Nina, a classic sailboat with an impeccable racing career, where once the King of Spain went out in his launch to congratulate her on winning the 1928 New York to Santander, Spain race, is now in the midst of the largest search and rescue operations in the Tasman Sea off of New Zealand. Extremely competent crew, and qualified Captain, with extensive worldwide sailing experience, all of which keeps hopes alive, that they were able to find safe refuge somewhere. Thoughts and prayers go out to family and friends, and the crew of the yacht Nina.
July 5th: 6.00pm = The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) says no more active searching is currently planned for the American schooner Nina, which is missing en route from New Zealand to Australia.
Over the past 11 days, RCCNZ has coordinated nine extensive searches for the vessel or its liferaft. An RNZAF P3 Orion has searched approximately 737,000 square nautical miles (an area more than eight times the size of New Zealand) without making any sighting. There were also shoreline searches by fixed wing aircraft and helicopters.
Mr Seward said that regardless of any decision on active searching, RCCNZ will continue to evaluate all the available information and any new information that may come to light. In addition, New Zealand’s Maritime Radio is continuing to conduct broadcasts in New Zealand’s search and rescue region, and Rescue Coordination Centre Australia (RCC Australia) is assisting with broadcasts on coastal radio, in the search for new information.
July 5th: 6.45am – The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) is continuing to assess all available information in the search for the crew of the American schooner Nina, which is missing en route from New Zealand to Australia. Today’s radar search of more than 97,000 square nautical miles has been completed without any sighting of the vessel.
On 15 June, RCCNZ obtained from Iridium, a satellite communications company, details of the approximate position and actual time (1150 NZST 04 June 2013) of the last transmission from the Nina’s satellite phone.
Nigel Clifford, Maritime New Zealand’s General Manager Safety and Response Services, said the position information was then factored into search area calculations, along with other available information.
“As concern for the vessel increased, RCCNZ made further enquiries with Iridium about all transmissions made from the Nina’s satellite phone during the period of interest,” said Mr Clifford.
On 29 June it became known that the last transmission (a text message), on 4 June, had not been delivered to its intended recipient by the Iridium system. RCCNZ, working with the United States State Department, sought the release of the undelivered text message contents, which RCCNZ received on 3 July.
A copy of the text message follows:
from_unixtime(received_time): 2013-06-03 23:50:25
status: UNDELIVERABLE
src_addr: [phone number]
dest_addr: *2
cshort_message: THANKS STORM SAILS SHREDDED LAST NIGHT, NOW BARE POLES. GOINING 4KT 310DEG WILL UPDATE COURSE INFO @ 6PM
Mr Clifford said the contents of the text message were considered, along with all other information, as part of the planning for today’s search. “The text message gives a clearer indication of the condition of the vessel on 4 June, and the weather that was being experienced at the time,” he said.
“The text message clearly indicates that the Nina was affected by the storm, but gives no indication of immediate distress.
“While it shows that Nina had survived the storm up to that point, very poor weather continued in the area for many hours and has been followed by other storms. The text message, in isolation, does not indicate what might have happened subsequently.
“However, the text message states that Nina’s course information would be updated in just over six hours’ time, at 6pm.
“There have been no further transmissions or messages from the Nina since the undelivered text message on 4 June. There were also no distress messages from either of the two distress alerting devices on board (EPIRB and Spot satellite personal tracker),” Mr Clifford said.
RCCNZ has discussed the details of the text message and other search information gathered to date with representatives of the family and friends of the crew.
Search and rescue officers at RCCNZ will evaluate all the information and decisions about the search operation will be considered overnight and tomorrow.
JULY 4TH: 6.45AM – An RNZAF P3 Orion will depart this morning to resume searching for the crew of an American schooner missing en route from New Zealand to Australia.
Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) has tasked the Orion to search a rectangular area north of and parallel to another area searched by radar on Wednesday last week. The aircraft is expected to depart at around 9am or 10am and will search for about five hours, covering an area of 73,000 square nautical miles that extends as far west as the Middleton and Elizabeth reefs in the Tasman Sea. Today’s search will take the total coverage during the search for Nina to more than 689,500 square kilometres.
RCCNZ Operations Manager John Seward said today’s search area was identified during reassessment overnight of the data gathered from earlier searches and the results of drift modelling from the last known positions for the yacht on 4 June. He said almost all of the new search area has not been searched previously, apart from 2,100 square nautical miles covered on Tuesday.
JULY 3RD: 5.00PM – Bad weather has prevented further searching today for the crew of an American schooner missing en route from New Zealand to Australia. The 21m (70ft) Nina, sailing from Opua in the Bay of Islands to Newcastle with seven people on board, has not been heard from since 4 June.
Search and rescue officers at RCCNZ are continuing to reassess all the information they have gathered so far. Mr Seward said a decision on whether to continue the search will be made after a full review of the search operation is made overnight and tomorrow.
The ocean and shoreline searches have now covered an area totalling more than four times the size of New Zealand. An RNZAF P3 Orion made radar sweeps of broad expanses of the Tasman Sea as far as the Australian coast, and shoreline searches were conducted from Northland south to New Plymouth. Since Sunday, visual searches have been focused on locating a liferaft, targeting areas identified from detailed modeling of drift patterns from the yacht’s last known position on 4 June.
Records show that conditions at the vessel’s last known position were very rough, with winds of 80kmh gusting to 110kmh and swells of up to 8m.
