Tragedy Strikes.

[Ocean Girl]

Boatguy, it is so great to hear Chris mention Dagny.


Some interesting developments in the drift routing...I'll post what Chris wrote but basically we need to focus on Florida, from Ft Pierce on up to Georgia .

Another volunteer and I have emailed every Marina , ship store and restaurant (if they were in my active captain, and had an email, they got the notice) :
*North Carolina (I still have to finish the northern coast)
*Georgia
*Florida from north border down to around Halifax

today I'll need to move south along Florida's coast to cover what I missed. Lots of folks jumping the stream now, hopefully Chris's latest is right.

Ok here is his email to Glenn (Dagny recovery coordinator )
On Jan 5, 2016, at 7:21 PM, Chris Parker <chris@mwxc.com> wrote:

Glenn:
The main problem is that just after the last day covered by my previous drift/set analysis the wind direction/speed became quite variable due to an approaching ColdFRONT. And that's been the case (various wind speeds & directions) since then. Assuming aircraft looked in the search area I previously suggested, then Dagny was not where I previously suggested. And since that's the case, I wouldn't know whether Dagny was N or S or E or W of the previous prediction...so I wouldn't know what sorts of wind she encountered.

It has been 13 days since Dagny began floating, so the exponential errors in assumed set/drift are now greater than any skill we could impart from guessing what wind Dagny has encountered.

For instance, on January 1 through January 4 wind was NNW, averaging about 15k. With a NNW wind, Dagny could have drifted back into the Gulf Steam off N or C Florida. From January 4 night thru tomorrow, wind has been stronger, but mostly N-clocking-E.

If Dagny managed to stay out of the GulfStream, then she would have drifted S, and could be near or within 60 miles of Cape Canaveral...then, with the strong NE<E wind since yesterday, she could be blown to shore along Florida. So, if she remained out of the GulfStream, then I'd look along the Coastline/Beaches from near or S of Canaveral to N Florida.

If she was driven into the GulfStream for part of the time in early January, then she could moved N an unknowable distance before being driven toward the Coast the since late January 4.

It's probably a good idea for folks to keep their eyes open anywhere from Florida N of FtPierce to all of Georgia. Sorry I can't help more...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]

This is the area chart I'm sending out now. The focus is on Florida and Georgia but I'm including North and South Carolina because of a hunch( I know it's probably wrong but a hunch is a hunch).

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by Ocean Girl

This is the area chart I'm sending out now. The focus is on Florida and Georgia but I'm including North and South Carolina because of a hunch( I know it's probably wrong but a hunch is a hunch).

Good on you, OG. In fact, the more friendly eyes lookiing with binoculars, the better.

Hope you're feeling better, and Mr. Rain Dog, too.

Ann

[LEOCAT66]

Another good resource is Clairborne Young's CRUISERS NET, as their primary interest seems to be the Florida, Georgia, SC, NC coast and the Keys. If this resource has been mentioned or suggested, or contacted, I have missed it, please excuse my error if so.

[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Gil,

Thanks for the informative post. Allow me to tell you about me and seasickness. I tried many, many different substances to alleviate it, and wrist bands, and finally found medication available over the counter in England, and made in Belgium: stugeron, cinnarizine HCl, and it has made my life a whole lot better. Other things sort of work, the wristbands kept me from throwing up all the time, but I still felt queasy, shaky, weak, and very low energy....for 19 days. I have tried dramamine; it puts me to sleep.
Meclizine helps some. Ear patches work, but the side effects of dry mouth and (for me, headache) make them not too desirable. Stugeron doesn't make me drowsy, usually, and it makes the nausea go away. I can even read! :-D

I've also found that most of the commonly used anti seasickness meds such as Dramamine work mostly by dulling your senses or putting you to sleep, not very desireable when your goal is to be a useful (or singlehanded) crewmember.

From what you've written here, I'd like to try stugeron. Is it available in the US?

The ear patches work well too. I don't get a headache from them but I did get a miserable cotton mouth that lasted for hours and hours, and my close in vision got so blurry I couldn't read or even see a chart plotter very clearly. So, I cut a patch in half with scissors (wipe the scissors off afterwards) and stuck that behind my ear and found that I didn't feel queasy and also didn't get blurry vision. The package doesn't say to do that and it does caution about getting any of the active ingredient in your eyes, which cutting the patch in half and handling it makes more likely. It's not the recommended way to use the patch but I can't stand the full patch and don't want to take a chance of becoming incapacitated. So, I use half a patch whenever I'm going offshore as a precautionary measure and leave it on for the first 2 or 3 days and by then I'm so accustomed to the motion that I feel confident that it won't be an issue.

