| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Bob |
Posted - 10 Sep 2005 : 19:13:24
Please note that there are TWO pages to this topic.
The Mauritius to Durban yacht race started today (10th Sept. '05) - good luck to all participants.
You can now track the progress of the race fleet as they race across the Indian Ocean from Mauritius to Durban! Each Yacht is fitted with a satellite (GPS) transponder which transmits it's position every 10 minutes. These positions are superimposed on a Map which shows you just where everyone is positioned.. Available at http://www.mauritiustodurban.com/
Bob
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| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| admin |
Posted - 10 Oct 2006 : 09:41:41
This article was taken from the Durban Sunday Tribune September, 24th, 2006.
Moquini: what went wrong
September 24, 2006 Edition 1
Chiara Carter
A mould maker who repaired the doomed Moquini before it set off on the Mauritius to Durban yacht race told investigators into the tragedy that he had warned the owner and the builder of the vessel against sailing in those waters.
He said he "would not be happy to go on the boat as the bottom of Madagascar is not a nice place, it is a lousy piece of water and has big holes", Mel Hickman is quoted as having told the yacht's owner/skipper, Graham Cochrane, and its builder, Neil Tocknell, in a preliminary report by the South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa).
The report was leaked to the Sunday Tribune this weekend, just over a year since the yacht sank after a single distress signal was detected, launching a massive search. Family memorial notices were carried in the Sunday Tribune last week marking the anniversary of six deaths aboard the racer.
The yacht's last positional report from the satellite tracking system put it about 16 nautical miles off the south eastern tip of Madagascar.
The probe into the mystery of what sank the Moquini with a highly-experienced crew has uncovered a litany of procedural irregularities as well as alleged problems with construction in the keel area of the yacht.
These findings are included in the long-awaited Samsa report which has been kept under wraps since it was completed earlier this year. The hull of the yacht was found floating off the Eastern Cape's Transkei coast five months after the Moquini vanished, but without a keel.
The Moquini was skippered by Cochrane. Other crew members were Sheldon Dickerson, his cousin Mark Dickerson, Kurt Ostendorf, Michael Goolam and Tocknell. They were never found and have been officially presumed dead.
Now the Samsa report, while not finding a single cause for the yacht to have lost its keel, sheds new light on a chain of errors that the report says might have contributed to the dramatic tragedy.
The report says that while it is evident that the loss of the yacht's keel caused it to capsize, no specific cause for the failure could be identified. The yacht probably did not sink as a result of hitting a submerged object - theories of submerged shipping containers abounded at the time - and there was also no sign of either an explosion or a fire on board, the report said.
Several "possible contributing factors" were identified, including:
sub-standard lamination of the hull near the keel;
insufficient inspection of the hull condition;
insufficient torque procedure to ensure the keel was secure;
non-conformity to design specifications, and "poor workmanship".
The investigators asked the then Durban Institute of Technology to survey the hull and this revealed alleged discrepancies between the design of the yacht and how it was built.
Workmanship
The DIT reported that visual inspection and wall thickness testing showed, in the area of the keel, that the yacht did not conform to design specification and "the workmanship is appallingly substandard".
The DIT expressed the opinion that it was extremely likely there was a small through-thickness crack or flaw in the laminate at the port edge of the keel fixing plate. It would have been initiated if the keel had struck something prior to the race or due to a manufacturing error. The crack would open and allow water to flood the floors, girder and the interior of the vessel. An oblong hole was found that might have been drilled to pump out water.
"In harbour the crack would close as the sailing loads are removed making it difficult to spot and it would not leak water. During the race, once the crack was of a critical length, either a wave or a glancing blow to something solid in the water caused the final rapid failure of the remainder of the laminate and at that point the keel dropped off. It is unlikely the yacht hit a container . . . because there would be damage to the hull elsewhere," the DIT study found.
The Samsa report pointed out the yacht was, in fact, taking in water when it sailed to Mauritius to start the race and it had been involved in a prior minor collision with a vessel called Gumption and then repaired. The report noted that, in contravention of the Merchant Shipping Act, Samsa had no record of this collision.
The builder of the yacht, Bill Tyler, was a business partner of Tocknell, one of the crew. He told investigators the yacht would float if it lost its keel and he and Tocknell had examined the boat in Mauritius and there had been no signs of any stresses. So far 35 yachts had been built with no comebacks and there had been no prior problems with the Moquini.
