Saturday, June 6, 2009

looking for information

crclawson said...

Today Gunthers family removed the Scumdinger and everything else washed ashore. If anything else is found please try and get it to Pieter Vanzanden. Gunther's mom would really like to have any/all posessions found which belong to him and I am sure the same goes for Donkee's family. 
Any information about the survivors and their story would be very welcome as it seems that near everyone has had no contact with any of them. Names I have heard thrown around are a guy named Kelly; a girl named Mara and another maybe Angela? 

The most recent story I heard is that Gunther, Donkee and two girls began swimming to shore shortly after the boat capsised. The other guy and the last girl stayed with the boat for at least an hour after the rest begain swimming. Possibly to try and rescue the dog but I am not sure. During that time apparently they heard both distressed yells as well as "victorious" yells which led them to believe the others had made it. I believe that is the point at which they swam to shore and got there safely. 
If this is a close account of what happened it would be great to hear from the girls who began swimming with Donkee and Gunther. 

I just want them home.

7 comments:

  1. Also today Gunther's family as well as some friends including Pieter, Nora, and I opened the van. Rosa (Gunther's mom) took some keepsakes and the van was towed to Pieters home and will remain there til the family decides what to do with it. I took some photos of the inside of the van which can be found at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/album.php?aid=115436&id=774410694

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  2. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=115436&id=774410694&l=b8ba5fb3b9 try this link if the one above doesn't work.

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  3. Testimony from the swimmers is crucial.

    Who swam ashore where is extremely important. If whoever stayed with the boat didn't get out at Post Point and were washed over the shoal, then the Nooksack delta is the place to look. There are places there that would be very difficult to get out of. If whoever stayed with the boat did get out at Post Point and everyone else swam to Clarkes Point, then the Nooksack delta isn't an important target and the coast south of the shoal is the place to look, or possibly the east coast of Portage Island.

    That's a tricky bit of coast there. I'm guessing they were reaching hard off the island on a port tack and when they got into the lee of the cliffs, a gust curled over the land and slammed their sails to starboard. Everyone would have had their weight on the starboard rail to keep the boat upright, but with the sails suddenly rolling the boat that direction, it's easy to see how it could have knocked them down.

    It's counter-intuitive, but if you are ever in a similar situation, head out from shore and steer well out to the Post Point buoy. That will keep you out of flukey winds and out of dangerous waves climbng the shoal.

    Wishing for the best. The swimmers hold the key.

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  4. thanks, I just told some people in a boat this info

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  5. Melissa, I see that you have a follower named Morgan. Could this be the brother/sister of Kelly who posted under the Herald story? It's worth checking out. It's not a very common name. Do you have a way of contacting your blog followers?

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  6. I saw Kelly Friday night. Don't know his last name but he works for the RE Store field crew part-time.

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  7. Just wanted to add incase its any help...that I went and spoke with a police officer at the coast guard station th evening of friday the 5th, who got on the phone and was able to tell me the name of one of the gals involved, and it was "Alicia". This is really weird that nobody knows who swam to shore for certain. love Maggie

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