Where's Windigo?

We were recently contacted by the owners of the vessel s/v Windigo.

Windigo, Abandoned at Sea
Last seen at 24-49.3S / 179-49.2E
I don't have full details, but Windigo was abandonded at sea a few weeks ago in a bad storm on the way from Tonga to New Zealand. The crew were injured in the knockdown, and were ultimately rescued by a passing freighter. But it seems that Windigo is still floating. Here is the email we have received:

Recently Steve & I (Tania) were on passage between Tonga and New Zealand and we were hit by a severe storm and rolled, we sustained a fair amount of damage to our home of the last 3yrs. She has no steering (possibly), no bilge, no battery (possibly..as we left the motor running) no lights, and a broken starboard hatch. SHE CAN SAIL all rigging and sails in excellent condition.

We are uninsured (unfortunately) and would love to see her again!!!

Windigo was last spotted on 17 November 2012

Position
24 degrees, 49.3min South
179 degrees, 49.2min East

SSR 141391 ON STERN

Windigo has a British flag and she has her dingy and motor still on board
Her Dodger is gone but the frame is half there.

Her HATCH needs to be closed, if anyone gets close enough to her.

Our bilge pump broke down during storm, so we are worried about more flooding.

If anyone spots her, please email us on sywindigo@hotmail.com

Steve & Tania are now in Auckland, heading to Opua Northland, to THANK the most amazing people Bruce & Marcelle on sailing yacht ADVENTURE BOUND who came to our side risking their own lives, we will be forever grateful. And of course Orion NZ Rescue Airforce,The NZ Navy and CAPT Norman Mc Nee, who all played a vital part in our continued future.

Thank you
Tania & Steve
s/v Windigo
sywindigo@hotmail.com

Windigo, Abandoned at Sea
Tania & Steve from s/v Windigo

You can read a little more on the incident on this BBC online account

In googling for some background on the incident, it seems that the "looking for our boat" has already been widely reported in the sailing news circles (Noonsite, Cruiser's Forum, etc).

Hanging out in Melbourne FL

We are really enjoying having a place to call home, and doing sorta normal things with our friends in Melbourne... TGIF at MYC, regattas and sailboat racing, playing golf, etc.

Sherry Aboard Sleighride in the MYC Fall Regatta
Photo Courtesy Ross Herbert
Having Fun Just Being "Rail Meat"
Photo Courtesy Ross Herbert
Chasing Santarella Downwind
Photo Courtesy Ross Herbert
Dave has been helping our friend Marlene Sassaman get her boat, Spray, ready to go long-distance cruising. Spray is a 35-foot Brown Searunner Trimaran. Marlene took a shakedown cruise to Bermuda this summer, and hopes to be gone "somewhere south" in a few months. She keeps telling everyone that soon she'll be following Soggy Paws around the world...single-handed.

We've also been attending to various business and "doing doctors".

This weekend, Dave is going over to the Orlando area to hang out with some of his Naval Academy buddies... they'll reminisce, hang out, and play golf.

I am going stay in Melbourne and hang out at MYC. There's TGIF on Friday, a Volunteer Workday and a Blood Drive on Saturday, and small sailboat racing on Sunday. Sounds like a perfect weekend.

We'll both enjoy a little bit of "separation time".

Finally "Home" in Melbourne

The last leg of our trip home was through familiar grounds, visiting family.

We first stopped at my brother John's house in Hawthorne, FL. We were there the day that Hurricane Sandy hit NY/NJ. We sat and watched the whole coverage on TV with John. It was odd being on the other end of the stick--usually it's us sitting there with Jim Cantori of The Weather Channel in our backyards. So glad it wasn't us, this time! I totally empathize with all those people in NY/NJ.

GRIB File Show Sandy About to Hit the NY/NJ Coast
We did also manage to get out on John's 4-Wheelers and zoom around on his property. We also got a tour of his Lake Area Nursery greenhouses.

Heading Out on the Quads
The Lake Area Nursery Mandevilla Greenhouses
One of John's Patented Pink Velvet Mandevillas
John's Truck
Our last stop on our 4,800 mile trip was at Dave's Cousin Bryan's house in Largo, FL. Bryan is like a brother to Dave and is always happy to see us. He has been handling our mail, so we needed stop in and pick up the 50 lbs of mail accumulated in the last 10 months. We played some golf with Bryan and enjoyed a couple of days hanging out in the Heliker Hilton (though, it was too darned cold to enjoy the pool).

Then we headed across the state to our hometown of Melbourne, just in time for TGIF at Melbourne Yacht Club.

I got to go racing on s/v Sleighride in the Women's Race on Saturday. There wasn't much wind, but we had fun getting out on the water with "The Girls".

We're Ahead!! (but not for long)
Getting the Weight Forward
On Sunday, Dave got to play in MYC's Pars and Bars Golf Tournament.

Dave's Foursome at MYC's Pars and Bars
(with Ex-Husband Lenny)
The weather here in Melbourne is beautiful... highs in the mid 70's and sunny. We are loving being back in our tiny condo on Melbourne Harbor, at least for a little while.