Tragedy Strikes.

[Bertie68]

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

say, wasn't there a place online where you can see latest satellite photos, similar to what they crowdsourced for the Malaysian airline fiasco? Mebbe we could all group and pinpoint its location. Long shot bein so small but...

Anyway, I find strange that in such a crowded area a drifting boat is so hard to spot. Even more when those waters must be under heavy surveillance against drug smugglers and ilegal immgration.

Also, I see in marinetraffic.com that there is an almost continuous traffic of line cruisers. Those would have a rather good radar, and I guess they should pick up any vessels with a reflector in more than 50 miles around.

Well, maybe it's just nonsense, but anyway there are my two cents.

[Dauntlessny]

Originally Posted by s/v Beth

I will leave my Inreach on with notifications of location given every 4 hours to my email for future reference.It is satellite based and to my gmail account. Learned a lot this thread. I would advise Gil to go to the US and wait for sightings, but that is only my opinion. I would think it is half way up the seaboard by now.

i]I too use the InReach and have it transmitting whenever the boat is cruising. After reading this tragedy, I'll hard wire the charger into the 12v system and leave it on continuously when ever the boat is in the water.

I seldom anchor and leave the boat totally alone, as I get too nerovus. Now, i will be even moreso.

Good luck Gil, I hope you find your boat soon.

[admiralslater]

Originally Posted by gilgsn

Actually you just did.

The number to the Old Bahama Bay Marina is (242)350-6500. Just call and ask about the guy who lost his boat and if anyone saw me arrive aboard.. Call the police station and ask for a copy of the report. Call the USCG Miami and ask for the coordinates of the sighting they had on the next day from one of their aircraft while assisting another vessel. I am not asking for money. I just want to find my boat.

Gil.

Gil ,
in 1980 when I was 19 (and slimmer ) I took our family boat which was a 30 foot cat that my father had built, from Toronto to the Bahamas and back. the boat was equipped with a depth sounder a compass and a 35 lbs cqr but no VHF. as the boat did not have autohelm I hand steered all the way mostly in the IWC. Excepting the canals/locks I was single handed
I had been sailing for fifteen years but had no cruising or tidal experience.

this is what happened to me
did not see the buoy in my blind spot and went over it

Dropped the mast on my friends head requiring stitches

after 3 days of being at anchor at the Annapolis boat show returned to find the boat laying against the far sea wall I followed this up by hooking a cable in Back Creek
lost the upper backstay while reaching down the Chesapeake. replaced it with short length of chain after climbing the mast hand over hand.

In Georgia not being used to tides I returned to find one hull a foot out of the water. that did not happen again
ran aground twice

got caught for 18 hours on a lee shore in Cherokee point Bahamas during a norther .the waves where so bad that the after surging forward on the nylon anchoour line the boat reversed so quickly that it snapped the tiller which was tied off. Every half our I let out 6 inches of rode and thought about Having to call my Dad the boat was lost. I had a vhf by then and in the morning reached Little Harbour . An hour later a priest and a little person came out in a local skiff and pulled me around the point the boat bouncing on the bottom the whole way.

That was the first 4 months ,by the end of the trip ,I could sail on and off a dock ,tie up to a wall with an 6 foot tidal range ,set an anchour choose a good spot to anchour and navigate using the depth sounder through thick fog . I also learned that naked sailing has disadvantages.
During all my ad (mis)venture I met many wonderful people ,always asking to help not hinder or judge
I may not have been fully prepared for every thing that happened but I did the trip while others prepared themselves into old age
People will say this has never or could never happen to them . They are either lying or have never left the dock

This post may generated some bla bla bla. Dont listen to whiners they are probably jealous

Bon Chance Mon amis and keep on keeping on
David

[sneuman]

Originally Posted by kmacdonald

I certainly understand your point of view Gord. I could have used much less tact, sensitivity, and kindness. I chose not to point out other less scrupulous scenarios to this entire incident but didn't. I would hate to see others empty their wallets only to find out later someone just needed a plane ticket home to France. If it is a scam you really got to hand it to him, you know, pulling it off during the holidays when everyone is in the giving mood. My money is staying in my wallet.

