7 Sailors Wait While The World Celebrates The Holiday

Cartoon Credit NZ Herald

There is both encouraging news and bad news in the search for the 1928 schooner, Nina, that went missing in the Tasman Sea on June 4th, 2013.  The bad news is as always, no one has heard or seen the Nina since she missed a scheduled check in with New Zealand weatherman Bob McDavitt.  The encouraging news mostly remains the same.  If the Nina was afloat on June 5th, 2013, then she is afloat today.

Of course, the naysayers claim there is no point in searching for the Nina today because the crew could not possibly survive after six months at sea.  I love naysayers because they are almost always wrong.  John Glennie, who survived 119 days afloat on the upside down Rose Noelle, says if the Nina survived the storm she was battling then, not only is the boat afloat, but the sailors are alive.  He says he would have been able to survive for an extended period of time if the Rose Noelle had not bumped into an Island on the East side of New Zealand saving Glennie and his three crew members.

Meanwhile, the families remain guarded in the information they are willing to release about the effectiveness of the original search.  Likewise, they say they have no confidence in further lobbying of the U.S. State Department which reportedly intervened to stop U.S. efforts to find the Nina.

 The U.S. State Department claims New Zealand says the boat sank so there is no reason to expend U.S. resources.  When the U.S. State Department says they are not experts in search and rescue they are right.  The sinking of the Nina is one of many scenarios postulated by the New Zealand authorities.  Other theories include a likely dis-masting rendering the Nina incapable of navigation.  The only thing that is clear, after the most thorough search in the history of New Zealand, not a single trace of the boat was found.  It is very rare for a boat to sink without coughing up clues.

Fortunately, not everyone is buying into naysayer claims.  Some private pilots are launching their own private search, Operation Nina, to check the barrier islands lying off the East coast of Australia.  Numerous boats lost in the Tasman Sea eventually landed on one of those islands or an Australian beach including the Scotch Bonnet in 2012, which was abandoned near the last know position of the Nina.

Some people have inaccurately reported Sailing Savoir Faire as an "activist website" with ulterior motives.  Frankly, we lean hard left on the side of the current government in most of our reporting.  However, as journalists, we are responsible for reporting the truth.  From our perspective, we don't think any of the peoples of New Zealand, Australia, England or the U.S. would be happy to learn 7 sailors are floating in the Tasman Sea in desperate need of help and the respective governments are spending their time passing the buck to each other rather than rolling up their sleeves. We must report exactly that.  

Lacking evidence of a sinking, the rational conclusion to make is the Nina is afloat and the sailors need immediate assistance.  All sailors might be wise to take the Nina case as a harbinger when contemplating the prospects for rescue while venturing into similar waters.

Ha Ha, A Sailing Movie

Living the Carefree Lifestyle

Sailing represents something in all of us that needs to be let out.  It brings out the better side of us when we use magic powers which allow a boat to dance along without the din of the engine.  People who normally would be the sternest adults let their younger side peek through.  Sailing is that little kid inside of us that maybe we couldn't set free when we were really little kids.  Now is the Time.  Go Sailing.

A Bridge Over Troubled Waters In Schooner Nina Search

How long can 7 souls eek out a living on a damaged sailboat adrift in the toughest waters nature has to throw at an adventurer?

John Glennie, who holds the known record for the longest survival time at sea on an overturned trimaran called the Rose Noelle, says if the Nina is afloat, the sailors are alive.  John caught rain for water and fished to supply the nutrients needed for life for him and his three crew members. It was 119 days later the Rose Noelle washed up on the East side of New Zealand.

The Nina has been missing for over 170 days.  The Wright family, Robin and Ricky, went to New Zealand to do an areal search for the missing yacht.  They spent several days on Lord Howe Island, taking daily tours in a search route identified as most likely to hold the Nina.  After investing most of the piggy bank on this search, and finding nothing, the Wrights went to Australia.  Ricky is now taking private pilot lessons and searching for his daughter, Danielle Wright, as well.  They are searching up and down remote stretches of Australia coast line hoping to find the 1928 schooner and her crew.

The Wrights stand as the ultimate heroes in the Nina search.  It was Ricky Wright who asked Texas Equusearch to advise the families in a private search when New Zealand search and rescue threw in the towel. The Wrights, Kyle Jackson's father Duane Jackson and Salley Davis, Matthew Wootton's parents Sue and Ian Wootton, Lazslo Nemeth, son of Evi Nemeth, Ralph Baird, Executive Search Coordinator for TES, along with Larry Slack, Satellite Coordinator, Jerry Borrer, Drift Logistics Coordinator, Lenore Psencik, Adrienne Gauthier, Satellite Lead, John Funnell, Karen Lagow, and many more people in the Tomnod Search effort are all my heroes.  These are the troopers who have refused to give up the fight.  They see the vision of a floating Nina and want to do all that is possible to greet the 7 sailors back into society.