The Samsa report outlined several discrepancies noted in the course of the investigation - including that the South African Sailing (SAS) surveyor who had initially inspected the Moquini for safety and registration reasons was not suitably experienced or trained.
The report said the inspector had not used the correct checklist and did not know several key things. Critically, he also did not understand the importance of a hull inspection and no records of the inspection appeared to have been kept. The report said the yacht had not been taken out of the water for an external inspection and there was no evidence a separate hull inspection had taken place.
Then it appears the registration process was completed before all checks and relevant documents were completed, and the vessel was cleared to leave South Africa without the right documentation. The report said the yacht had been registered despite the fact there was no Samsa Local General Safety Certificate or a radio station licence.
The emergency positioning indicating radio beacon (Epirb) which transmitted the single distress signal from the yacht was registered in the name of another yacht, Cracker Jack, in contravention of merchant shipping regulations, and this caused confusion.
It appears the life raft and Epirb were stowed under deck and the report said it would have been prudent for them to have been more accessible. No trace of the life raft was found but emergency water ration packs were discovered and the report said it was possible the life raft container was broken open.
"The detachment and loss of the keel caused the vessel to capsize rapidly and this would be followed by a large ingress of water. If this happened at night, this would have severely restricted the ability of the crew to abandon the vessel and deploy the raft and Epirb," it said.
The investigators said a collision with a submerged object would have caused more damage to the hull than shown by the Moquini
Recommendations
Their recommendations include that hulls of small vessels - in addition to the decks - be painted in a colour that makes the vessel easily visible from above - unlike the blue and black of the Moquini.
The report said, "It is strongly recommended that all similar yachts be examined as a matter of urgency in way of keels in accordance with recommendations from the designer and that special attention be paid to the keel arrangement.
Additionally, the keel studs should be tensioned to torque parameters set by the designer and carried out to ensure equal loading and measures taken to lock the nuts after tensioning."
Samsa's head, Saleem Modak, was out of the country and Samsa said there was no way to contact him about the report. However, it is understood Modak has recommended no further action be taken in terms of legal proceedings but has compiled a list of corrective measures.
Some of these measures are apparently to be implemented within weeks.
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| admin |
Posted - 17 Feb 2006 : 10:24:58
This is the latest article taken from the Daily News, a Durban Newspaper, on Thursday 16th February:
MOQUINI COMES HOME
Investigations into what happened to the Moquini are expected to start after the yacht was towed into Durban Harbour this morning.
The yacht, being towed by the Smit Amandla tug, arrived in port in the early hours of this morning.
The Moquini disappeared during the Mauritius to Durban yacht race in September last year.
Nearly two weeks ago, it was spotted floating botton-up 500 nautical miles off the coast of South Africa by Patrick le Masson, the master of the MT Algarve.
It's keel was missing and speculation has been rife as to what caused the tragedy, including the possibility that it had struck a container floating below the water surface.
The yacht's unfortunate crew were Graham Cochrane, Neil Tocknell, Kurt Ostendorf, Sheldon Dickerson, Mark Dickerson and Michael Goolam.
Acting operations manager of the South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) Captain Saleem Modak said this morning the ivestigations would begin soon, but that it was too early to tell how long they would take.
"We hope to come to some sort of understanding as to what happened," he said. The length of time that the yacht had been in the water would have a major effect of the investigations.
He said that once Samsa had completed its investigations, it was likely that an independent expert would also be called in to investigate. The investigation could lead to the designer of the yacht, the yacht builder and even the families of the missing crew being questioned as authorities try to get to the bottom of the tragedy.
Salvage crews righted the yacht, drained water from it and inserted floatation devices before towing it to Durban.
The Moquini was taken out of the water later this morning so that investigations could begin.
Richard Crockett, who was on the committee of the Mauritius to Durban yacht race, said the yacht had been seeled off from everybody. Families of the crew members had been allowed to see the Moquini, he said.
Meanwhile, in Cape Town, the Moquini's designer has suspended the licence of the company that builds and sells his yachts, insisting they complete a checklist to determine if they made any alterations to his original design.
Alex Simonis, the Dutch designer of the Moquini who is based in Cape Town, said: " I suspect, from the photos I have seen, that the hull sailed over a container, with the keel taking the full impact, pushing into the boat.
"But I cannot draw any premature conclusions before an investigation has taken place. It is possible that the builder deviated from my original design; and though in 12 years there have never been any structural problems with the design, I have to keep the option open that there is something wrong with my design.