Thanks for reminding me of why I contribute so infrequently these days to cruisersforum. There are some great and compassionate souls online here, with great (and compassionate) advice.

But not enough of them to make up for the likes of you.

Sorry for being so brutally honest.

[Dauntlessny]

Originally Posted by kmacdonald

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This is a classic example of an unprepared boat and an even less prepared skipper taking off on a journey that should never have happened. The results are as expected. Pity parties aren't going to change that. Wake up, and don't encourage that type of behavior.

What behavior? Anchoring??

Classic example of what?

Your statement above makes no sense. How do you know how prepared the boat or skipper was?

These are all rhetorical questions by the way. If you had any common sense in the first place, you would not have made statements that are illogical at best.

[Ocean Girl]

From SSCA and Chris Parker, read down for a revision of drift analysis :-)
We are gonna find her!!!
Updated drift of missing boat
Marine Weather Forecaster Chris Parker of the Marine Weather Center had so generously provided us with the following update on the projected drift of the unmanned S/V DAGNY which went adrift from West End, Bahamas on December 22, 2015.
Please share this information to fellow cruisers transiting the coastal waters of Northern Florida and Georgia. Please report any sighting to the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and Seven Seas Cruising Association (SSCA) Radio Station “KPK” at KPK@ssca.org or telephone 941-456-5070.
Thank you,
Glenn Tuttle - Moderator
Cruisers Network Online
SSCA Radio Station “KPK”
Daily 8.104 @ 1145 hrs UTC
KPK@ssca.org
Here was the analysis I provided Sat26:
The vessel drifted about 25 miles in a direction of 320T in 24 hours. This makes sense, and confirms the roughly 1k speed of drift. My guess was between 1k and 1.5k speed of drift due to wind. Assuming there were no tidal currents, the speed of drift may be closer to 1k in wind of 15k, which is slightly less than I was estimating.
So the vessel started drifting from 26-40N/79W at about 5:30pm EST on Tue22.
Was sighted 27-04N/79-16W at 5:20pm on Wed23.
At 5pm on Thu24, I estimate position 28-12N/79-45W, based on drift from wind 30 miles, in direction 320T & set from current 48 miles in direction 355T.
At 5pm on Fri25, I estimate position 29-30N/80-10W, based on drift from wind 25 miles, in direction 310T & set from current 45 miles in direction 348T.
At 5pm today (Sat26), I estimate position 30N/80-30W, based on drift from wind 22 miles, in direction 320T & current about 10 miles in direction 345T.
From the current location there's little GulfStream current (and tidal currents should cancel themselves out over a 24hr period), so drift should be due exclusively to wind, and should be about 18 miles in a direction of 330T Sat26 night-Sun27 (yielding a 5pm Sun27 location of 30-15N/80-40W)...
and 22 miles in a direction 340T Sun27 night-Mon28 (yielding a Mon28 evening location of 30-36N/80-48W).
and 25mi in a direction 360T Mon28 night-Tue29 (yielding a 5pm Tue29 position 30-51N/80-48W).
Of course, all of the above is only an educated guess, and the possible errors compound over time...cheers...Chris.
*.*
REVISION:
Let's assume this was correct:
At 5pm on Fri25, I estimate position 29-30N/80-10W
Here's the revision: At 5pm on Sat26, I now estimate Dagny might lie near 29-53N/80-30W, based on drift from wind of 20mi, in direction 310T & set from current about 10 miles in direction 345T.
At 5pm on Sun27, I now estimate Dagny might lie near 30-08N/80-45W, based on drift from wind of 20mi, in direction 320T
At 5pm Mon28, I now estimate Dagny might lie near 30-21N/80-56W, based on drift from wind of 16mi, in direction 325T.
At 5pm on Tue29, I now estimate Dagny might lie near 30-36N/80-59W, based on drift from wind of 15mi, in direction 350T.
At 5pm on Wed30, I now estimate Dagny might lie near 30-50N/80-56W, based on drift from wind of 15mi, in direction 010T.
At 5pm on Thu31, I now estimate Dagny might lie near 30-59N/80-50W, based on drift from wind of 10mi, in direction 030T.
I'll reiterate: Of course, all of the above is only an educated guess, and the possible errors compound over time...cheers...Chris.
--
Chris Parker
Weather Forecasting & Vessel Routing
Weather & Communications - Hardware, Software, Sales, Consulting, Books,
Seminars
www.mwxc.com
Marine Weather & Communications LLC (and dba Marine Weather Center)
5130 Medulla Rd
Lakeland FL 33811
ph 863-248-2702
fax 863-248-4666

