Mexican Sailor Survives 16 Months At Sea, Authorities Skeptical

Jose Ivan and a friend left Mexico for El Salvador in September of 2012 on a 24 foot fiberglass boat.  While details remain incomplete, the men must have suffered mechanical problems which left them adrift off the coast of Mexico.  When the boat bumped into a reef at Ebon Atoll in the Marshall Islands, it had no propellers.  There was only one survivor.  

Photo the Guardian.com of the Marshall Islands

Mariner Ivan, says he has been afloat for 18 months.  He survived by eating turtles and birds which he says he caught by hand.  When there was no rain, he drank turtle blood for hydration.  No fishing equipment was found on the boat, which is reported to be "really scratched up and looks like it has been in the water for a long time", according to a researcher who lives on Ebon Atoll, Ola Fjeldstad.  Turtles were found in the boat.

Details are a little confusing since mariner Ivan only speaks Spanish, yet the language is not well known in the Marshall Islands of the Pacific where the atoll is located.  

The mariner is emaciated, with long hair and beard, and was found wearing only tattered underwear.  He has low blood pressure, but appeared in fairly good condition.  He was able to walk with assistance.  Ivan says his friend died at sea several months ago.

"His condition isn't good, but he's getting better," Fjeldstad told a French News Service. Fjeldstad is a Norwegian anthropology student doing research on Ebon, the southern most outpost of the Marshall Islands.

If the facts check out, the journey was over 8,000 miles in the open ocean from Mexico's West coast, past the Hawaiian Islands, finally landing on the atoll in the Marshall Islands.

FreeMapTools

After being spotted by two people from the Marshall islands, Ivan was taken to the main island.  It is so remote there is only one telephone line and no Internet services.  Ivan was greeted by the mayor of the Atoll, Ione de Burm.  The mayor contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Majuro.  Officials want Ivan to go to Majuro where they can obtain more details of his survival.  However, the government`has only one plane that services the atoll, and it won't be available for several days.  The government may send a boat to pick up Ivan.

"He's staying at the local council house and a family is feeding him," said Fjeldstad, who added that the man had a basic health check and was found to have low blood pressure.  "We've been giving him a lot of water, and he's gaining strength," said the Norwegian.

The news will, no doubt, be taken in good light for the prospects of survival of the crew of the Nina, which disappeared on June 4th, 2013.  The families of the crew members have been working hard, some of them full time, at their own search, after authorities suspended the search.  A private, non-profit and all volunteer, organization, Texas Equusearch, has been advising the families.  Funds have been raised from fundraisers and supporters.  Much of the $500,000 needed for the search has been contributed by various families who have made huge sacrifices to continue the search.  Despite the "biggest search in the history of New Zealand," no trace the Nina sank has ever been found.

While Ivan's story is remarkable, his triumph over man against sea is not a lone story.  Others have faced the brutal Pacific and survived for long periods.  Three Mexicans drifted for nine months after setting out on a shark hunt in 2006.  In 1989, John Glennie and three mates survived 119 days in the capsized Rose Noelle, which flipped off of the East coast of New Zealand.  

The primary source for this article is AFP.

RCC-NZ Requests Independent Review Of Nina Search

One News of New Zealand reports the Rescue Coordination Center New Zealand (RCC-NZ) has ordered an independent review of their efforts to find the missing Nina.  According to One New Zealand, the review will probe the questions about why it took three weeks to launch the Nina search and why the effort was suspended two weeks later.

The Nina, a 1928 American flagged schooner, ceased communicating with New Zealand weather man, Bob McDavitt.  A late recovered text message indicated the storm sails had been shredded and the boat was continuing on a course of 310 degrees at 4 knots.  Efforts to contact the Nina were unsuccessful.  The RCC-NZ refused to task search aircraft until the Nina failed to reach her destination in Australia on schedule.

Meanwhile, a public debate rages in New Zealand about what obligation the New Zealand tax payer has in searching for a yacht that did not have anyone from New Zealand aboard her.  The Safety Of Life At Sea,  better known as the SOLAS convention, is a treaty passed in 1914 after the sinking of the Titanic.  It originally dealt with minimum ship board safety requirements since the Titanic did not carry enough lifeboats for the passengers and crew.

The SOLAS treaty divides the wold into 13 rescue areas and assigns responsibility for rescue to various countries under the treaty.   In November of 1974, major revisions in the treaty were made.

New Zealand has an immense area to patrol under the SOLAS treaty.  Responsibility under the treaty is not assigned by where a boat or ship is registered.  Rather, a country determines their responsibility by where the yacht is located.  The last position report of a yacht is used to determine which SAR area will assume primary responsibility for the search.  

