7]

It is now 34 days since Lady Domina departed from St.Martin for the Azores and no one have seen or heard from her since.

She may have had engine failure and with only a foresail for propulsion she could just be very much delayed. No adverse or strong wind/wave conditions have existed for the whole month of April in the waters she was supposed to be.

Tore

[sinbad7]

Situations like this should never be allowed to happen. It should be obligatory for ALL vessels traversing the oceans of the world to be properly equipped with communications devices,reporting their track at regular intervals. EPIRB and life rafts should be obligatory. It should also be obligatory to report every intended,deep sea crossings to the departing harbor authority with time/date of departure as well as intended next port of call, equipment carried on board as well as a crew list.

This is done by thousands of airline pilots every day around the world,it should not be any different for pleasure craft. This to avoid such headless searches in the dark by search and rescue bodies who are not even sure which route the vessel has taken,wasting our resources un-neccessarily.

If you can´t afford or are not willing to take the necessary safety precautions you should not start the journey.

Tore

[David_Old_Jersey]

Am surprised this thread has not attracted more interest - I am guessing you know someone onboard?

Odds on that they will surface with a tale to tell, and as the plans sound a bit vague they may even have come up with a plan B instead of the Azores. Fingers crossed.

[homeless]

Originally Posted by sinbad7

It should be obligatory for ALL vessels traversing the oceans of the world to be properly equipped with communications devices,reporting their track at regular intervals. EPIRB and life rafts should be obligatory. It should also be obligatory to report every intended,deep sea crossings to the departing harbor authority with time/date of departure as well as intended next port of call, equipment carried on board as well as a crew list.
Tore

I hope nothing happened to the boat you list as missing, but I really think it is overkill to force everyone in the world to carry tracking equipment just because one boat is a few days overdue.

[atoll]

has the vessel been reported as missing or overdue?

if not i would reccomend you call falmouth coast guard who coordinate sar for the n atlantic and tell them of your concern,they in turn will put out a message for any vessel sighting the sy domina to report its position and current status.
call uk, 0044 1326317575

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by sinbad7

Situations like this should never be allowed to happen. It should be obligatory for ALL vessels traversing the oceans of the world to be properly equipped with communications devices,reporting their track at regular intervals. EPIRB and life rafts should be obligatory. It should also be obligatory to report every intended,deep sea crossings to the departing harbor authority with time/date of departure as well as intended next port of call, equipment carried on board as well as a crew list.

This is done by thousands of airline pilots every day around the world,it should not be any different for pleasure craft. This to avoid such headless searches in the dark by search and rescue bodies who are not even sure which route the vessel has taken,wasting our resources un-neccessarily.

If you can´t afford or are not willing to take the necessary safety precautions you should not start the journey.

Tore

It is 'Obligatory' already to report your departure and next port of call to the authorities... along with crew, nationality etc..
I take it you've never done a crossing or you'd know you can leave.. but arriving without a ZARPE will cause you no end of hassle...
AIS is there for commercial vessels and I would imagine a vessel that size would have emergency vessels/equipment for abandon ship situations if only in the form of a large rib and PFD's... have you any proof they Do Not have the equipment..
or is this a 'Commercial Rant'...

[atoll]

looks like it will be a busy year for SAR,currently 9people missing from 3 different boats


http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ed-103218.html

[sinbad7]

She IS reported as missing. A plan ´B´ is not acceptable except in emergencies and must be reported to the relevant surveilance authorities. Imagine an aircraft changing to an unknown plan ´B´ without telling the control towers.

I am aware it is obligatory to complete a ZARPE but that´s just the point,it is not done in many cases,or altered at will. This is the US version: http://localhost:4040/index.view

That´s just the point,no one seem to know for sure WHAT she has on board of safety and rescue equipment. We´ve had reports saying all she had was an old rubber dinghy lashed to the foredeck and she does not have an EPIRB beacon,nor a SSB radio,just a standard VHF set. She has no sails except for a worn foresail. The 220 hp diesel engine gives her a speed around 5-6 knots in optimal conditions.

She is flying a South African flag in the stbd mainstay but is not registered in S. Africa. She is also said to be registered in Norway,but the main register NOR/NIS does not have her listed as registered. All together,a lot of confusion which does not make it easy for the official SAR authorities.

After 12 years sailing in the Caribbean you´d think there would be lots of info and pics about the boat,try a Google,hardy any info.

Running a single engine on a 7/24 basis,day after day.excerts a lot of pressure on all parts and they could have had a major engine failure/breakdown outside of the normal shipping lanes. Let´s hope they emerge safely in a day or two.