A tear rolls down my cheek thinking about these dedicated people sacrificing time, money, and an ocean of heart in the campaign to save the 7 sailors, Yet, I fight conflicting feelings.  As Ralph Baird said, if we sat any reasonable person down and laid out the tragic Nina story to them, everyone to a man-or woman, would agree, it is very likely the Nina is afloat and lost in the remote reverse circulating currents of the Tasman Sea.  Yet, no government is willing to step up with the resources necessary to bring the crew home.  Only governments have these resources.  When I think of how my own government, for one, has failed these sailors, along with others, then those feelings of pride and appreciation for what individuals are doing gives way to rage over what governments are not doing.

There is more of the Nina story which remains untold.   That is true with almost every epic, there is a public story, and then there is the story behind the story.  Rarely does the true story ever come out.  When the story does come out, people slap their heads with their hands and say, "ohhh....NOW I understand why there were so many dedicated people working on the campaign.  It makes sense."  It makes sense for an all-out, no holds barred, government effort to rescue 7 people.  It does not look like that will happen.

The thing is, the family members representing the Nina crew all come from hard working, and frankly, patriotic roots.  They believe pursuing the American Dream is a two part process.  First, you have to do your part, which means education and career.  The second part is a strong belief in the government.  That is why, when the U.S. State Department failed to support the 6 American and 1 British sailors, there was a lot of bewilderment.  How is it, at a time when citizens need most for the Department of State to go to bat for them, the citizens, and their families, come up empty handed?  Rather than take their government to task, the families have mostly chosen to take the high road.

Fortunately, there is a bridge over troubled waters.  I am very proud to make up a tiny part of that bridge, which mostly consists of the dedicated search team mentioned.  What a great honor it is to work with incredibly talented people led by the Wright family, and advised by Texas Equusearch, in transcending geo-political problems.  We are in the search for Matthew Wootton, Danielle Wright, Kyle Jackson, Evi Nemeth, David Dyche, Rosemary Dyche, David Dyche IV on the historic schooner Nina.  Each of us has an opportunity to perhaps save a life in the Nina case.  The search team has paid dearly in all they have done.  The very least we can do is support the search, sign the petition and help the families bring the crew home.

GCaptain Article: Satellite Searches For Nina

Help Find The Nina: Tomnod

Donate To Search Fund HERE

Facebook:
Nina Vigil
Holding Hope
The Search For Damien Diamond and Richard Choi
Bringing Home The Nina and Her Crew

Updates: EVXX

Sign the Petition: HERE

Hold Fast, Sailing Documentary Part I

For all the people who say they can't live their dreams,

 this video tells you why you can!

This is the first part of a three part series.  Simply look for part II and III when you are ready for them!  What a great way for  young people to learn about the sea and to learn about themselves!

Hold Fast Part II

The Only Thing We Have To Fear...

Is Not Trying...

Hold Fast Part II

hold fast Part III

Better Than All Is Lost, because it is all true!

Everyone has a right to their dream!  Sometimes it is a matter of figuring out how to make the dream come true.  However, one of the biggest obstacles to living our dream is the fear of losing what we have, or even the fear our dream may actually come to pass!  

"All Is Lost" Falls Short To "Hi Ya Mom" and "Bring Crew Home"

Famous actor, Robert Redford is said to have put in a monumental performance in his film, "All Is Lost".  Redford is the only actor who successfully carries the story line of a sailboat sinking, and crew (Redford) taking to a life raft.

As good a performance as Redford puts in, he pales to the performance put in by the real thing.  Several short films have been produced around the missing 1928 schooner, the Nina, and her crew.  Kyle Jackson, Danielle Wright, Matthew Wootton, Evi Nemeth, and the Dyche family, David, Rosemary and David Jr, are crew on an American treasure, the Nina.

The following are two films which most people find riveting.  There is no acting here, it is all very real.

One of the last messages sent by Kyle Jackson to his mother before leaving on the Nina.  Kyle makes a frank admission in the film.

This film is about Danielle Wright, the 19 year old daughter of Ricky and Robin Wright. A loving community came together to support the Wright family. The band Kingdom wrote a song for her.

Enjoy and please support the cause of the 7 sailors stranded on the yacht, the Nina!


On-Line petition: HERE

Search For the Nina Here

Donations can be given HERE


Search Updates: www.evxx.com



It is unfortunate the Redford team has not seen a way to support the real life adventure of seven sailors who may be living the Hollywood version of his film. Not to worry, the real life event is full of pure drama, intrigue, scandal and mostly, hope and inspiration!

After sending in an image that appears to be the Nina, the RCC-NZ refuses to search for the missing boat.  They say the image is not clear enough for them.

#S7S #Nina #ninarescue @immigrants2bfre