The  International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue (IAMSAR) Manual provides guidance to countries in 
adopting their search and rescue procedures.  Each country adopts procedures based upon recommendations made in the manual and then is expected to follow those procedures.  

Aboard the Nina is Matthew Wootton, Danielle Wright, University of Colorado retired Professor Evi Nemeth, Kyle Jackson and the Nina's owner David Dyche along with his son David IV and wife Rosemary. The families say they are asking sailors, pilots, cruise ship passengers, fishermen, and even tourists walking the islands and beaches of Australia to keep an eye out for the missing schooner Nina.  Updates and information can be found at Here.

RCC-NZ Sitrep (Number) Two

---

Subject: RCC0401/13 SAR SITREP 2

TRANSMISSION: URGENCY


DATE AND TIME (UTC) 251900 UTC JUN 2013



FROM: RESCUE COORDINATION CENTRE NEW ZEALAND



TO: HEADQUARTERS JOINT FORCES NEW ZEALAND, RCCNZ DUTY MANAGER, MNZ MEDIA



INFO: AUMCC, FRIENDS AND FAMILY CONTACTS

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

SAR SITREP (NUMBER): TWO



(A) IDENTITY OF VESSEL: SV NINA



(B) POSITION: LAST KNOWN POSITION 33 53 S 165 18 E AT 032330 UTC JUN 13



(C) SITUATION: SV NINA WITH 7 POB DEPARTED OPUA NEW ZEALAND 29 MAY 2013 BOUND FOR NEWCASTLE, AUSTRALIA. LAST CONTACT WITH VESSEL WAS 032350 UTC JUN 13. AT THAT TIME THEY WERE IN CENTRE OF LOW AND WERE ADVISED BY WEATHER FORECASTER TO HEAD SOUTH AND HEAVE TO UNTIL SWELL ABATED. 

NO TRANSMISSION FROM SATELLITE PHONE OR SPOT DEVICE ON BOARD SINCE CONTACT ABOVE.SKIPPER DAVID DYCHE BELIEVED TO HAVE ESTIMATED ARRIVAL AT NEWCASTLE 08 JUNE BUT UNREALISTIC GIVEN POSITION ON 04 JUNE SHOWS 250 NM PROGRESS SINCE DEPARTURE FROM OPUA. SV NINA IS A CLASSIC RACING SCHOONER BUT HAS REPORTED POOR PERFORMANCE HEAD TO WIND. CUMMINGS 150 HP ENGINE INSTALLED IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO DEPARTURE.



(D) NUMBER OF PERSONS: SEVEN



(E) ASSISTANCE REQUIRED: RCC AUSTRALIA REQUESTED TO CONTINUE INVESTIGATIONS THROUGHCUSTOMS AND OTHER MEANS AS DEEMED APPROPRIATE.


(F) CO-ORDINATING RCC: RESCUE COORDINATION CENTRE NEW ZEALAND



(G) DESCRIPTION OF VESSEL: 59-FT SCHOONER (70-FT INCLUDING BOWSPRIT) CONSTRUCTED IN 1928 OF WOOD AND USA-REGISTERED. WHITE TOPSIDES, GREEN HULL AND TAN MASTS. SHE HAS ONE 8-PERSON LIFE RAFT, PARACHUTE FLARES, VHF RADIO AND EPIRB.



(J) INITIAL ACTIONS TAKEN: COMMUNICATION SEARCH COMMENCED 14 JUNE AND CONTINUING. AERIAL SEARCH CONDUCTED 25 JUNE BY RNZAF P3 ORION. SEARCH AREA BASED ON POSSIBILITY THAT WEATHER AND SEA CONDITIONS CAUSED SV NINA TO BECOME DISABLED AND ADRIFT AT LAST KNOWN POSITION. 96 PERCENT OF 168 000 SQUARE NM SEARCH AREA COMPLETED. MANY YACHTS LOCATED BUT SV NINA NOT LOCATED. NO VESSELS REPORTED ANY SIGHTINGS OF SV NINA.


(K) SEARCH AREA: AERIAL SEARCH PLANNED FOR 26 JUNE BY RNZAF P3 ORION BASED ON VESSEL CONTINUING FROM LAST KNOWN POSITION TOWARD INTENDED DESTINATION. SEARCH AREA COVERS 320 000 SQUARE NM IN THE TASMAN SEA BETWEEN NORTHERN NEW ZEALAND AND AUSTRALIAN COAST. 





Chris Wilson | Senior Search and Rescue Officer
Maritime New Zealand| Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ)
Nō te rere moana Aotearoa

__________________

Families Probe Nina Search, Meet With Authorities.questions linger

Some of the family members whose loved ones are missing on a 1928 schooner that disappeared in the Tasman Sea are asking for more information about the initial search.  Meanwhile, Australian authorities have refused to assist in a requested communications search.