JULY 2ND: 8.00PM – An RNZAF P3 Orion has returned to New Zealand this evening after completing a seventh day of searching, without sighting a missing American schooner or its liferaft.
RCCNZ mission coordinator Dave Wilson said today’s search has not yielded any fresh information and forecast poor weather is likely to prevent any further aerial searching for the next two days. However, he says RCCNZ will continue to evaluate the available data and consider all possible options for the next steps to take.
Mr Wilson said RCCNZ is very concerned for the family and friends who are anxiously awaiting news of the missing vessel and its crew.
JULY 2ND: 8.00AM – The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) has tasked an RNZAF P3 Orion to conduct a search of two areas south of Norfolk Island today, as the search for the crew of an American schooner enters its seventh day.
The P3 Orion was airborne at 6am this morning and will search throughout daylight hours before returning to New Zealand. The search areas will cover 1,700 square nautical miles south-east and 4,000 square nautical miles south-west of Norfolk Island.
RCCNZ mission coordinator Chris Henshaw said the search areas were identified as the result of data modelling and interpretation of drift patterns from the last known position of the yacht on 4 June and other environmental factors, as well as information gathered during the previous searches.
Mr Henshaw said today’s searches will be primarily visual, with the aircraft flying slowly at low altitudes in a tight pattern, to provide optimal conditions for the observers on board. He said the searchers are looking for a liferaft, whereas earlier searches using radar and covering wider expanses of ocean were aimed at locating the schooner.
JULY 1ST – The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) has today requested an RNZAF P3 Orion to search an area north of Northland. The P3 Orion arrived at the search area at around 9.30am and will search until approximately 5pm. The search will use visual and radar methods to look for any sign of the missing schooner or its life raft.
RCCNZ Mission Controller Jeff Lunt said the search area, centred 160 nautical miles north of North Cape is expected to cover approximately 3,780 square nautical miles, has been calculated for a life raft search. If time is available and there’s daylight, the search area will be extended.
JUNE 30TH – The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) today tasked an RNZAF P3 Orion to search an area to the north-east of Northland. The P3 Orion arrived at the search area at around 8am and searched until approximately 4pm. The search used visual and radar methods to look for any sign of the missing schooner or its life raft.
“Today’s search covered an area of 4,830 square nautical miles. Visibility was good, but unfortunately there was no sign of the missing life raft or schooner,” said RCCNZ Mission Controller Mike Roberts.
JUNE 29TH – The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ), conducted a coastal search of New Zealand’s west coast from Port Waikato to New Plymouth with no success. The mission ended at 1:35pm, and was delayed because an aeroplane was “broken”, so a helicopter took off before noon, to conduct today’s search. New Zealand Maritime Radio is continuing to conduct broadcasts in New Zealand’s search and rescue region. RCCNZ Mission Controller Neville Blakemore said a debrief would be held overnight, before a decision on the next stage of the search operation. Maritime NZ asks if anyone has information on the whereabouts of the classic yacht Nina, from the New Zealand area, should call the Rescue Coordination Centre on 0508 472 269 (0508 4 RCCNZ) or +64 4 577 8030 if overseas. Boat operators can contact the Maritime Operations Centre on VHF radio channel 16.
JUNE 28TH – Coordination Center of New Zealand, has undertaken its largest search ever. The latest extensive aerial shoreline search was undertaken along the northern west coast of New Zealand, from Tauroa Point, up to and around the Three Kings Islands without success. A debriefing will occur tonight to discuss the next phase of the search operation.
JUNE 27TH – A statement from Maritime New Zealand released early Thursday indicates “grave concerns” for the six member crew of the classic Starling Burgess designed 1923 schooner yacht “Nina”Our thoughts and prayers go out to all. Last reported communication was June 4th, in “very rough” conditions with winds gusting to 68 mph and 26-foot swells, position 370 miles west-north west of Cape Reinga. Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand’s (RCCNZ) military aircraft have covered a 160,000 square nautical mile search area on Tuesday, with an additional 324,000 square nautical miles examined on Wednesday with no signs of the vessel and her crew.
JUNE 26TH – A search was completed of 324,000 square nautical miles between northern New Zealand and the Australian coast, based on the vessel suffering damage but continuing to make progress towards Australia.
JULY 25TH – A search area of 160,000 square nautical miles was covered, to the immediate north-north-east of New Zealand, based on the vessel being disabled and drifting.
JUNE 14TH – After concerns were raised by family and friends, the Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) instigated a communications, using a range of communications methods to broadcast alerts to the vessel and others in the area.
JUNE 14TH – Friends of the crew got in touch with Mr. McDavitt soon after that, and then alerted authorities.
JUNE 4TH – The next day Meteorologist Bob McDavitt got a text, the last known communication from the boat: “ANY UPDATE 4 NINA? … EVI” McDavitt said he advised the crew to stay put and ride out the storm another day. He continued sending messages over the next few days but received no answer.
JUNE 3RD – Meteorologist Bob McDavitt said he took a satellite phone call from Ms Nemeth on June 3. She asked how to get away from the weather. He said to call back in 30 minutes after he’d studied a forecast. She did. “She was quite controlled in her voice, it sounded like everything was under control,” Mr McDavitt then advised her to head south and to brace for a storm with strong winds and high seas.
MAY 29TH – Nina set sail from Opua in the Bay of Islands for their destination point Newcastle, Australia, ETA June 8th.
Further investigation of events are needed, in order to complete timeline, updates will be provided when available
