Missing Antarctic yacht update: life raft found, ship still missing

by Kraig Becker on

Search and rescue teams discovered a life raft adrift in the Southern Ocean yesterday that they say is from the Berserk, a Norwegian-flagged yacht that went missing earlier in the week. The raft was spotted by a helicopter that had been combing the area the past few days, searching for clues as to the fate of the ship.

On Tuesday of this week, the Berserk was sailing just off the coast of Antarctica when storms brought high winds and heavy seas to the region. Officials were first alerted to trouble when the ship activated its emergency locator beacon, but due to the bad weather, rescue operations were not able to get underway for more than a day. Since then, all attempts to hail the missing ship have failed and the emergency beacon stopped transmitting its location. At the time of its disappearance, three crew members were believed to be onboard. Two others were located yesterday, alive and well, on the Antarctic continent itself.

The life raft was said to have a torn canopy and was missing its first aid kid and survival knife. Officials said that there were no indications that it was occupied at any point, so it is impossible to determine if someone used it to escape from a sinking ship or if it simply floated free on its own.

The search for the 14-meter long, steel hulled yacht continues today, but it seems increasingly unlikely that the Berserk, or her remaining crew, will be found alive.

[Photo credit: Barbara Viega]

Missing Antarctic yacht update: two crew members found

by Kraig Becker on

Yesterday we posted a story about a Norwegian yacht that went missing in the Antarctic with five crew members aboard. Two of those crew members have now been located, alive and well, on the continent itself, and they are reportedly providing clues that could help search and rescue teams find the missing ship.

When the story first broke, we knew that the yacht, christened the Berserk, was last known to be sailing in the Southern Ocean approximately 18 nautical miles off the coast of Antarctica. The crew had planned to make a brief visit to the continent to drop off two people, who were hoping to make the journey to the South Pole on ATV’s. Apparently that drop off did occur, as Jarle Andhoey, the skipper of the yacht, and an 18-year old crew member, contacted search teams via satellite phone yesterday and have been providing crucial information about the missing ship’s planned route. That information could be instrumental in discovering where the yacht is at this time.

Two days ago the Berserk activated its emergency locator beacon indicating that it was in trouble. At the time, storms were raging across the Southern Ocean, bringing high winds and very rough seas to the region. Those storms prevented rescue operations from commencing for nearly another day, and by the time search and rescue teams were able to enter the area, the emergency beacon was no longer transmitting. All attempts to contact the vessel have been fruitless as well. Three crew members, including two Norwegians and a British national, are believed to have been aboard the Berserk when it went missing.

Search teams are continuing to comb the area today, holding out hope for a miracle. It is possible that the yacht is now adrift without power on the Southern Ocean, simply waiting to be found. But with each passing hour, the chances of finding the boat and her crew grow a bit smaller.

[Photo credit: Berserk Expeditions]

Norwegian yacht goes missing off Antarctica

by Kraig Becker on

A Norwegian-flagged yacht known as the Berserk has gone missing off the coast of Antarctica after activating its emergency rescue beacon yesterday. The 14-meter, steel hulled ship was last known to be sailing rough seas in the Southern Ocean approximately 18 nautical miles north of the Scott Research Base and was believed to have been carrying as many as five passengers at the time.

Rescues ships have been dispatched out of New Zealand to look for the missing yacht, but all attempts to contact the crew have failed and the emergency beacon is no longer transmitting its location. Bad weather in the region is hampering rescue efforts as well, with 75 knot winds and 6 to 8 meter swells reported in the vicinity.

The ship is captained by Norwegian sailor Jarle Andhoey who is a seasoned skipper with years of experience under his belt. There were three other Norwegians and a British national on board the Berserk at one point, although two of the passengers may have been dropped off on the Antarctic continent to attempt a journey to the South Pole. Details as to who was exactly aboard the ship at the time of the distress call are still unknown.

Weather conditions are expected to improve later in the day and search planes and helicopters may be employed to help find the missing the vessel. Rescuers are still holding out hope for good news, but considering the poor weather conditions and the loss of the signal from the ship’s beacon, the outlook is a bit grim at this time.

[Photo credit: Berserk Expeditions]

Cell phone signal helps rescue five American sailors

by Chris Owen on

After missing for more than a week, five American sailors are safe today. Their sailboat, the Pineapple, developed engine and communication problems after running into bad weather off the coast of Guam. They were lost at sea. A massive search produced no results. Finally one of those on board was able to grab a cell phone signal long enough to call for help.

Relatives and friends of the crew, four male and one female, had reported them missing when the 38-foot catamaran failed to arrive in the Philippines by January 18. Coast guards and rescue authorities from the Philippines, United States, Palau, and the Northern Marianas all searched for the missing sailboat with no results. Yesterday the one female on board managed to contact her husband using her cell phone when the vessel drifted within signal range. The husband called rescuers in Guam to give the boat’s coordinate and the US Coast Guard took it from there.

“The husband confirmed the vessel ran into bad weather and suffered a rudder and radio casualty.” said a statement from the US Coast Guard, adding “This delayed the Pineapple’s voyage but it was never in danger of sinking.”

It sounds like they were pretty lucky though. After searching for 63 hours, the US Coast Guard had found nothing on it’s own. It turns out that the rescue attempt could have been made much easier with some advance planning on the part of the Pineapple’s crew.

“I’m elated for the family and friends of the Pineapple, but compelled to point out that this voyage was made without taking basic, common-sense precautions.” warned Captain Thomas Sparks, U.S. Coast Guard Guam commander.

Apparently no one bothered to file a comprehensive sailing plan which is not required but customary on long sea voyages. Also, the ship had no long-distance communication or emergency distress equipment, also standard on world-class voyages.

They did have a good cell phone signal though.

It is hard not to ask “So, who was service provider?” and/or “What brand was that phone?” Neither have been identified. You can bet we’ll see that one on a future Gadling Gear review though.

Flickr photo by smith

Teen sailor Laura Dekker completes first leg of solo circumnavigation

by Kraig Becker on

Dutch teenager Laura Dekker completed the first leg of her attempt to sail into the record books a few days back when she completed a solo sail across the Atlantic, reaching the island of St. Maarten in the process. The 15 year old is attempting to set a new record for the youngest person to sail solo around the world.

Dekker has been hoping to make this voyage since she was 13, but her departure was delayed on more than one occasion by the Dutch government. Earlier this year they relented however, and granted her permission to sail after she demonstrated her skills and made a commitment to keeping up with her education.

The voyage officially began back in August when she sailed from the Netherlands to Gibraltar before proceeding on to the Canary Islands. Laura then spent two months there getting her 38-foot yacht, affectionately named Guppy, ready for the journey ahead. She also used that time to wait out the hurricane season before beginning her crossing of the Atlantic Ocean.

On December 2 she left the Cape Verde Islands, off the west coast of Africa, en route to the Caribbean. It took her 17 days to cover the 2200 nautical miles, arriving in St. Maarten this past Sunday. Dekker described the voyage as “a very nice trip.”

She’ll now spend some time in the Caribbean, sailing the islands and exploring the region before moving on to her next big leg. She says she doesn’t have any set plan at the moment, but hopes to cross through the Panama Canal, and on to the Pacific, in April or May.

Ah, the idle days of youth. Sailing the high seas, exploring tropical paradises, and seeing the world. My teen age years were much like this. And by much like this, I mean not at all.

[Photo credit: AP]