Where is the sailboat Nina today?  No one knows.  Other boats have been lost in the Tasman sea for up to a year, caught in the vicious reverse circulating currents.  A few boats have met their fate with Davey Jones' locker.  However, it is very odd for a boat to disappear off of the map leaving no clue as to what happened to the crew and the ship.

Danielle Wright, on her parent's catamaran

When governments refuse to cooperate in continuing a search, what more can be done than the families launching their own private search?  One would presume anyone who is willing to launch a private search and raise the significant sums required to put that search into place, would enjoy government cooperation.  We have been very vocal about our disappointment the U.S. has not been supportive of the private search.  It appears, more facts may be forthcoming.

A few weeks ago, Ricky and Robin Wright, parents of crew member Robin Wright, received a tip about a piece of wood that was spotted floating off of Frasier Island, Australia.  The wood contained the letters "INA".  If you stick an N on that phrase you get "Nina".  But you could also stick an "MAR" onto the phrase to get "Marina".  Unfortunately, the remnant was not recovered and the search performed by the Wrights revealed flotsam but nothing that looked like the Nina, which the Wrights have seen in person while on their own cruise.

One thing is for sure.  If the remnant was from the Nina, then the boat didn't sink.  Rather, it broke up when it reached land, just as John Glennie's boat, the Rose Noelle, broke up after getting pounded in the surf after floating for 119 days off of the East coast of New Zealand.

Robin and Ricky Wright, Sue and Ian Wootton, parents of crew member Matthew Wootton, Ralph Baird, Larry Slack and a host of other people have spent countless hours and remain actively seeking answers in the Nina disappearance.  They are an example of the kind of people any sailor wants on his side if things go wrong. That is part of the point of the discussion with the New Zealand authorities.  The Nina won't be the last boat to encounter trouble in the vicious Tasman Sea.  Are there lessons to be learned from this case?  We wait for more news, but surely, there is always something to be learned.

The families and members of Texas Equusearch are not alone.  Many people in New Zealand and Australia relate well to how difficult life would be stranded on a sailboat.  On a face book page, one of those people write:

"Kia ora, hello to all the Nina whanau (family and friends). 

Just a small message to say there are many people in New Zealand that feel ya, and many minds that send positivity your way. 

I remember awhile ago i was in Whangarei (Northland, NZ)  and couldnt help but spotting the Nina moored there in the   marina, I distinctively remember it being a standout  colourfully flagged and beautiful boat and had a equally  lovely lady sitting on the deck reading a book in the sunshine . I gave a wave and a smile, and so did she. 

Not a day goes by that i dont think about them still out there.  My heart goes out to the family, and i know many others that  feel the same. 

Kia kaha, which in Maori, means stay strong.

 Not a day goes by that i dont think about them still out there.  My heart goes out to the family, and i know many others that feel the same. 

Kia kaha, which in Maori, means stay strong."

Miracles happen, and history repeats itself.  Other boats lost in the Tasman Sea have surprised the naysayers when the boat washed up on an Australian shore, or in some cases, even a New Zealand shore.  When one begins flying the area, the possible locations are like stars in the Universe, some of them remote.  The families ask pilots, sailors, cruise line passengers and crew, fishermen and even hermits, to keep a sharp eye for a boat lying low in the water, or washed up on yonder shore.

You can help by signing our petition asking the U.S. government to do it's part for the souls on the Nina.  Please sign here.

Why not pull a few bucks out of your pocket and contribute the the search fund?  It might save these brave souls, and for sure, the lessons learned will surely save others who venture onto the Tasman Sea.

DONATE!

How is will your donation be used?

Search efforts for finding the Nina are privately funded by the Nina crew families, friends, and various fundraising activities. No monies have been provide by any government agency or Texas EquuSearch. 100% of these funds go to conducting private air searches out of New Zealand and Australia. There are hundreds of non-paid volunteers and multiple commercial service providers, who freely give their time, efforts, and resources to help find the Nina 7. For more information about financial distribution, please request in writing a summary by contacting the headquarters office of Texas EquuSearch.

Thank you for visiting our donate page, and below are the donation options:

1) HOME BANK – drop off checks at any location in South Louisiana, Acct# 2059321602.

2) Go online: Community Foundation of Acadiana  Danielle Wright Search Fund

3) Go online: Texas Equusearch Please indicate your donation is for the  ”Niña Search Fund”

4) Donate direct from our Bringing Home the Niña Facebook Page – Click colorful Donate Button or GO HERE

We’d like to thank all our donors for supporting our efforts to bring the Nina 7 home.

