Tragedy Strikes.

[FSMike]

In the predicted/guessed at area of drift, might be a good idea for locals to alert the Georgia & Carolina shrimping fleets.
They will be out there as much as anyone. Flyers posted at the seafood packing houses will get the word out.

[CarstenWL]

might be a good idea for locals to alert the Georgia & Carolina shrimping fleets.

I was at Thunderbolt Marine (close to Savannah) for some months last year. Someone might send the flyer to Thunderbolt Marine (info@thunderboltmarine.us). Address the mail to Judy S. and Karen P. and ask the two to

- spread the info to boats coming or leaving TMI for repairs/overhauls
- bring a copy to the shrimping boats a few feet away from TMI
- bring a copy to River Supply (or email to info@riverssi.com attn. Frank)

You might say hello from Carsten, former captain SY Cabochon so they know where the info came from ...

Also hope for a happy ending here!

And as JibGirl said. Very shallow (and sometimes uninhibited) all along that stretch of coast so it might be really difficult to spot Gil's boat from shore

Regards,

Carsten

[JibGirl]

Originally Posted by Prairie Chicken

Thanks GibGirl. That was a useful post! To many of us that coastline is foreign waters so it's nice to get a thumbnail sketch of the terrain. It's also nice to hear you & presumably others in your club are aware & keeping your eyes open.

And welcome to CF!

Well good. Useful is always the goal. And thanks.


Mike's suggestion on the shrimping fleet is a good one too. Those guys are out in there daily. Hopefully they would be willing to call something in. I know when we were out with our big cat in St Catherines sound and we dropped the mast (ugh. rigging error. awful.) we were surrounded by shrimpers who didn't acknowledge our plight at all. That was interesting.

[Liam Wald]

Originally Posted by Sandero

What do you mean by a dark element?

I cannot speak for anyone but myself, but...
IMHO the sailing community is nothing more than a typically representative slice of humanity.
No better, no worse.
There are saints, there are sinners, and everything between.
There are those who would put themselves in harms way to help others and there are those who would steal the gear on your deck.
Every group or community of humans has its dark side. Boaters are no different.

[Lizzy Belle]

Yay, back on topic!

I've read some good suggestions here, but I am unclear of who has done what so far.
Meaning I don't think it's effective if we post suggestions without knowing who's contacting who. Some might get a whole bunch of emails while others may receive none.

I'm not sure if Gil is willing to come back to this topic, but it would help if he or someone else would keep track of what people / clubs / businesses etc. have been contacted, and when, and what (if any) the response was.

Does anyone know of anyone keeping track of all the efforts? Is there a search coordinator, if that is the right term?

[Ocean Girl]

Originally Posted by FSMike

In the predicted/guessed at area of drift, might be a good idea for locals to alert the Georgia & Carolina shrimping fleets.
They will be out there as much as anyone. Flyers posted at the seafood packing houses will get the word out.

Will do.
Thanks!

[Ocean Girl]

Originally Posted by CarstenWL

I was at Thunderbolt Marine (close to Savannah) for some months last year. Someone might send the flyer to Thunderbolt Marine (info@thunderboltmarine.us). Address the mail to Judy S. and Karen P. and ask the two to

- spread the info to boats coming or leaving TMI for repairs/overhauls
- bring a copy to the shrimping boats a few feet away from TMI
- bring a copy to River Supply (or email to info@riverssi.com attn. Frank)

You might say hello from Carsten, former captain SY Cabochon so they know where the info came from ...

Also hope for a happy ending here!

And as JibGirl said. Very shallow (and sometimes uninhibited) all along that stretch of coast so it might be really difficult to spot Gil's boat from shore

Regards,

Carsten

Will do. Thanks.
Erika

[Steadman Uhlich]

I think the flyer is a very good idea.

I think an illustration is very important too, for identification from a distance.

Photos used online are good. But, some photos do not reproduce well if photocopied.

A good profile line drawing (without showing sails up) would be a good idea for your email and photocopy flyer. Just show the profile with hull above waterline,no sails, as it will be seen by anyone looking via binoculars at the boat in the distance.

-----

I also applaud Ocean Girl and all the others who are doing so much to help a sailor. You are all doing the right thing and an admirable and noble effort to help someone in need. Well done!

[Ocean Girl]

Originally Posted by Lizzy Belle

Yay, back on topic!

I've read some good suggestions here, but I am unclear of who has done what so far.
Meaning I don't think it's effective if we post suggestions without knowing who's contacting who. Some might get a whole bunch of emails while others may receive none.

