N E W S   F R O M   C H A T H A M

 G R E A T   N E W S    F R O M    C H A T H A M  ! ! !

This news came to us today, August 19th, from the correspondent of 'The Cape Cod Chronicle' Alan Pollock . Here is Letter from Nova Scotia, which he has forwarded to us 

I read your articles on Emmanuel Coindre and I was wondering if you would have a telephone number or a way I could get in contact with him.

My husband is a fisherman and this trip he come across the Ladybird. He towed it in to our local wharf, it is in good shape. My husband's name is Scott Shand, he owns the fishing boat "Connor & John".It is a 45 X 18 foot lobster and fishing vessel.  He left port on Friday August 15 to go longline trawling for cod and haddock.

When  turned it over and discovered the name and website (www.emmanuelcoindre.com) he contacted the Coast Guard which told him the background on the boat.
Scott anchored the boat and fished for two days, then towed it to port (Bear Point, Shelburne County) Sunday Aug. 17 at nine pm.
We were all amazed that someone would row across the Atlantic in such a tiny boat. The boat is in pretty good shape and all his things are still aboard it.
We are anxious for Emmanuel to get his boat back, knowing how much it means to him after reading your articles.

Chasity & Scott Shand

Shelburne County
Nova Scotia, Canada

To see more photos of Ladybird in Bear Point  click here >>>

Monday, August 11th

Last Thursday The Coast Guard managed to reach the fishing vessel that had seen Emmanuel's boat on Sunday, a week ago. But this vessel returned to the port.
Emmanuel continues his intensive research, but last week there was not a single window of favourable weather to make an overflight of the zone (a lot of rain and fog), and no new positions of Lady Bird have been reported to the Coast Guard by any vessel.
All the ships in the area are informed.  Emmanuel keeps hope that the retrieval of his Lady Bird  is still possible.

Wednesday, August 6th

A fishing vessel located the boat of Emmanuel at 10.30am Sunday, August 3, and gave her positions to the Coast Guard. Emmanuel, being informed immediately, tried to find in Chatham a fisherman, who could leave for that zone, but on Sunday there was not too much possibility to find any.
Monday, Tuesday and today Wednesday, there is fog and rain.
Since Tuesday afternoon, Emmanuel is in close contact with the Coast Guard, trying to reach the fishing vessel which had located his boat on Sunday, in order to be sure of her new positions, before launching the next search. But for the moment there is no answer.
 

Sunday, August 3rd

Emmanuel keeps searching for his capsized boat, by all  possible means he has at his disposal. The solidarity of certain inhabitants of Chatham is extraordinary, and we are thanking them for it very, very cordially. These people feel interdependent of the distress of the young oarsman, because they understand that Emmanuel does not want and cannot resolve to give up his boat, after all the sufferings which they endured together and pulled through together last year on the same route. We hope and we pray that Emmanuel finds his Ladybird.

  Wednesday, July 30th

E M M A N U E L' S   R E P O R T

The following text is via computer translation program, so expect some minor inaccuracies.
For original text in French go to http://www.emmanuelcoindre.com/

"Sunday at the end of the day a large depression arrived, very formed sea, 35 knots of South/West wind, waves breaking, stiff, of more than 4 m. All unrolled well and strong.

This morning, Monday, at about 3 a.m. I capsized. The boat, fully loaded, didn't self right and was remaining bottom up for 3 hours.

At the end of the third hour I had to make a decision: the sea was calming down, the elements would never have made the boat recover to normal position. The hull started to leek, water appeared in the compartment and the cabin (1/3 of cabin was filled with water).

The decision should have been made to leave, which I did. I tried to right the boat from outside during the next 5 hours, but I never managed to do it. In no way with weather conditions calming down, it would be possible to do it without external assistance.

With my boat upside down, my Argos beacon did not transmit any more. The C.L.S. (Argos Service in France) called Monday afternoon to my family to warn them that something unusual had happened. It was only then that CLS learnt about my capsizing and understood why my beacon was not transmitting for more than 6 hours. My family explained them that I was trying hard to right my boat.

The CLS thus informed the Rescue Coordination Centre, who made a call to my family to get my latest positions, and then alerted US Coast Guard.

Initially, a US Coast Guard plane flew over me, and threw a waterproof bag, containing radio, so that we could communicate and coordinate the operation, but the parcel landed on sea too far from me. Then a helicopter arrived and picked me up, and I was comforted by US Coast Guard, who welcomed me very cordially.
Before being picked up, I left my Argos on "ON" position, knowing, that I was leaving my boat adrift.
It was independent on my will that the project was stopped,
I did my best."

Emmanuel

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

U. S. Coast Guard

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                    July 28, 2003

Release No. 073-03                                                                                                                                                1 p.m.
Contact: Public Affairs 617-223-8515

Ocean rower rescued 100 miles offshore

CAPE COD, Mass. – The Coast Guard hoisted a man from his ocean rower this morning after it reportedly capsized about 100 miles east of Chatham during his attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean.  

Emmanuel Coindre left Chatham, Mass., July 26 for d’Ouessant, France, a distance of more than 3,000 miles, in his rowing vessel, the Lady Bird.   

Coindre’s father, who lives in France, notified Rescue Coordination Center France, of his son’s situation, and RCC France relayed the information to the Coast Guard shortly after 10 a.m. today.  

A Falcon jet from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod located the man sitting in his ocean rower, apparently in no immediate danger, and dropped him a radio.  Coindre established communications with the nearby Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma and requested to be taken off the Lady Bird.   

A Coast Guard Jayhawk rescue helicopter arrived on scene shortly thereafter and hoisted Coindre from the Lady Bird at 11:50 a.m.  The Jayhawk is currently headed towards Air Station Cape Cod where an awaiting ambulance will transport Coindre to Cape Cod Hospital.   

Coindre has a personal floatation device and an emergency position indicating radio beacon on board his craft.  

It is unclear of the exact nature of Coindre’s distress and how he was able to relay the distress to his father in France.
 

For more information on Coindre’s trip and ocean rowing, visit http://www.oceanrowing.com/Emmanuel_Coindre/2003/dist_map.htm.
This is not an official Coast Guard Web site and the Coast Guard
makes no claim to its accuracy.

– USCG –