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| admin |
Posted - 13 Feb 2006 : 09:42:52
Moquini lies some 500 nautical miles off the Wild Coast. Her mast has been sawn off, and the hull of the valiant competitor righted ready to be towned back to Durban where, it is hoped, she will reveal clues about what happened during the Mauritius to Durban race in September. Marititme Rescue vessel, the Smit Amandla, who divers worked on her throughouth the week, keeps a watchful eye.
An extract fot the Durban 'Sunday Tribune' yesterday, Sunday 12th.
I quote 'Capt Saleen Modak of the South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa), in charge of the salvage operation, said that only a forensic investigation once the boat was in Durban could reveal what happened.
Modak said equipment on board the super tug Smit Amandla was used to turn the Moquini over on Friday. Another tug, Kuswag 1, was dispatched on Thursday to tow the yacht back to Durban.
Kuswag 1 was expected to reach the Moquini by early this morning. It could take 10 days to tow it back, he said.
Speculation
Commenting on the possibility that the yacht struck a container, Modak said it was just speculation, but possible.
He said divers had also reported that nothing of significance remained inside the yacht.
"The sea is really powerful. And given that the yacht was afloat for more than 5 months, everything inside would've been sucked out into the sea."
Modak said Samsa receiced many reports of containers found floating at sea after falling off ships.
"When we get reports, the authority immediately sends out warning to all ships in the vicinity. Some containers sink, while some float just below the surface, depending on the weight of the cargo," he said.
Initially, it was speculated that one of the 39 containers that were lost by the freighter Eugenio on August 7 along the coast of Madagascar might have drifted into the path of the yacht.
"Many departments, including the Department of Transport, the South African Police Service water wing and the South African Air force have taken part in this salvage operation. We are grateful to all of them," he said. - Additional reporting from Sapa |
| admin |
Posted - 10 Feb 2006 : 09:55:35
An article on the front page of today's 'The Mercury' Newspaper early morning daily...
'Salvage divers searched inside the upturned hull of the yacht Moquini yesterday, investigating the saloon and cabins of the vessel for the first time, searching for possible remains on the crew and clues that would point to the reason for the yacht's capsizing. But without a single trace found, all hope of finding the remains of the crew have disappeared.
The yacht disappeared while taking part in the Mauritius to Durban race last September.
The divers braved through seas 500 nautical miles off the Wild Coast to salvage the remains and prepare to bring it back to land.
The salvage master, Capt Saleem Modac, said it had not yet been decided whether the yacht would be towed to Port Shepstone (I presume this should be East London? Ed) or Durban. Richard Crockett, official spokeman for the Moquini search , and editor of Sailing magazine said: "There is a lot of preparation that goes into the salvaging of this yacht, as the hull will have to be sealed, the boat pumped out, and the hull turned over - all difficult things in a moving sea.
"The divers will almost certainly have to cut the mast from the upturned vessel, prior to turning it. The tow will in all likelihood also be very slow," he said.
The yacht was captained by Graham Cochrane and other crew members were Kurt Ostendorf, Neil Tocknell, Sheldon Dickerson and teenager and trainee yachtsman Michal Goolam.
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| admin |
Posted - 09 Feb 2006 : 09:28:40
MOQUINI FOUND.
A dramatic photo on the front page on todays 'The Mercury' (Durban morning newspaper) shows the upturned vessel. I quote from the newspaper
'The capsized yacht spotted 500 nautical miles off the Wild Coast was identified as the Moquini. The yacht was spotted on Sunday by a sailor on a tanker.
The master of the vessel, Patrick le Masson, relayed the information to the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Cape Town, which then sent out a salvage vessel, the Smith Amandla, with divers on board.
MRCC search and rescue mission co-ordinator Mark Steed said: "We had to stop the investigation because of the failing light. We will, however, resume early tomorrow and then we hope to find more clues, explaining how the incident took place" he said.'
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| Bob |
Posted - 08 Oct 2005 : 10:46:01
French naval vessel on route Reunion, to Cape Town conducted an extensive search of the area where MOQUINI, was last reported, the searched-initialed two helicopters with an air search, but proved fruitless.
(TIME OF MESSAGE RECEIPT AT HAMNET (Western Cape);06/ 16H45B OCT.05.) |
| Bob |
Posted - 29 Sep 2005 : 09:58:23
From the Search & Rescue Team
On Wednesday 28th Sept, two King Air aircraft were involved in a coastal grid search extending from Durban, out to sea 190nm, and as far north as the Mozambique border. The purpose of this was to see if Moquini had drifted inshore along the coast.
