# Over Due Yacht



## lavidanueva (Apr 16, 2013)

Most of you have heard about the missing 1928 Schooner Nina which disappeared on June 4th, 2013. Can you believe, the families are having trouble gaining support from the US State Department? In fact, the State Department has placed barriers in the path of the families and their private search adviser, Texas Equusearch.

Ricky Wright, father of the missing crew member Danielle Wright, wants to take a petition to the US State Department to ask them to support the effort to save the 7 sailors. Why the State Department? They are the ones who told the US Coast Guard it could not provide drift modeling to the families!

Please sign the petition so the families can bring their loved ones home. They would also love your point of view about what to say when they take the petition to Washington, D.C.

More details/petition HERE

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO THE STATE DEPARTMENT TO CONVINCE THEM TO SUPPORT THE FAMILIES IN THEIR SEARCH FOR THE MISSING 7 SAILORS?


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## lavidanueva (Apr 16, 2013)

I forgot to tell you about one of the best parts! Texas Equusearch has managed to task satellites for a first ever, private boat search in the Tasman Sea! TES is advancing the cause of search and rescue for all sailors!

We invite you to see if you can find the Nina on the Tomnod web site where the satellite images are hosted. This is no Google Earth, these images are fairly recent, but it takes a yachting eye to spot a sailboat!

CAN YOU FIND THE NINA? The images are HERE!


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

lavidanueva said:


> .....WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO THE STATE DEPARTMENT TO CONVINCE THEM TO SUPPORT THE FAMILIES IN THEIR SEARCH FOR THE MISSING 7 SAILORS?


I don't have a good answer for you, but a quick internet search reveals that 800,000 adult Americans go missing each year. About 50,000 children.

I have to assume this requires some prioritization on the allocation of resources, although, I'm not sure the State Department is the place to go at all. You'll probably have to be convincing to whatever government agency could help that there is reason to believe they will be found alive after 4 months at sea, as they get 2,000 new cases each day.

I believe that statistically, the odds go down significantly over time, so I suspect they focus resources on recent reports that have higher odds of success.

I'm only trying to help provoke your thinking on how to be persuasive and what you'll probably have to overcome. All the best.


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## zeehag (Nov 16, 2008)

as the usa govt is in shutdown mode i think this would be classified under their best ignore this policy at present. 
is sad but too true, i wish the families best of luck,and possibly they may wish to pùrsue this on their own by hiring someone independently with a wallet with money in it, instead of a bankrupt and shut down government.
there have to be individuals who hunt for folks who go missing. 
gawd knows usa govt doesnt have the ability at present for this effort.


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## jimgo (Sep 12, 2011)

I would bet that there are other reasons not to give out the drift information, such as national security. That being said, I wonder if they couldn't make other arrangements with the USCG.


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

Its been a long time, right through a southern hemisphere winter.

Perhaps the best out come is for families to understand the liklihood of Nina and crew never being found. Then families can move through the greiving process.


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## Dfok (Apr 11, 2010)

This is the Tasman Sea, the other side of the world. New Zealand air force and the NZ Coast Guard conducted a search without success.
The loss of the Nina is a terribly sad situation but how is this the responsibility of the US Coast Guard or the US State Department?


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## zeehag (Nov 16, 2008)

Dfok said:


> This is the Tasman Sea, the other side of the world. New Zealand air force and the NZ Coast Guard conducted a search without success.
> The loss of the Nina is a terribly sad situation but how is this the responsibility of the US Coast Guard or the US State Department?


amen...why try to task a homeland security group with a rescue that is not a rescue, after 4 months, it is a wake, then funeral, sorry to say. this happened in stormy situations to a WOODEN boat , which are known to twistoflex into bottom of deep blue/green/whatevercolor sea. even with epoxy and or fg on them..they are still wood and still work in seas as does wood.
is difficult to let go, however, this needs to be done , as 4 months is a loooong time to be without any form of communication and still be considered a viable save. especially as there is NO sign of ANYTHING anywhere.

rip souls on nina. family--sorry you suffered such a loss, but it is time to realize this and go onward in life.


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## Invictus (Dec 28, 2012)

It is difficult to argue about some legal/practical matters over a tragic and sad event, but not sure how US DoS and USCG could have a jurisdiction in international waters especially half way around the globe. I don't think that any of the satellite systems cover 100% of the Earth at any time (maybe I am out of date with this).

My condolences to the families, it is one of those many sad secrets of the ocean.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

From the petition itself:
"The Department of State refuses to support the private search for sailors and is placing obstacles in the path of the non-profit search advisor,"

You know, when you make allegations like that and ask people to protest, it would come off a whole lot better if you gave specific examples of how the State Department is refusing to do anything, and what obstacles they are creating.

If your implication is that DoS if refusing to task US intelligence satellites to the job...That's no argument at all. That's water under the bridge and no one is going to do anything with intelligence assets for a job like this.

Got some facts? Or just accusations?


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## poopdeckpappy (Jul 25, 2006)

Invictus said:


> My condolences to the families, it is one of those many sad secrets of the ocean.


Yes, as sad as it is, I think the ferryman has been paid in full.


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