Tore

DTG 011500 UTC May 13
FROM JRCC STAVANGER, NORWAY
PHONE +47 5151 7000
FAX +47 5165 2334
EMAIL operations@jrcc-stavanger.no
TO ALL SHIPS IN AREA OF ATLANTICC OCEAN - St.Martin to the Azores
SUBJECT DISTRESS RELAY ALERT / COMMUNICATION SEARCH
1. IDENTITY OF CASUALTY: S/Y LADY DOMINA
2. POSITION: BETWEEN ST MARTIN AND THE AZORES
3. SITUATION: NO COMMUNICATION AFTER DEPARTURE ST. MARTIN THE 1ST APRIL.
4. DESCRIPTION OF VESSEL: SAILING YACHT, 75 FEET, DARK BLUE/BLACK HULL, WHITE STRIPE, RED BOTTOM
5. PERSONS AT RISK: 5
6. ASSISTANCE REQUIRED: COMMUNICATION SEARCH ON VHF AND SHARP LOOK OUT. ANY INFORMATION REGARDING THE ROUTE AND ESTIMATE OF ARRIVAL TO AZORES.
7. INSTRUCTIONS TO SHIPS
- SHIPS ENROUTE ARE REQUESTED TO KEEP SHARP LOOK OUT AND REPORT ANY SIGHTINGS TO MRCC DELGADA
- SHIPS WITH OTHER VITAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE DISTRESSED VESSELS SITUATION ARE INVITED TO INFORM THIS RESCUE CENTRE ASAP.
- SHIPS ENROUTE ARE REQUESTED TO DO COMMUNICATION SEARCH ON VHF REGULAR BASIS
8. COORDINATING RCC: MRCC DELGADA
TEL: +351 296 281 777
Fax: +351 296 205 239
E-mail: mrcc.delgada@marinha.pt

[boatman61]

I also hope they turn up well and healthy...
but that's a large and empty piece of water they're crossing and their route is not commonly used by anything other than a few sailboats...
most others prefer the Bermuda route for the shorter legs.

PS: where did the zig zag course chart come from... seems overly erratic for something under power.. (even under sail my crossings have not looked like that)... lotta wasted fuel

[gjordan]

Airline pilots are carrying passengers for hire. If this vessel was carrying passengers for hire, most of the equipment mentioned would have been required. Let us hope that we never get to the point that we have FAA type control over our noncommercial cruising boats. I truly hope that this boat shows up safely, but to create a bunch of rules that will run us like a communist government, is not what any of us need. Many opinions may be at odds with me, but freedom of the seas is important.______Grant.

[neilpride]

I know the owners, the boat sit in Le Marin Martinique for few years , owners doing work in a old dry dock and later move to Dominica as far i know, later i see the boat in Marigot St Martin , 220 hp and a crapy old furler jib, dont know how much fuel can carry but i know the boat sit for years in the water with a ton of barnacles in the bottom , PS. the boat carry a large old comercial liferaft in deck , but i presume no inspections or whatever. if we have any kind of news here in St Mrtin i let you know...

[SaltyMonkey]

"She has no sails except for a worn foresail."

I dunno. Appears laxci-daisy to me for someone crossing such a large void, and may indicate attitudes toward other pieces of equipment and planning.

Am I reading too much into this?

[Rayallyn]

Mr. Sinbad or Tore whatever,

I suppose you have all the money to buy all the latest equipment and feel that if others don't have the money they shouldn't be on the water.
It is up to the individual and others joining the crew to decide what equipment other then the required safety items they need and can afford. Sailing and cruising is not only for the rich, and I for one will start a revolution if it comes to that.
I have worked and lived on the water for most of my life and comments like yours really aggravate me.
I can now afford most of the newer communication and safety items but a lot of people have lost a substantial amount of retirement or income and are cruising or boating to the best of their financial ability.

Ray

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by Rayallyn

Mr. Sinbad or Tore whatever,

I suppose you have all the money to buy all the latest equipment and feel that if others don't have the money they shouldn't be on the water.
It is up to the individual and others joining the crew to decide what equipment other then the required safety items they need and can afford. Sailing and cruising is not only for the rich, and I for one will start a revolution if it comes to that.
I have worked and lived on the water for most of my life and comments like yours really aggravate me.
I can now afford most of the newer communication and safety items but a lot of people have lost a substantial amount of retirement or income and are cruising or boating to the best of their financial ability.

Ray

They have a 75' boat and stocked enough fuel to get across the Atlantic and you're saying they shouldn't dropped $1000 on a used mainsail?

These aren't some 25 year old kids in a 25' Catalina with a shoestring budget. These guys spent plenty of money, it seems like they just spent it poorly.