(from the Race website) |
| Bob |
Posted - 27 Sep 2005 : 20:31:26
THE FUND
The Trustees of the Moquini Fund wish to express thanks to every donor for supporting the call for financial assistance. As of today, an amount of R1.2m has been raised.
The cost of the actual air search is not confirmed at this stage, but we believe it to be in the region of R500,000. To be frank, the Trustees had no idea that the support would be on the scale that it was, and initially were hopeful of securing R200 000. Your kind assistance paid for extensive searching, far in excess of what was first imagined possible.
The Balance.
An amount is being kept in reserve for ANY possible further air search which may be triggered by new information. There are families whose breadwinners are now missing, and these families need financial assistance from the Fund.
Legal costs. We are currently establishing a legal team to look after the needs of the families in the event of them having to claim insurances.
The demands made of the Fund may reach far into the future, and the Trustees undertake to manage it in the most transparent and professional manner possible.
It is a huge responsibility to manage such a fund, and the trustees wish to make clear to those who donated to it, that it shall be handled in a correct manner.
(From the Race website) |
| Bob |
Posted - 27 Sep 2005 : 12:02:02
REPORTBACK ON YESTERDAY'S SEARCH FOR 'POSSIBLE SIGHTED YACHT'
On Sunday, one of the search aircraft, whilst flying at 30000ft plus, spotted a small craft on the rhumbline, approx 280nm from Durban. It was unable to investigate due to fuel needs. The S & R committee dispatched a 2nd aircraft out of Maputo, but due to poor visabilty, were unable to locate the vessel. On Monday the 26th, a further two aircraft were dispatched to the known area of the sighting, conducting extensive searches, both returning without seeing anything.
It is believed that the sighted vessel may have been a small fishing boat which has now moved out of the area.
The areas searched to date have covered all the primary and secondary search sensitive areas both the MRCC and our local yachting experts have managed to come up with using modelling software. The French and U.S. authorities have also been consulted regarding possible scenarios, and these have dovetailed with our local theories. All possible leads have been taken up and investigated.
Search efforts now take the form of shipping and air traffic alerts, plus an awareness campaign in Madagascar, Mozambique and the local Wild Coast via local radio, and holiday resorts, with rewards offered for information. The S & R Committee meanwhile remains active and will immediately respond to ANY lead or sighting, or credible evidence, requiring further air search.
Group councelling, and support structure has been set up with the assistance of a medical professional within the family group, and financial bridging assistance for families is being investigated by the trustees of the fund. Legal aspects are also being investigated for the family group and funds set aside for this purpose.
Monies remaining in the Fund shall form a MOQUINI Legacy, whether they sail into Durban, or are rescued, or God forbid, not found. This Fund shall enable any future S & R bid in our waters to immediately launch into action and provide a solid start to any such initiative.
(From the race website) |
| admin |
Posted - 26 Sep 2005 : 18:39:18
Monday 26th Sept. 1700hrs.
The committee has officially called a halt to the search.
According to Richard Crockett (press liason), "everything possible has been done to find the missing yacht".
The FULL comprehensive report will be posted here as soon as it is to hand.
We still all expect to see MOQUINI sailing into Durban soon.
**************************************************************
PRESS RELEASE (just received)
MAURITIUS TO DURBAN YACHT RACE - MISSING YACHT MOQUINI - Media Release no. 5
Monday 26 September 2005
Missing Yacht Moquini - Search Called Off
The search for the Missing yacht Moquini with six crew members on board has officially been called off.
This was announced in Durban this afternoon after the families of the missing crew members had met with search and rescue officials.
It has been an exceptionally difficult decision to make said Dave Claxton, Chairman of the race organising committee. Its a decision that Matthew Thomas, Richard Crockett and I made in the cold light of day having rationally and unemotionally sifted through every single shred of information we had, and objectively analysed it. Plus, we have consulted experts far and wide to see if there is anything we may have missed, or any stone we have left unturned - with the answer always being that everything possible has been done up to this point.
The families have been understanding, and have requested that the following statement be issued on their behalf:
We, the families of the missing crew aboard MOQUINI have not given up hope of the crew being found, and would like to acknowledge the incredible and selfless effort the rescue team has put in to finding our husbands, sons, and brothers. We would like to express our appreciation to the media for their responsible and sympathetic reporting on this search and rescue mission, and to the public at large for the wonderfully generous support of the RNYC MOQUINI Rescue Fund, and for their care, sympathy and support. We have been astounded at the support from school children who have donated their lunch money, to the corporate giants of South Africa who have supported us. Words just cannot express our thanks and appreciation sufficiently. With all our hearts we thank you.