I'm not sure if Gil is willing to come back to this topic, but it would help if he or someone else would keep track of what people / clubs / businesses etc. have been contacted, and when, and what (if any) the response was.

Does anyone know of anyone keeping track of all the efforts? Is there a search coordinator, if that is the right term?

I'd be glad to email you a flyer, or cut and paste from this thread. Just email me who you sent it to after you've sent it.
Thanks for your great input.

[Polar Opposite]

Originally Posted by gilgsn

No idea what was wrong, definitely electric though, the engine was fine. I just had no power to start it. There is a hand crank, but I had not been able to start the engine with it. It did run for nineteen hours a few days earlier though, so I knew it was working.

We've talked a lot about a lot of things, but we haven't talked about this: Small diesel and gasoline engines do not require electrical power for starting or running. Most diesels under 30hp have provision for hand-cranking, but I suspect many folks never "run the drill" to make sure they can efficiently and reliably start the engine without a battery. On my Volvo Penta 2003, I gave it a try. I also nearly gave myself a coronary, and the engine didn't start. So I read the book. Turns out you release the compression, get it whirling smartly with the hand crank, then hit the compression release lever. Sweet Mother of Internal Combustion...she roared merrily to life.

Gil hasn't talked about the engine much, but we've assumed it was completely disabled (at least temporarily). I realize I'm speculating, but MAYBE the engine was available...but unable to be started due to a lack of familiarity with hand-crank procedures. No matter the specifics of Gil's situation, I'd recommend learning and practicing the hand-crank procedure while comfortably moored. Maybe you'll learn that you can't do it, and then you can chuck the crank overboard and have more locker room. But maybe you'll learn that it works fine, once you know the tricks.

[Ocean Girl]

Originally Posted by Steady Hand

A good profile line drawing (without showing sails up) would be a good idea for your email and photocopy flyer. Just show the profile with hull above waterline,no sails, as it will be seen by anyone looking via binoculars at the boat in the distance.

I had looked for a good line drawing about a week ago. Most line drawings give the impression of a small house(IMO), many were built with one. But here is what I've come up with. Of course, I can clean it up a bit.

[Ocean Girl]

Another line drawing

[a64pilot]

Pretty sure I read that he was not physically able to hand start the motor, due I guess to sea-sickness.

[Ocean Girl]

Originally Posted by StuM

And please change "drug" to "dragged" while you are at it

Thanks. It went through four hands to read and edit :-).

Anne, I did add the 12/30 and 12/31 suspected drift location( sorry I didn't update it here) I did not want to add too much to keep it simple.

Here is the revised version

*****************

Please be advised that a 26 ft sailing vessel Dagny has dragged anchor from West End Grand Bahama and is believed to be drifting up the southern east coast ( per Chris Parker weather router drift analysis ). If you can alert your patrons, at least your most active patrons of about sv Dagny, it would be greatly appreciated. She has no lights so is a hazard to Navigation.

Info
26ft sailboat, Morris Francis mid 1970 s
Flush deck
Light color grey deck, white hull with dark blue/black stripes
Double ender
boom Gallows
Sails stowed on deck
Windvane, stern hung rudder
All ports and hatches closed and locked



( picture of Dagny)





Estimated location per Chris Parker's drift analysis

"At 5pm on Wed30, I now estimate Dagny might lie near 30-50N/80-56W, based on drift Sent from my iPad
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."

(Pic of 12/30 and 12/31 drift location)




Estimated drift route per Chris Parker

(Pic of overall drift from anchorage, thanks to CFer Leaseonlife )

******************************

[SaltyMonkey]

Originally Posted by Ocean Girl

Thanks. It went through four hands to read and edit :-).

Anne, I did add the 12/30 and 12/31 suspected drift location( sorry I didn't update it here) I did not want to add too much to keep it simple.

Here is the revised version

*****************

Please be advised that a 26 ft sailing vessel Dagny has dragged anchor from West End Grand Bahama and is believed to be drifting up the southern east coast ( per Chris Parker weather router drift analysis ). If you can alert your patrons, at least your most active patrons of about sv Dagny, it would be greatly appreciated. She has no lights so is a hazard to Navigation.
{snip}

You need to give the date it was first lost. These drift calculations are based on what now? The last sighting was nn DAYS ago and these calcuations cannot possibly be relied on for accuracy. They are simply sniffs in the wind.