[Ocean Girl]

Can someone who has blue charts run a plot and post here? I will try but things are kinda crazy on my end.

[Ocean Girl]

I think we have some trolls. So preceded accordingly :-).
Gil, you are fairly new to our motley crew here so you may not realize that Gordmay's post a couple pages back responding to the vitriol is the most words I've seen him post ever :-). A highly accomplished cruiser with much insight.
You do not need to defend yourself, experience cruisers know there but the grace of God go us.

[admiralslater]

Originally Posted by Ocean Girl

I think we have some trolls. So preceded accordingly :-).
Gil, you are fairly new to our motley crew here so you may not realize that Gordmay's post a couple pages back responding to the vitriol is the most words I've seen him post ever :-). A highly accomplished cruiser with much insight.
You do not need to defend yourself, experience cruisers know there but the grace of God go us.

very true Ocean Girl thanks for pulling us back in line

[darylat8750]

Originally Posted by Ocean Girl

I think we have some trolls. So preceded accordingly :-).
Gil, you are fairly new to our motley crew here so you may not realize that Gordmay's post a couple pages back responding to the vitriol is the most words I've seen him post ever :-). A highly accomplished cruiser with much insight.
You do not need to defend yourself, experience cruisers know there but the grace of God go us.

+1
Hang in there.


I would also think getting to the mainland would make sense at this point. If it is spotted you could get closer to it by land.

[percyverhance]

Originally Posted by steamgoat

I seriously hope I never need help from kmacdonald !!!!! A sad person obviously.

Sort of bloke that has never done anything with his own life sadly.Keyboard cowboys are on all forums.Funny thing is that in real life you won't get a Boo out of them.

[gilgsn]

Thanks Ocean Girl for the latest drift analysis and your kind words. I certainly hope she turns up. I sent a thank you note to Chris Parker a couple days ago, I hope he got it.

Yesterday's false sighting was disappointing, but I had not let myself hope too much. It has been physically and emotionally exhausting, but I felt better last night and today. I am not sure the whole realization has hit me yet, but with the SSCA behind the search there is hope yet.

Gil.

[LeaseOnLife]

Originally Posted by Ocean Girl

Can someone who has blue charts run a plot and post here? I will try but things are kinda crazy on my end.

Not blue charts... but here is a plot of Chris Parker's analysis.

/Dirk

on edit: gpx file attached

[Ocean Girl]

Hang in there Gil. I still have hopes of anchoring next to Dagny and having you over for one of my chef husband's delicious dinners.

I plotted this rather quickly, hopefully someone can double check my plots.
This from the latest revised drift analysis posted today.
I will post three pics ...

EDIT- Ocean Girl asked to have the image temporarily removed, as the position depicted wasn't accurate (happymdr)

[Ocean Girl]

Detailed
EDIT- Ocean Girl asked to have the image temporarily removed, as the position depicted wasn't accurate (happymdr)