Whitsunday sailor safe: ordeal reported
"Thin pall of smoke on desert island gives hope in search for lost sailor" says the UK Daily Mail front page this week.
"The dramatic news came today as local Tongan fishermen waited out a storm that swept through the area where the Englishman, named as Ian Thompson, and his unnamed companion, went missing after their yacht struck a reef last week."
The sensational report includes a photo of Ian Thompson, a youthful 60 and outlines his plans to settle in the idyllic Whitsunday islands of Queensland after sailing his newly purchased yacht Navillus from the Caribbean.
Unfortunately for the UK Daily Mail the photo they used is of Ian Thomson of Airlie Beach who has survived storms and the like and incidentally, has had a 50-foot yacht in Tonga. The photo was lifted from Ian's Facebook page and used without his permission or checking to see if he was at home in Airlie Beach. He is.
So the exciting story, "encountering fierce seas, rescuers believed the pair's only chance of survival, scramble ashore, rain squalls, cliffs on a deserted Pacific island, uninhabited volcanic island, given hope that, wrecked their 50ft yacht, The yacht's wreckage, may have survived a shipwreck – is a bit of a beat up.
But wait there's more. "No sign of the men - until the mysterious pall of smoke was spotted rising up from near the summit of the volcano. Smoke at a volcano?
And there is a girl: A Tongan journalist, Miss Monalisa Palu, reached by the ABC, said that the smoke might be a good sign that the men had managed to make it onto the island.
His (Ian Thompson's) plan was to sail it to the Whitsunday Island and enjoy a 'gentleman's life' in retirement.
'Everyone loves him,' the friend told the Adelaide Advertiser. 'He is very cautious about sea safety and we are all hoping he has washed up somewhere and is safe.'
'The yacht's dinghy has been found and an un-deployed liferaft, as well as a number of life jackets.'
Contacted by The Whitsunday Coast Guardian, Airlie's Ian Thomson replied, "Wow. I look young for 60. Funny that I've had a 50ft yacht in Tonga before but not me this time. I'm safe at home in Airlie."
So while there may be a story about shipwreck in the Pacific, and hopefully it does not include loss of life, it does not include one Ian Thomson of Airlie Beach.
Newspapers, like navigation: Always check your facts!
Canberra's Navy
I heard a joke once or twice about Canberra being the perfect place from which to run the navy, plenty of admirals, bureaucrats and pollies and not a ship on the horizon.
Bit of disaster really, submarines that can't go under water, ships that have trouble going through the water and all run by people that think they walk on water.
This week the latest second hand ship bought with much trumpeting and self-praise glory by the Canberra mob could not take part in the current exercise at Shoalwater Bay Training Area, as HMAS Choules had to limp home for propulsion repairs having lost half its engine power.
Royal Australian Navy's 'new' landing ship had a defect that was "very unusual" said the previous British owners.
"Never had a problem wif it Gov, never a prob, ever, really," a spokeschap said.
The problem highlights the parlous state of the Australian Navy's fleet. HMAS Choules was bought from the United Kingdom last year to fill the gaping hole left in the amphibious ship fleet due to problems with HMAS Tobruk, HMAS Sirius and HMAS Success.
HMAS Sirius has been in planned maintenance for most of this year and HMAS Success has not been operational since December 2010, with $86m spent on the ship to try to fix its problems.
Wonder if it has anything to do with the lowest level of funding in Defence since 1938?
Whitsunday marine notice
Diving operations around aids to navigation in various locations, that a team of divers will be conducting visual inspections of a number of aids to navigation in the Whitsunday area.
The divers will be operating off the vessel 'Harwood', registration number 450QD, will display the appropriate signals and keep a listening watch on VHF channels 12 and 16. Vessels should keep well clear and exercise caution in the vicinity. AUS charts 250, 251, 252, 253, 823 & 824.
Einstein was right
"If you can't explain it simply you don't understand it enough"
Fair winds to Ye!
Cap'n Dan
