A lengthy document was recently completed reviewing the actions of the Rescue Coordination Center, New Zealand, (RCC-NZ). It contained glowing praise for the role the RCC-NZ played in the attempted rescue of the crew of the SV Nina, a 1928 schooner that disappeared in the Tasman Sea on June 4th, 2013. Many people would like to see what the response will be from the families. Are they in support of the review, or do they oppose it's findings? What would the families like to see going forward?
The review can be found HERE.
Sailing Savoir Faire has a very strong point of view over the independent review. However, we will not voice an opinion on the Nina search review until the families have had an opportunity to make their own response, in public. Even then, we may delay our response because we have come very close to this search, having covered it in detail nearly since the day the Nina was reported missing in the news.
After the RCC-NZ was unable to locate the Nina, the families went to work with fundraisers so they could conduct their own search. They raised over $600,000 from family, friends and well-wishers. It has been first class all the way, headed up by a public-private partnership, Texas Equusearch (TES), which acts in a similar role in the U.S. that is played by non-governmental-organization in other countries. Unfortunately, TES was unable to locate the Nina, or her crew, either.
A lot of people have a difficult time understanding the TES mission. While they have had successes in finding the remains of people lost and who perished, their primary successes have been in rescuing people who are alive. They have found more than 300 people alive and about half that number of missing persons who in fact perished.
Most recently, TES challenged the Federal Aviation Administration on a prohibition on the use of drones in the U.S. TES has used drones to find lost people in terrain that would take weeks to search, although the FAA sent them an email note telling them not to conduct drone flights for "commercial purposes". A judge ruled TES could in fact use drones.
TES says the Nina search has been an effort to find the Nina sailors alive, though no drones were used. Most of the search fund was paid to New Zealand and Australian aviation companies, making it's way into the local economies of New Zealand and Australia.. A tiny portion of funds raised were used to pay for super-technical drift analysis. The families say they still hope the Nina will float back to civilization, or the crew will be found on a desolate island or atoll. TES is an all volunteer organization made up in part by people grateful for the results of the many searches.
There are seven people who ventured forth on the Nina. They are the family that owned the yacht, David Dcyhe, Rosemary Dyche and their son, David Dyche, Jr., world renown author and mathematical genius, Professor Evi Nemeth, Kyle Jackson, a former senate page and survivalist, Danielle Wright, a musician a student and a photographer, all from the United States. Also on board, Matthew Wootton, from England. Matthew is an advocate for the environment who took a 3 and a half year voyage around the world to learn and speak on environmental issues. Matthew crewed on various boats and ships because he does not approve of the carbon footprint left by jets.
The Nina families have put together a comprehensive web site. They say they hope it will comfort those who wish the Nina crew well, and provide insight to other families who are missing a loved one, no matter whether that is on land or at sea.
We wish peace to all, and fair winds.