The six crew aboard MOQUINI are:
Graham Cochrane
Neil Tocknell
Michael Goolam
Kurt Ostendorf
Sheldon Dickerson
Mark Dickerson
Dickerson, Ostendorf and Goolam all sailed the yacht from Durban to Mauritius for the race which started on Saturday 10 September off Grande Baie, Mauritius.
While the search may have been called off, we the search and rescue committee, will monitor things on a daily basis, and should any shred of new evidence come to light that requires us to send aeroplanes out to an area for a search, we will do so said Matthew Thomas.
MOQUINI was officially declared missing on Friday 16 September when a very brief signal from her EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) was received indicating that she may be in some sort of distress. Complete communications had been lost with the yacht on Wednesday 14 September. It was not until the EPIRB signal was received was there any indication that they yacht may have been in any trouble.
Details of the missing yachtsmen:
Graham Cochrane (48)
Cochrane is the Chairman and founder of I Care, which through the LHC Foundation, is a non-profit charity organisation devoted to finding meaningful and sustainable solutions to the challenge of street children in South Africa, and has been sailing since he was a boy.
Graham is married to Denise, and they have two daughters Terry- Sue (19) and Kirsten (15).
Neil Tocknell (43)
Tocknell is an accountant, and currently involved in Fast Yachts the company which built MOQUINI. He has been sailing for 34 years and has previously raced from Mauritius to Durban twice. He also has KZN Sailing Colours.
Neil is married to Karen, and has three children, Jenna (8); Sarah (4) and Ryan (1).
Kurt Ostendorf (42)
Kurt comes from a sailing family as his father was a naval architect, and has sailing in his blood. He has competed in numerous races along the East coast of South Africa, and assisted in delivering the yacht to Mauritius.
Kurt is married to Sandy, and has two children, Jolene (20) and Warren (16).
Sheldon Dickerson (29)
Sheldon is an old hand having sailed most of his life, and holds a Yachtmaster and MCA certificates of competence in sailing. He has been involved with teaching children to sail through the I Care sailing development programme.
Mark Dickerson (45)
Mark is a Durban man - born and bred. Sailing is his life to the extent that he is building a 35-foot catamaran on which to go cruising. He holds a Yachtmaster certificate of Competence.
Mark is married to Sue, and has three daughters, Kate (19); Jodie (18) and Kari-Jo (13).
Michael Goolam (18)
Michael is part of the I-care sailing development programme whose express purpose it is to provide vocational skills for former street children as well as vital emotional skills like problem resolution. Michael is one of 12 youths from the Sakhithembaa Shelter in Amanzimtoti to have participated in the programme over the last year.
Issued by Richard Crockett
on behalf of the Mauritius to Durban Yacht Race organising committee
Tel. 031-7096087
Mobile. 083 265 3885
E-mail. editor@sailing.co.za
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| admin |
Posted - 26 Sep 2005 : 09:47:14
SUNDAY 26th - A glimmer of hope!
All three efforts, being the Madagascar search, Mozambique search and the Rhumline search returned yesterday with only the Learjet (Rhumbline) reporting having seen a yacht. It was spotted 280nm out of Durban on the rhumbline, but due to low fuel the Lear was unable to drop down from the 39000ft she was flying at, to inspect the yacht. However we immediately dispatched the Sheltham Aviation King Air which was on it's way back from Bazarutu. It was unable to locate the yacht due to adverse visability.
Air search is incredibly difficult. When we send an aircraft out to a specific grid, they fly out very high to conserve fuel so afford themselves as much time over the search area as possible. The same applies to it's return flight. Further, the grids a King or Learjet fly are not as 'tight' as a C-130, due to their relatively shorter flight duration.
Today, a search will be made for the sighted yacht along the rhumbline, in hopefully better conditions.
(From the race website)
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| Bob |
Posted - 25 Sep 2005 : 11:22:50
Latest from the race website - Sunday 25th
SUNDAY 25th
Saturday saw another three aircraft in the air;
a) Madagascar~ They searched the south western shoreline of the island. (see their actual tracks):
http://www.mauritiustodurban.com/king_air1.JPG
http://www.mauritiustodurban.com/king_air2.JPG
http://www.mauritiustodurban.com/king_air4.JPG
The search team report meeting with local fisherman to discuss possibilities and are told 'to a man' our guys are on the rhumbline.
b) King Air~ Johan's team flew up to Vilancoulos and conducted an 8500 nm search south east of Bazaruto.
c) Learjet ~ flew a grid south of the previous day's search grid.
