TES NINA 7 Updates for July 2013

 


 

Recent Activity and News

(worth reading, viewing and listening to: You will definitely learn something)

 

Nina Awareness via TV and Radio Media:

·        July 26, CBS News about Nina and search efforts http://m.cbsnews.com/postwatch.rbml?pageType=video&cbsID=50151678

·        YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBpS3gAg3tE

·        Sept. 2011 video about Scotch Bonner’s 130-day ordeal in the Tasman Sea and was successfully rescued http://sailingsavoirfaire.blogspot.com/2013/07/sailboat-washes-up-on-beach-after.html

·        July 24, creation of Help is find our loved ones flyer www.nina7.com/FLYER/ninaflyer.pdf

 

·        July 21, Search Resumes for Missing Yacht, Otago Daily Times http://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/265585/search-resumes-missing-yacht

·        July 20 New Zealnd Radio TES SV Nina Search http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/2562629

·        July 10, New Zealand Channel 3 News http://www.3news.co.nz/Authorities-withheld-Nina-help--searchers/tabid/309/articleID/305605/Default.aspx

·        July 18, Press releases to:  Greta, Fox & Friends, Megan Kelly, O’Reilly, Hannity, CNBC, Alex Pappas – The Daily Caller, The Washington Times, and Newsmax

·        SV Nina Search Interview/Media links:

o       Radio New Zealand Audio file: 10:30PM CDT -- 3:30PM NZ time www.nina7.com/audio/13071702.MP3

o       KATC Wednesday, July 17.2013 http://www.katc.com/videos/dad-hitting-obstacles-in-search-for-daughter-and-crew/

o       Lafayette interview with Ralph 30 minutes audio, unedited, uncensored http://www.nina7.com/audio/13071701.MP3

·        July 16, Ricky Wright, father of Danielle Wright requests help http://www.katc.com/videos/teen-lost-at-sea-father-asks-public-for-help/

·        Facebook updates, access  Texas EquuSearch at http://texasequusearch.org/, then follow Facebook Fan Page

Latest Nina Search Plans:

Working in conjunction with the Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ), the families of the Nina crew and Texas EquuSearch has requested updated Search and Rescue Mapping (SARMAP) search drift data using the Nina’s Last Known Position (LKP).  Covering all the environmental variables and scenarios for searching for the yacht only and for a life raft only, we have files for:

·        Liferaft_CurrentOnly_31072013

·        Liferaft_WindOnly_31072013

·        Yacht_CurrentOnly_31072013

·        Yacht_WindOnly_31072013

·        RCC0401_13_01_JA_LIFERAFT_GFS1.NC

·        RCC0401_13_01_JA_LIFERAFT_HYCOM_GLOBAL.NC

 

This data is being analyzed to find convergence points in which to plan the next search coordinates and launch search aircraft.

 

Requests for Assistance:

·        U.S. Coast Guard, July 26 requesting local access to drifting modeling software – access denied by the U. S. Department of State (DoS)

·        July 19, Bob Haueter, District Director, Congressman Blake Farenthold, CD 27 Texas

·        U.S Senator Ted Cruz and U.S. Congressman John Culberson

·        July 16, Exigent request to Iridium Satellite Phone for LKP of Nina call on June 3

Inquiry into Assistance from Satellite Imagery Providers:

·        July 24, Astrium recommended tasking their SPOT 6 satellite (1.5 meter resolution) over larger areas (200 kM X 200 km) from LKP to detect main target features.  If features found, then task Pleiades satellite (0.5 m resolution) on a 50 km X 50Km search path for target decision to launch rescue ops to this area.  Costs may become prohibitive.

·        Satellite Imaging Corp.  Recommend tasking 0.5 resolution satellite to 100 sqkm of LKP.  Estimated costs of $4000 for 100 sqkm (2 week delivery of image), with a $3000 emergency tasking add-on for 48 hour tasking

·        Apollo Mapping.  Awaiting their proposal.

