Hi List: You may be aware that a 20 year female was washed overboard in
heavy seas last Friday. She was wearing an deep sea immersion suit and the water
temperature was 21 centigrade. She was not wearing a life jacket. The CG
estimates that she has about 36 hours survival time and are presently searching
for her. My comment is to state that these trainees and crew should have used
jack lines when on deck in any weather. I cannot understand that this
procedure  was not enforced. Anne and I on our Atlantic crossings and other open
waters  trained ourselves to always be connected to the boat. It takes a certain
discipline and that I  believe was not followed on this training  ship. It
will be interesting to follow the investigation that will follow  and what
conclusions will be made. Regards. Leonard Stern,  INDIFFERENCE

N.S. woman, 25, swept overboard
Tall ship hit by massive wave off Cape Cod
Dec. 10, 2006. 01:00 AM
ALISON AULD
CANADIAN PRESS

HALIFAX-An air search for a 25-year-old woman who was washed over the side
of a Nova Scotia-based tall ship by a rogue wave was called off last night
and was expected to resume at first light today.

U.S. Coast Guard spokeswoman Lieut. Stephanie Burns said an American C-130
aircraft that had been searching an area about 765 kilometres east-southeast
of Cape Cod, Mass., had finished its search.

There was still no sign of the Canadian woman, who was swept off the Picton
Castle at about 9:30 Friday night after a large rogue wave slammed into the
sailing ship.

Burns said another Hercules would return this morning to continue looking,
while the Picton Castle planned to continue searching through the night.

The U.S. Coast Guard estimated the woman would be able to survive about 36
hours, based on factors including her age, her physical fitness and the
water temperature of around 22C.

"The 36-hour point should be about 9 o'clock (this morning), so if we do a
first-light search in the morning that will take us through that 36-hour
point," said Burns. "At that point we'll evaluate whether or not to actually
suspend or possibly keep searching."

A merchant tanker had also helped in the search. The Coast Guard has said
the woman was not wearing a life jacket and the seas were as high as seven
metres, while winds reached gale-force strength.

Dan Moreland, senior captain of the Picton Castle, said crew aboard the
55-metre barque have told him a massive wave washed over the ship as it was
en route to Grenada after leaving Lunenburg, N.S., on Tuesday.

The ship, which focuses on training and long-distance education, has berths
for 40 trainees and 12 professional crew.

Moreland, one of the vessel's two captains, said the crew immediately threw
several pieces of rescue gear into the water to mark the site and give the
woman something to grab onto.

It was pitch black at the time, he said. As darkness closed in yesterday,
the Picton and the commercial vessel were forced to shine lights on the
water's surface.

"There's prospect for hope, but the longer it is, the worse it is," he said.
"The crew is tired, but they're persevering. This is a rough go."