Hey, and there is a new web page!  Come check it out!  An please like us on face book and ask your friends to follow our blog as we are keeping a sharp eye out for news of Evi Nemeth, Matthew Wootton, Danielle Wright, Kyle Jackson and the Family Dyche, David, Rosemary and young David Jr.

NEW WEB PAGE!

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tunr inot

1150 am radio

303.337.7

Seven Facts About Schooner Nina Few People Know

There seems to be a bit of confusion about the Nina search.  For anyone new to the blog, 7 sailors, Matthew Wootton, Danielle Wright, Professor Evi Nemeth, Kyle Jackson and the Dyche family, David, Rosemary and David Jr. set sail across the Tasman Sea.  They encountered a terrific storm and have not been heard from since.  That was on June 4th, 2013, so it has been awhile.  So why are people still looking, and what can you do to help?

Ricky and Robin Wright, news.com.au photo

FACT NOT FICTION #1  The search was started late.  By the time the authorities got around to actually launching an aircraft to look for Nina, the potential search area had grown to a size slightly smaller than the Milky Way!

FACT NOT FICTION #2  Despite claims the search was "the largest search in the history of New Zealand", low probability areas were not searched at all and a few high probability areas were also not searched.

FACT NOT FICTION #3 Landlubbers and even most sailors can't envision how a crew could survive 7 months on a sailboat without provisions.  Experienced sailors like John Glennie who have actually been in the area say long term survival is possible.  Water is obtained from the frequent rain storms in the Tasman Sea.  The boat becomes a floating reef attracting a large variety of fish.

FACT NOT FICTION #4  If the Nina were really afloat, they would have jury rigged sails and rescued themselves.  Actually, the last text message indicates the sails had blown out.  Fuel for the newly installed engine was in limited supply.  To be sure, Captain Dyche and crew are doing all they can to save themselves, but if the weather was bad enough to blow out professionally made sails, and dis-mast the Nina, it has been bad enough to shred a jury rigged sail and mast system.  They don't have many sail lofts in the middle of the Tasman, eventually even the most ingenious crew will run out of material for masts, rigging and jury built sails.

FACT NOT FICTION #5  If the Nina survived the storms she was in, surely she would have floated to shore by now.  Maybe true, though some boats including an oyster barge last year have taken a year to float through the reverse circulating currents of the Tasman Sea.  If the Nina has floated to land, the question, what land?  There are thousands of small islands and reefs off the Australian coast.  The families ask ALL SAILORS, PILOTS, FISHERMEN AND CRUISE SHIP PASSENGERS AND CREW to please be on the lookout for the Nina not only in the ocean, but while passing remote landfalls.

FACT NOT FICTION #6  The remnants of the Nina were found off of Fraser Island, Australia.  A piece of the transom was seen with the letters "INA".  No one really knows if the remnants of the Nina were seen off of Fraser Island because the person who spotted the board with the letters "INA" didn't fish it out of the water.  Robin and Ricky Wright, parents of 19 year old crew member Danielle Wright, did a very thorough search of the area and found lots of flotsam, none of it appearing as the Nina.  IF you spot anything that appears to be the remnant of a boat, please fish it out of where ever you found it.  If you need assistance, the Australian Coast Guard or the New Zealand Coast Guard should be called, depending upon where you are.  



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The letters "INA" fit nicely into the word "Marina".  There are several marinas in the area.  The family expresses their deepest thanks to the person who provided the tip, and ask each of us to help solve the mystery of the Nina.  If you are not near the Tasman Sea, you can help by reminding people the search is still in progress; making a donation to help with the huge cost of search flights; if you are blessed with two hands, putting them together and asking for a higher power to reveal where the Nina is might prove to be the miracle that everyone is waiting for.

FACT NOT FICTION #7  While the families wish they had more support from the various RCC agencies, including a radio broadcast asking mariners to be watchful for a low lying craft in the water or evidence of a landing on remote islands, as well as support from the U.S. State Department and the NGA in satellite searches and rescue exercises while naval ships are in the area, the families remain extremely grateful for the efforts made by the various agencies. 

 Because the families have been hard at the search since the official search was suspended on July 5th, 2013, the families especially, Ricky and Robin Wright and Ian and Sue Wootton,  are in the best position to know what tactics would be most helpful in determining the location of the missing schooner, Nina.  The Texas Equusearch Lead Search coordinator Larry Slack,  Exeutive Search Advisor, Ralph Baird and their team also have a keen sense for the next best steps in finding the Nina.  However, neither the search team nor the families would ever want their requests for help to be misunderstood as a lack of gratitude for the efforts that have been made.  In analyzing the search efforts to date, their sole purpose is to find the Nina by identifying missing pieces in the puzzle, which should not be confused with a lack of appreciation for what has been done or a hidden desire to find fault out of spite.