Urgent help needed to recover abandoned yacht NW Barbados

[SYSkidbladner]

Haven't gone through the whole thread so this may be redundant but if the AIS-transponder is still functioning or has until recently there is a chance the AIS signal is/were picked up by a tracking satellite.

Perhaps someone here has satellite subscription on Marine Traffic?

http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/p/satellite-ais

[TJ D]

Originally Posted by SYSkidbladner

Haven't gone through the whole thread so this may be redundant but if the AIS-transponder is still functioning or has until recently there is a chance the AIS signal is/were picked up by a tracking satellite.

Perhaps someone here has satellite subscription on Marine Traffic?

http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/p/satellite-ais

I have a subscription to the satellite service, and have been watching. Unfortunately, class B units don't get picked up by satellite all that much. There were only 10 or so satellite detections from the time they left Tenerife.

There has been no position update in a week.

TJ

[masonc]

Can you plot those and publish?

[TJ D]

Originally Posted by masonc

Can you plot those and publish?

Allwentwrong has asked that I not post this information to a general audience. I would only do so with his authorization. I understand this sentiment on his part.

TJ

[travellerw]

We are moving around to Falmouth harbor today. During the move we will have a clear radio sight south and east of Antigua. Our AIS has picked up class B boats at 60 miles out. Of course its not a regular thing, but it does happen.

I know its a long shot, but I have my fingers crossed we will get lucky and maybe spot her.

[allwentwrong]

Just arrived in St Martin, hopefully sorting out a charter flight to go for a search. I'm in contact with MRCC Martinique and US coastguard. They're keeping an eye out on ais plus asking shipping in the area to keep a lookout.
I'd like to thank everyone on here for your input and moral support. Very overwhelming.
I wish it was a BS story. I'd also love to have beer with you all. Maybe when I find it, I'll have a party onboard and you'll all be invited. Fingers crossed

[Iradar]

Praying for you shipmate, you have the kind of persistence that can be a game changer.

[ontherocks83]

Good luck and God bless.

Hope you find her soon. Keep us updated

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by allwentwrong

Just arrived in St Martin, hopefully sorting out a charter flight to go for a search. I'm in contact with MRCC Martinique and US coastguard. They're keeping an eye out on ais plus asking shipping in the area to keep a lookout.
I'd like to thank everyone on here for your input and moral support. Very overwhelming.
I wish it was a BS story. I'd also love to have beer with you all. Maybe when I find it, I'll have a party onboard and you'll all be invited. Fingers crossed

A deep breath, calmness, and diligence will work wonders...
Invest your recovery funds wisely...


Best of luck a-w-w....

[NoahTreat]

Originally Posted by HappyMdRSailor

A deep breath, calmness, and diligence will work wonders...

Invest your recovery funds wisely...





Best of luck a-w-w....

Does insurance help with these recovery cost?

[Prairie Chicken]

Originally Posted by Angellah

I would contact the Antigua flight schools. Students just need hours and don't care where they fly. They may be willing to help out. Or, donate a few bucks to a flight instructor to gain some more hours by taking you up. Good luck!

Good point! I keep thinking a/c are the only way to find your boat unless the AIS pinpoints it. I'd get the word out to all the aviation facilities & operators in those islands. I'd also contact the RCC or Flight Service Station to see if there is any way the vessel adrift could be the topic of a NOTAM or Notice to Mariners. To do this you'll need to provide a description, but it could be relatively basic--number of masts, color, size.

Hoping for a good outcome!

[jongleur]

Can you take a VHF up in a plane that
can receive AIS?

[Prairie Chicken]

Originally Posted by jongleur

Can you take a VHF up in a plane that
can receive AIS?

No reason why not, but it wouldn't be a standard radio setup either way.

Are there marine handheld radios that receive AIS? If so, that would be the easiest. Just take it along. You'd have great range at altitude too.

Or, there are aviation VHF radios that are tuned to send & receive on marine channels, but those tend to be for specialty ops, like Coast Guard or SAR. I don't know if you could get your hands on one for civilian use.

Is there a civilian SAR group on Barbados? They would be a resource for hardware such as the radios, and for a/c too.

[NoahTreat]

Anyone that knows the drift calculations care to speculate on where the yacht might be today?

[hellosailor]

Perhaps I missed it, but there's something I'm not seeing that should be considered. Vessel was abandoned when? December 20th? With the engine left running at idle, to keep up electrical power for the AIS? How many hours of fuel were onboard? What capacity was the battery bank, and were any other loads (marker lights?) left on? Knowing this and the power drain of the AIS transceiver, would allow a more certain time window when it can be expected that the AIS will or won't have gone off the air. I suspect that window is closing, unless there was a large battery bank and a low power drain. But ongoing discussions of using AIS in the search might best first consider whether the AIS can still be expected to be operating.