[brianlara 3]

I was once so sick that i couldnt get my face off the cockpit floor. That was 27 years ago. So I found Stugeron in New Zealand (wasnt available in Oz) .
It was fantastic for the next trip a month later but didnt need it after that.
Been on the hook for 6 years in NSW / Tasman Sea and environs but never sick TG!
In New Zealand STUGERON benefits are taught at school.
Supposedly NZ has the highest per capita of boat ownership of any country

[vjm]

Bonine has worked for me. Sturgeron can have some really wicked side effects, enough that it is banned in the U.S.

[brianlara 3]

STUGERON is a "boots. uk. limited co" product...cinnarazine x 15mg.
BONZER stuff.
The Kiwis should know.

[brianlara 3]

VJM....strewth !! That explains why i was never able to get it in OZ.
Personally, I had no side effects.
The stuff seems so "bonzer" thats its bloody illegal.
5% sorry about thread drift too btw.

[Cruiser2B]

I'll be headed off Cape Henry, VA this weekend. I know the chance of it being this far north is quite remote but it can't hurt to keep an eye out.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by vjm

Bonine has worked for me. Sturgeron can have some really wicked side effects, enough that it is banned in the U.S.

Strange that just about every other country in the world has approved it if it has such wicked side effects.

There is a difference between not being approved by the FDA and being banned.

Are you aware of any rejected applications for FDA approval for Stugeron?

[monstads]

Originally Posted by Cruiser2B

I'll be headed off Cape Henry, VA this weekend. I know the chance of it being this far north is quite remote but it can't hurt to keep an eye out.

"Don't forget to send a DSC ping to his MMIS number" , says the Patron Saint of Long Shots

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by jtsailjt

I've also found that most of the commonly used anti seasickness meds such as Dramamine work mostly by dulling your senses or putting you to sleep, not very desireable when your goal is to be a useful (or singlehanded) crewmember.

From what you've written here, I'd like to try stugeron. Is it available in the US?

The ear patches work well too. I don't get a headache from them but I did get a miserable cotton mouth that lasted for hours and hours, and my close in vision got so blurry I couldn't read or even see a chart plotter very clearly. So, I cut a patch in half with scissors (wipe the scissors off afterwards) and stuck that behind my ear and found that I didn't feel queasy and also didn't get blurry vision. The package doesn't say to do that and it does caution about getting any of the active ingredient in your eyes, which cutting the patch in half and handling it makes more likely. It's not the recommended way to use the patch but I can't stand the full patch and don't want to take a chance of becoming incapacitated. So, I use half a patch whenever I'm going offshore as a precautionary measure and leave it on for the first 2 or 3 days and by then I'm so accustomed to the motion that I feel confident that it won't be an issue.

Hi,jsailjit,

I understand it is available mail order from Canada. It is available in Mexico, as well. If you have friends in England, maybe they can get you some, it comes in 100 tablet blister packs, most reasonably.

Interestingly, the Kiwi Navy gets it from the British Navy, but it is not sold otc in New Zealand.

To jmt: cinnarizine HCl comes in many dosages. Perhaps there are some bad side effects in the dosages it is used to treat Bell's Palsy, but in the dosages we have used for years, it simply isn't a problem. However, if you are not interested to try it, don't. Really, this depends on your comfort/discomfort levels. Furthermore, it is misleading to say it is banned in the US; it merely has not been okayed by the FDA--as far as I know, this is because they weren't all that interested in the US market.


To me it is worth it to have the hassle of getting it, because I know it works well for Jim and me. Better than anything else we have ever used.

Ann

[GILow]

Slight thread drift but on the subject of sea-sickness drugs, it may be a well know point to some, but it was a surprise to us to find that taking the normal Kwell tablets the night before we travelled made an incredible difference to all of us. We still had a tablet on the morning of the travel as we would normally do.


Matt

[brianlara 3]

Yes, many Aussie sailors use Quell in the way Matt outlined. Bit of a household name in Oz.
Laura.