Flamingolady
Tue 7 Jul 2009 11:09
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43 26.71 N 59 50.87 W
6th July.
As Flamingo Lady Progressed slowly downwind towards
the Azores, the piece and quiet of the afternoons light airs, was broken by a
low flying
aircraft. Shortly after there was a VHF call
from the rescue plane 310 to the vessel Ocean Adventure, but no answer was
heard. A while after
that, the Ocean Adventure Radioed the aircraft and
asked why a parachute had been dropped. The reply was that they had dropped a
radio
because there was no response to their calls on
channel 16 or 14.
During the ensuing conversation it became apparent
that an abandoned yacht had been found and efforts were being made to identify
her.
Initial description from the ship was that it was
covered with decals and had the number 28, however he gave the name as Vijaya,
much to our
surprise as I had immediately thought of
Gianfranco. There was a lot of too and frowing with the rescue aircraft asking
for details and
specific information. The ship's skipper then said
that he had been onboard and there was no life raft or lifejackets, but he
had recovered a
laminated sheet headed OSTAR2009 Communications
instructions. From this sheet he had concluded that comms ident number 28
referred to the
vessel and had concluded that it was a yacht named
Vijaya.
At this point I called the Rescue aircraft on ch16
and explained that as a competitor in the ostar 2009 I had that list, and
was sure that
the 28 on the hull referred to was in fact
the sail number of Citta Di Salerno (comms no 29) and explained the
numbering system and the
fact that the yacht had been abandoned. There
followed more communications with the ship and they were now able to identify
both Gianfranco's
name and also the name and yacht type amongst the
writing on the hull, as well as OSTAR2009 and other important details.
I understand that Citta Di Salerno is being towed
to the port of Sambro Nova Scotia and will arrive tomorrow (7th July) after
dark.
It was interesting that someone who knows little or
nothing about yacht racing, finding a yacht covered with I assume Italian
wording which
he cannot read, can make so easily make the wrong
assumptions: and how difficult it is for rescue centre to ask what are non
leading
questions to clearly establish the identify of
the abandoned yacht.
It also reminds me that out here passed Sable
Island not only are there fishing and oil rigs that show up on radar in poor
visibility and dark
nights but the occasional unmarked hazard such as
an abandoned yacht. I should have been aware that it was here but had not
thought about
its existence but when an found yacht was
mentioned I knew who she was and was with in 20 miles of her position. I was eth
luck of the wind
that we did not find her.
mike Flamingo Lady |