Urgent Assistance To Find Missing Australian Yacht

[boatman61]

Here's hoping for a happy outcome..
And regardless those who say 'he did it doing the thing he loved..'
Very few of us actually wanna go.. come the moment..

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by 35S

Is this related?

Two bodies wash up on beach north of Newcastle after yacht goes missing - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

No, a completely different situation.

This thread is about a guy who's a solo sailor and he's currently missing. It's more difficult because no one knows when he went missing, only when he left Queensland to return to Fiji.

[buzzstar]

I just finished reading the entire thread. Except for those by Rustic Charm, the original poster, and Ann T Cate, most of the replies were plain useless even though I found none that I actually could directly disagree with. Maybe we all (myself included) need a dose of discipline as we crawl toward a self-satisfying number of stars.

[motion30]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Here's hoping for a happy outcome..
And regardless those who say 'he did it doing the thing he loved..'
Very few of us actually wanna go.. come the moment..

Yes but we all do

[Rustic Charm]

I've read third hand that the gentleman has been found.

[PortClydeMe]

Originally Posted by Rustic Charm

I've read third hand that the gentleman has been found.

So, let me guess. Boat tied up to a tree in the bayou thicket, while he slept off a 4-day bender at the girlfriend's pad? That's a cool old geezer.

Best part of this thread? I learned that Fiji has a navy. Who'd a thunk? Not that 9 patrol boats built in the US constitutes a "navy", but hey, they consider their 2 broken-down helicopters an "air force". Go figure. Those crazy Fijians.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Rustic Charm

I've read third hand that the gentleman has been found.

Presumably safe and without any troubles????

[The Gman]

Facebook post by Daughter 12 hrs ago


"Hey guys, my father has been found drifting off course by the Pacific Jewel cruise ship. Food and water long gone, waiting for updates on his condition but they are attempting to get him off the yacht. "

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by The Gman

Facebook post by Daughter 12 hrs ago


"Hey guys, my father has been found drifting off course by the Pacific Jewel cruise ship. Food and water long gone, waiting for updates on his condition but they are attempting to get him off the yacht. "

Wanna bet he takes some food and water and stays on his boat? Assuming he is in good shape anyway, which I hope he is.


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Wanna bet he takes some food and water and stays on his boat? Assuming he is in good shape anyway, which I hope he is.


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

I think you would lose the bet if this is correct...
Australian cruise ship Pacific Jewel turned around to rescue yacht in distress

[JPA Cate]

Judging from where he was found, something went wrong early in his journey.

Fwiw, the Pacific is tied up at the tourist quay here in Noumea now. Family shall by now have been informed of his condition.

Ann

[MarkJ]

The ship was out of VHF range if it was 60nms when diverted. So must have been EPIRB? Maybe when his food and water ran out? Or spotted from the air?
It will be an interesting story.

[PortClydeMe]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

The ship was out of VHF range if it was 60nms when diverted. So must have been EPIRB? Maybe when his food and water ran out? Or spotted from the air?
It will be an interesting story.

It's already an interesting story. How does one decide to embark on a single-handed sail (at 70+ years of age) from Australia to Fiji without back-up provisions and modern communication gear of some type? Sounds like bad planning to me, and that's a young-man's game. He should be wise enough by now. See? Already interesting.

[transmitterdan]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

The ship was out of VHF range if it was 60nms when diverted. So must have been EPIRB? Maybe when his food and water ran out? Or spotted from the air?
It will be an interesting story.

Yes, it will be interesting. But reaching a cruise ship by VHF at 60 NM is not impossible nor even that difficult. The cruise ship will have a mast with antenna very high off the water thus increasing range considerably. I would guess raising a cruise ship on VHF in a deserted part of the ocean at 60NM is easier than you might think. There isn't a lot of noise out there. That goes doubly if the sailor had a DSC radio. The digital alarm signal can be decoded even when voice contact is near impossible.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by PortClydeMe

It's already an interesting story. How does one decide to embark on a single-handed sail (at 70+ years of age) from Australia to Fiji without back-up provisions and modern communication gear of some type? Sounds like bad planning to me, and that's a young-man's game. He should be wise enough by now. See? Already interesting.

I would suggest he had plenty of back up provisions.... a 14 day passage and he is still with us after 5 weeks or more... sounds like he had a reasonable reserve.

A young man's game?? .. define 'young'.