SARdean
04-16-2010, 01:52 PM
Skipper refused to radio for help: being investigated over missing boat
CBC News: Friday, April 16, 2010 | 9:30 AM ET
Britain's Maritime and Coastguard Agency is investigating the captain who apparently refused to radio for help while his vessel was adrift for six weeks in the Pacific Ocean with two Canadians and others on board, CBC News has learned. Captain Rob Norwind is based in Ecuador, but his ship is registered in the United Kingdom. He was in charge when what was supposed to be a 40-day voyage lasted 84 days for his wife and three sailing students — Montrealer Josée (Jade) Chabot, Lisa Hanlon of Nelson, B.C., and Australian Mitchell Westlake.
The three crew members who signed up for the course aboard a 13-metre sloop, SS Columbia, said Norwind refused to turn on his shortwave radio to let someone know they were safe but stranded in becalmed waters and expected to arrive at their destination later than planned. They said Norwind told them he didn't want to drain the boat's batteries. Their extended stay at sea finally ended last Sunday when they arrived in Coquimbo, Chile.
Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesman Mark Clark said it appears the vessel is equipped with required long-range radios and GPS tracking equipment. Clark said he plans to speak with Chabot in the next few days. He'll also be in touch with other crew members. Norwind could lose his U.K. shipping licence, Clark said.
"We would encourage the local authorities to take it to court with our backing. We're a long way down the road from that yet. We just have to gather evidence and that's what we're doing," he told CBC.
Similar voyage in 2002
Australian Darren Lewis sailed on the Columbia with Norwind in 2002. He was shocked when he heard this story. "It reminded me of my trip. It sounded almost eerily similar," he said. Lewis said his family nearly gave him up for dead when the Columbia was stranded for two weeks, and he said Norwind refused to use the radio to let people know where the ship was. "It's not something I look back with fond memories, because of the pain that it caused my parents and family."
CBC tried to contact Norwind in Ecuador. He did not return emails or phone calls.
Emotional reunion for Montrealer
Chabot, meanwhile, returned home Thursday. The tearful reunion with her family took place at Montreal's Trudeau Airport. She said while the Columbia was adrift, the captain wouldn't even use the radio to try to contact other ships. During that time, Chabot's husband, Martin Neufeld, feared she had died at sea. Chabot, 50, said she's thrilled to be home. "It makes me really appreciate being home. It makes me want to not leave again. It makes me want to be close to my family," she said. Chabot said she and other crew members refused to work, hoping that would force Norwind to turn on the radio, but he responded by accusing them of mutiny and threatened to throw them overboard. Neufeld said he and his wife are considering legal action against the captain.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2010/04/16/norwind-columbia-investigation.html#ixzz0lI4liTxF
CBC News: Friday, April 16, 2010 | 9:30 AM ET
Britain's Maritime and Coastguard Agency is investigating the captain who apparently refused to radio for help while his vessel was adrift for six weeks in the Pacific Ocean with two Canadians and others on board, CBC News has learned. Captain Rob Norwind is based in Ecuador, but his ship is registered in the United Kingdom. He was in charge when what was supposed to be a 40-day voyage lasted 84 days for his wife and three sailing students — Montrealer Josée (Jade) Chabot, Lisa Hanlon of Nelson, B.C., and Australian Mitchell Westlake.
The three crew members who signed up for the course aboard a 13-metre sloop, SS Columbia, said Norwind refused to turn on his shortwave radio to let someone know they were safe but stranded in becalmed waters and expected to arrive at their destination later than planned. They said Norwind told them he didn't want to drain the boat's batteries. Their extended stay at sea finally ended last Sunday when they arrived in Coquimbo, Chile.
Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesman Mark Clark said it appears the vessel is equipped with required long-range radios and GPS tracking equipment. Clark said he plans to speak with Chabot in the next few days. He'll also be in touch with other crew members. Norwind could lose his U.K. shipping licence, Clark said.
"We would encourage the local authorities to take it to court with our backing. We're a long way down the road from that yet. We just have to gather evidence and that's what we're doing," he told CBC.
Similar voyage in 2002
Australian Darren Lewis sailed on the Columbia with Norwind in 2002. He was shocked when he heard this story. "It reminded me of my trip. It sounded almost eerily similar," he said. Lewis said his family nearly gave him up for dead when the Columbia was stranded for two weeks, and he said Norwind refused to use the radio to let people know where the ship was. "It's not something I look back with fond memories, because of the pain that it caused my parents and family."
CBC tried to contact Norwind in Ecuador. He did not return emails or phone calls.
Emotional reunion for Montrealer
Chabot, meanwhile, returned home Thursday. The tearful reunion with her family took place at Montreal's Trudeau Airport. She said while the Columbia was adrift, the captain wouldn't even use the radio to try to contact other ships. During that time, Chabot's husband, Martin Neufeld, feared she had died at sea. Chabot, 50, said she's thrilled to be home. "It makes me really appreciate being home. It makes me want to not leave again. It makes me want to be close to my family," she said. Chabot said she and other crew members refused to work, hoping that would force Norwind to turn on the radio, but he responded by accusing them of mutiny and threatened to throw them overboard. Neufeld said he and his wife are considering legal action against the captain.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2010/04/16/norwind-columbia-investigation.html#ixzz0lI4liTxF