Search Assistance Resources:

·        July 24 secure VIP Premium membership to Buoy Weather to help understand wind and current patterns in the Tasman Sea

·        Requests for donations to continue Nina searchhttp://www.nina7.com/DONATE/donate.html

 

 

 


 

U.S. Department of State and the U. S. Coast Guard Places Lives at Risk they are supposed to Protect:

LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA U.S.A. July 28, 2013 ------ Texas EquuSearch needs your help to alleviate US Department of State (DoS) red-tape hassles. These problems have placed the lives of 7 people at risk. Your participation could solve it. 

Volunteer experts of the successful search team Texas EquuSearch were called on Monday July 8 by the families of those missing for advice and help after the New Zealand authorities stopped searching on July 4. EquuSearch was the all-volunteer charity that assisted Lafayette to better organize its search for 20 year old Mickey Shunick a year ago. Danielle Wright also from Lafayette is one the seven (7) dedicated and experienced sailors onboard the schooner S/V Nina, a famous award winning sailing race yacht. 

The Nina and her seven (7) crew members departed Opua New Zealand bound for Newcastle Australia, 20 day trip across the open Tasman Sea. The last contact with the crew was on June 4 when they obtained a weather briefing using an Iridium satellite telephone. There has been no contact since. 

Texas EquuSearch created a special project and a special fund for its case number 13-1371 to allow donors to designate that their monies to the search for the Nina and the seven (7) loved ones. Over $100,000 has been raised so far to fund 12 visual searches by twin engine aircraft off the eastern coast of Australia. The 12 searches saw no sign of the schooner Nina. 

Texas EquuSearch volunteers contacted the New Zealand, Australian and U. S. Department of State (DoS)  for help to continue the search for the seven (7) loved ones.  Additional data and information was requested including satellite imaging, environmental data and access to US Coast Guard software to perform independent ocean drift modeling and predictions called SAROPS. So far all requests have been acknowledged and are tied up in red-tape at the U. S. Department of State (DoS) in Washington, DC. There has been dragging of feet and misguided polices that require the permission of New Zealand for the US DoS to allow Texas EquuSearch access to and use wildly distributed software it needs to save 7 lives. 

Even that did not stop the persistent Texas EquuSearch volunteers and they have sought direct access to commercial sources of the software and the satellite images. This has been unfortunate and extremely frustrating and very slow; the amount of contacts and referrals have driven an overwhelming number of telephone calls, messages, emails and independent research to locate the right data from the right source from the right expert. The data is known to exist but is restricted from US citizen access due to US government policies. In this case all we want to do is save seven (7) lives. 

We need your help. It’s not the little guys, who are the government paid technical experts stopping us: it’s the mother-hen in Washington, DC stopping us. We want you to:

1.             Call the U. S. Department of State (US DoS). Call directly the Director of State Department Legislative Affairs Officer.  Ask the tough questions: about the numerous exigent requests for the DoS to make the approval and authorize Texas EquuSearch to access the information and data we need, including the US Coast Guard's SAROPS software in order to help save 7 lives.

2.               Donate and call your most wealthy friends to donate to help us save seven (7) lives.

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Search Area SA-002:

Search Area SA-002

Search Area SA-203:

Search Area SA-203

Search Area SA-701:

Search Area SA-701  July 31, 2013 from new environmental model

Texas EquuSearch SV Nina Search Fund 15 July 2013 R Baird

The two masted 70 ft American schooner SV Nina was last heard from 3 June 2013 23:50GMT at 33-53 South, 165-18 East

Three days of air seach completed and a four day planned:

Search Area SA-203

Search Area A-002

AUSTRALIA Maritime first drift analysis using unreliable LKP and Rhode Island Company SARMAR software and data archive

 

Collaboration Search Areas: RCCNZ and TES:

 

SA-002 and SA-203 July 18 and July 19 search areas.

 

SA-002 below, this is approx 13,800 sq nautical miles:

 

SA-001 from LKP (last known position) to the north and west.