Today, the Madagascar team will arrive home, as will the Mozambique aircraft. New co-ordinates have been calulated and the aircraft will again fly them. The Learjet took off at 1st light to fly the Rhumbline again, this time 25nm either side of it and with a new grid area to search.
An enormous area has been searched to date, all made possible by your very kind donations. All priority grids have been searched and we are day two into alternative scenarios. Suggestions and information relative to the search areas continue to come in from the outside world. [End - from the race website]
Bob |
| admin |
Posted - 25 Sep 2005 : 10:48:44
Hi Bob,
Thank you very much for all your imput in covering the search for the crew of the Moquini on this site. I hope and pray that today's, (Sunday) intensive air search will be successfull.
Tony |
| Bob |
Posted - 24 Sep 2005 : 08:45:03
Latest from the race website.
SATURDAY 24th
Yesterday three aircraft were in the air;
a) Madagascar~ They searched the south western shoreline of the island. (see their actual tracks http://www.mauritiustodurban.com/king_air1.JPG and http://www.mauritiustodurban.com/king_air2.JPG). No sign of the yacht or crew...
b) King Air~ Johan's team flying out of Virginia in the Grindrod aircraft reported no sign. They flew the rhumb line.
c) Learjet ~ flew the rhumb line to a point 450nm out, and then conducted a grid search.
Today's search takes us to Mozambique. We have enough evidence on hand to suggest that if Moquini had experienced an 'event' some 53 hours after her last known position, and maintained a slightly more westerly course (which had been discussed) then she could be in an area as close as 50nm SE of Bazaruto in the Mozambique channel. ORI in Durban and Ct have given us very detailed current information suggesting that they would end up on the beaches of Vilancoulos(Mozambique, see aerial photo http://www.cruisingconnections.co.za/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=72 ). We know that flotsam from the Helderberg ended up on the same beach, and a resident confirmed that every big storm off S Madagascar throws bits and pieces onto his beach at Vilancoulos. The plane sets off today and returns Sunday evening. [Ends] (From the race website)
Below is a graphic to show the area involved:
Also see the Bazaruto (Vilancoulos) image at: http://www.cruisingconnections.co.za/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=72
Bob
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| Bob |
Posted - 23 Sep 2005 : 10:37:14
Latest from the race website:
What We Know;
One of the last communications between Moquini and another yacht in the fleet was Tuesday 13th in the late afternoon, when Zeus overtook Moquini. Only hand signals were used (electrics?) and Neil Nocknell intimated that they had blown out all their spinnakers but were all ok.!
The last voice comms was at 22h40 (same day) between Graham Cochrane and his wife Denise via Sat Phone.
The Skygistics transponder on Moquini gave us a last positional report at 01h17 on Wed 14th, as 25deg 50'25"S, 47deg 44' 1"E. We know that conditions off Madagascar at the time she past through, were heavy but not too bad (25knts and 5-6m confused seas). The fact that the Skygistics transponder had stopped reporting was not seen as a problem as we were aware that Moquini may have experienced electrical problems and were sure that Kurt Ostendorf would get it up and running again.
The next comms from the yacht was a single EPIRB report of some 335milliseconds which simply gave us her 'ID'. This happened at 03h40, Friday 16th. It was an 'unlocated report' i.e., no co-ords were given. Also no report has been received since. The EPIRB being used on Moquini, is a SAILOR model. It is designed to be kept in the cabin and deployed manually.
This activation will be either the manual switching 'on' of the unit via the pressing of a button, or the immersion of the EPIRB into water. However, in both scenarios, the EPIRB must be removed from it's bracket to gain access to (a) the switch, or (b) enable the water activation points to work. If not removed from it's bracket, it will NOT activate. Therefore, it is a known that it was removed from it's bracket - just how, we can only guess. Why only one ID report from the EPIRB?
A possible scenario is that the yacht was in difficulty and one of the crew decided it was time to call for assistance... they would have removed the EPIRB and activated it manually, i.e. used the manual switch. At 03h40 in the morning the light from the bright strobe light would have alerted others to it's activation, perhaps causing them to immediately de-activate it until really sure about calling for help. This EPIRB can be switched off by depressing the button for 10 seconds. This may make some sense as the ID report of 335ms is only transmitted every 60 seconds, giving someone on board a full 50seconds to decide and action the 'deactivation'. In this type of scenario we believe the yacht is damaged, perhaps with a jury rig, and is limping to port but not in danger of sinking. There are other possibilities too, but the question remains... why did the EPIRB only report once?
If you have an educated theory, you can email it to us HERE and it will come through to our Ops centre. Please, only send us EDUCATED theories as we can not afford the time sifting through 1000's of 'what if' emails....
We are documenting our progress and we know that the sport and pastime of yachting will definately learn from this experience. We have.
Again, Sailing KZN (SAS), with overall responsibility for this Search, thanks the RNYC and many individuals and organisations who have stepped forward to offer their expertise and assistance. To the individual donors, businesses, schools and clubs... we thank you for your total support and assistance.
(From the race website)
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| Bob |
Posted - 22 Sep 2005 : 23:49:31
(From the race website)
Three Aircraft on Friday
The S & R Committee advise us that there shall be 3 aircraft in the air tomorrow (Friday). Two King Air's and a Lear Jet.
One King will be operating out of Madagascar, scouring the shoreline and a grid out to sea which has been identified as a possible 'liferaft' area..
The 2nd King will do a search along the Rhumb line looking for Moquini under Jury Rig, to a distance of 350nm from Durban, and the Lear will do two grid searches also along the Rhumb line, but some 450nm out.
We would again like to thank Investec and Grindrod (Sheltam Aviation) for the use of their aircraft...
Although some R500 000 has been raised by the community, to give a little reality to the situation, the cost of Friday's operations out of Durban, is R255 000, and that is with one free aircraft where we pay for fuel only, and the Learjet and 2nd King Air at super discounted prices.
(From the official race website)
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| Bob |
Posted - 22 Sep 2005 : 12:53:18
MOQUINI FUND - PLEASE ASSIST.
A private initative has been launched to conduct a specialised search effort using two Private aircraft capable of sustained airtime and suitable for the job. The idea is to operate two aircraft for a week, to a detailed Grid Pattern provided by recognised yachtsmen who are world class navigators and who have experience in plotting drift patterns, and routing. As you can imagine, this kind of operation takes an enormous amount of money, and we ask that you consider donating to a fund set up just for this purpose. All monies shall be managed by the Trustees in conjunction with the S & R Committee..
Acc Name: RNYC Moquini Fund
Standard Bank, Durban, South Africa.
Acc No; 050279890
Branch Code: 040026
OVERSEAS DEPOSITS USE THE SWIFT CODE: ZBZAZAJJ
PLEASE BE SURE TO USE THE ACCOUNT NAME 'RNYC MOQUINI FUND'.
FAX your dep slip to 27 (0) 31 3072590
The Bank Account was opened specially by Standard Bank for the purpose of the Moquini Fund and it is not related in any way to the ROYAL NATAL YACHT CLUB (RNYC) accounts. Further, complete transparency is guaranteed via the controls and management of the account. We have appointed respected Trustees to the account, they are;
Chris Frost (Commodore RNYC)
Richard Crockett
Dave Claxton (SailingKZN)
Auditors: Lowe and Company Chartered Accountants who offered their services free of charge.
Details from the official race website.
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| Bob |
Posted - 22 Sep 2005 : 12:44:24
(From the race website)
Latest 06h45 (22nd)
The Madagascan flight will only take off from Durban at 12h00 today due to unavoidable delays related to aviation requirements
News: 20h20 (21st)
The C130 flew out of Durban International at around 11h00 today to search over the area the Strobe lights were located last night (Tues). We were informed that the plane would fly direct to the known positions, conduct a short search and then return. After much discussion and negotiation, MRCC very kindly agreed to send the aircraft on to a grid area our team had identified as a 'possible'. This was very valuable to us and saved us in the region of R120 000. The airplane landed around 19h30 and reported 'no change'.
Tomorrow sees the launch of our own initiative, and an Investec Bank King Air twin engined aircraft is flying out of Durban International at 06h30 for Southern Madagascar. It will conduct a beach search along the largely uninhabited southern shore, along a stretch of about 300 miles. It will also search out to sea, along the same shoreline. It is being piloted by two NAC gents and NAC are being fantastic in terms of support. Investec have made the aircraft available at cost of fuel only.
On board as observers are;
John Lupton-Smith (Long John)
Tristan Dickerson (brother of Sheldon)
Patrick Rigotti ("Gumption" crew)
James Spilsbury ("Gumption" crew)
Royal Natal Yacht Club (Durban) have meanwhile pulled out all the stops to provide our committee with support and logistics.
From the official race website.
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| Bob |
Posted - 21 Sep 2005 : 14:00:12
WEDNESDAY - yacht MOQUINI
Latest News: 08h00 21st(from the race website)
C130 Finds two Strobe lights East of Durban.
At approx 20h30 last night we received a call from Kieron Moore on board the Yacht Opela advising us that they had been requested by the C130 to motor to a position 30nm East of their position as it had found 2 Strobe Lights in the sea.
At 01h00 Opela again contacted us to report they were in the area of the 1st Strobe sighting but had found nothing, and she then moved to the 2nd position and again found nothing. She did see a SAFMARINE Ship conducting a search as all - shipping had been alerted by MRCC in Cape Town. The ship confirmed having found nothing.
On landing at Dbn Intl later in the night, we were advised by persons on board the C130 that on one of their sweeps over the Strobes they saw a fishing vessel draw alongside the Strobe. They tried contacting the vessel without luck, and that was when they requested Opela to make for the area a.s.a.p.
It is our opinion that the strobes or lights seen were related to the Trawler's fishing nets and not Moquini.
It is also confirmed that Moquini only had one Strobe on board.
The C130 will conduct a sweep over the area again today, in daylight.
MOQUINI CREW MEMBERS
GRAHAM COCHRANE
KURT OSTENDORF
SHELDON DICKERSON
MARK DICKERSON
NEIL TOCKNELL
MICHAEL GOOLAM
CONTACTS
PRESS LIAISON
Richard Crockettt
083 265 3885
Possible Scenarios:
It has happened in past Mauritius to Durban races that yachts have lost their rig (mast and rigging). This happened to Ant Stewart in a previous race and he and his crew erected a 'jury rig' using bits and pieces of the original mast and rigging, and sailed all the way from Southern Madagascar to Durban!
It takes a long time to sail this way as the control over the yacht and the direction in which you can sail is lessened somewhat, and of course you dont have the sail area you normally do.
If that happened to Moquini, we know they will make landfall, and most likely back in Durban, rather than some outlying area.
Our priority remains firmly that IF the crew are in a liftraft, we need to focus on finding them. We simply have no way of knowing what their situation is, but we plan for the worst. Clever and talented people have calculated their likely positions based on weather patterns, currents and winds, and plotted possible areas to be searched.
The Indian Ocean is a large sea... the SAAF Aircraft has covered some 30000nm of ocean which sounds massive, but in reality it relates to a couple of postage stamps on a newspaper's front page..
Airtime is therefore critical in finding our friends out there. That costs money... please help.
See http://www.maurituistodurban.com (race website) for donation details.
Some of the Donations to Date, and Challenges put out;
Alex Simonis has donated the royalty fee received as designer of Moquini, R15000, and challenges all Fast 42 owners to better or match the amount.
R50000 was received from Sedgefield in the Cape.
Mozzie Cabs R5000
Lake Deneysville Yacht Club R1000
Texwise R1000
International Yacht Brokers R1000
Plus many other private donors with amounts from R200 to R5000.
Afmine Olof de Villiers R1000 - challenges all other mining co's and pilots to equal or better..
Liberty Life R20000
Plumpton R1000
HMYC Member R500
Mini Transat Class Ass R1000
Dave & Jane Hudson R1000
Ant Steward R3000
PYC R10000
Edit 25th: MANY more donations - see link below.
(Details from the official race website http://www.mauritiustodurban.com )
Bob |
| Bob |
Posted - 20 Sep 2005 : 10:00:43
TUESDAY - missing yacht MOQUINI
Due to the Airforce withdrawing it's aircraft from air search duties, a private initative has been launched to conduct a specialised search effort using two Pvt aircraft capable of sustained airtime and suitable for the job.
The idea is to operate two aircraft for a week, to a detailed Grid Pattern provided by recognised yachtsmen who are world class navigators and who have experience in plotting drift patterns, and routing. As you can imagine, this kind of operation takes an enormous amount of money, and we ask that you consider donating to a fund set up just for this purpose. All monies shall be handled by the Royal Natal Yacht Club in conjunction with SAILING KZN.
See http://www.mauritiustodurban.com for details.
Bob |
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