schooner yacht nina

The New York Times

City room | a maritime beauty, possibly gone forever, a maritime beauty, possibly gone forever.

The Nina, which disappeared recently in the waters between Australia and New Zealand, in an unknown location in 1957.

John Rousmaniere remembers the last time he saw Nina in top form. It was 1962, and it was dazzling its way to Bermuda, leaving a bunch of younger and sleeker challengers in its wake.

It already was a rare craft, a mahogany schooner racing across the ocean against a pack of sloops and yawls. It had been 15 years since it was the flagship of the New York Yacht Club, but the yacht was still turning heads with its sails billowing out from its wooden masts.

“It was really dramatic” to race against Nina, Mr. Rousmaniere recalled a few days ago, as news of the vessel’s disappearance spread. “It’s a tragedy that she’s been lost.”

The 70-foot schooner left New Zealand in late May, bound for the west coast of Australia with seven people aboard, including a family from Florida who had sailed it around the world for more than four years. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation , those on the yacht included the family — David Dyche, 58; his wife, Rosemary, 60; and their son David — Evi Nemeth, 73; and a Briton, Matthew Wootton, 35. A 28-year-old man and an 18-year-old woman, identified by her father as Danielle Wright, according to the Australian newspaper The Age , were also aboard.

The last known communication from Nina was on June 4 when it was caught in a severe storm. A text message released on Thursday, which had been sent by satellite phone from the vessel to a meteorologist, said, “THANKS STORM SAILS SHREDDED LAST NIGHT, NOW BARE POLES,” and indicated that information about its course would soon be updated. No such update ever came, and the BBC reported that rescuers called off the search for the yacht last week.

Aerial searches of a vast expanse of the Tasman Sea yielded no sign of the schooner or any of its passengers. Leaders of the search said they believed it sank suddenly in the storm, leaving no time for the crew to deploy lifeboats.

If Nina did sink, it would spell the end of a long, eventful life that took the yacht from its creation on Cape Cod to New York City, to Bermuda and back many times, across the Atlantic to Europe, to Florida and, finally, to the South Pacific. Along the way, it was a racer, a flagship, a training vessel for aspiring mariners and the unrequited love of so many sailors.

“She represents the end of an era,” said Nick van Nes, whose father, Hans, owned Nina for more than 15 years. “You rarely see so much love and loyalty going into a boat.”

The Nina was carrying seven people, including a family from Florida, when it went missing.<br /><br /><br />

Mr. van Nes, 68, recalled that when his father was looking for a place to keep Nina after leaving the New York area for New England, the schooner was embraced wherever he took it. “He sailed into Vineyard Haven, and the owner of the shipyard said, ‘You can dock here anytime as my guest. I’d be honored,’ ” Mr. van Nes recounted on Friday from his home on Martha’s Vineyard.

Nina was built in 1928 on Cape Cod, designed by William Starling Burgess for its first owner, Paul Hammond. The schooner immediately shocked the yachting world in July 1928 by winning a race from New York to Santander, Spain, and capturing a cup offered by the queen of Spain.

A month later, Nina won the Fastnet Race off the coast of England, and its competitive credentials were established.

In 1935, DeCoursey Fales, a banker who was a member of the New York Yacht Club, bought Nina. When Mr. Fales was elected commodore of the yacht club, whose headquarters are in a Beaux-Arts landmark building on 44th Street in Manhattan, Nina became the club’s flagship.

Mr. Fales lovingly maintained Nina and raced it aggressively, Mr. Rousmaniere, the historian of the New York Yacht Club, recalled. He kept the vessel at a boatyard at City Island, which then was a haven for racing yachts.

He made sure to keep Nina stripped down to its fighting weight.

“Day races, Bermuda races, overnight races, he kept at it,” Mr. Rousmaniere said.

By 1962, when Nina should have been well past its prime, Mr. Fales entered it in a Newport-to-Bermuda race against a pack of yawls and single-masted sloops. With the wind just right to take advantage of the schooner’s big sails, Mr. Fales sailed Nina to an unexpected victory.

“It was a very popular win because the boat was so handsome,” Mr. Rousmaniere said.

The health of Mr. Fales, who was 74 when he won the race to Bermuda, soon began to fail, but his enthusiasm for racing Nina did not. Mr. van Nes recalled seeing Mr. Fales strapped into the helm when he no longer had the strength to keep his balance on Nina. He died in 1966 while the boat was racing to Bermuda.

After his death, Nina passed from one owner to another, briefly belonging to the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y. By 1975, the schooner had been sitting idle at a marina in Stamford, Conn., for a few years during a dispute over payment for repairs.

Mr. van Nes said he encouraged the marina’s owner to auction off Nina, because he wanted the vessel for himself. At the time, he was charging tourists and workers on Wall Street $3.75 for a 45-minute lunchtime cruise from Battery Park at the tip of Manhattan. There was so much demand for a short jaunt in the harbor, he was certain he could use another schooner there.

Mr. van Nes persuaded his father to bid up to $75,000 for Nina, promising to repay him over several years. Hans van Nes won the auction with a bid of $49,700, but Nina had the same effect on him that it had on so many other sailors.

Mr. van Nes never owned Nina because his father would not give it up. He took the schooner to Massachusetts and sailed it with a group of friends on regular trips from New Bedford to Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard and back, Mr. van Nes said.

“He just absolutely loved the boat, and everybody he sailed with loved it, too,” Mr. van Nes said. His father eventually sold Nina to Mr. Dyche, the Florida resident who was sailing the yacht when it disappeared en route to Australia last month.

Mr. van Nes confessed that his own sentiments toward Nina were so persistent that about a week before he heard of Nina’s disappearance, he had searched online for information about its whereabouts. Wistful, he said, he found a YouTube video of the Dyche family happily sailing it across the Atlantic, bound for Ireland. The schooner was still a sight to behold.

He recalled that Olin Stephens, one of the most successful designers of racing yachts in history, once told him that Nina was the only yacht that looked great from any angle. Try as he might, Mr. Stephens told him, he had never been able to match Nina in the looks department.

“That was always a great tribute to the boat,” Mr. van Nes said.

What's Next

News & Views
Boats & Gear
Lunacy Report
Techniques & Tactics

SCHOONER NINA: Missing and Presumed Sunk

Thanks to a heads-up from WaveTrain rider Gareth Hughes I’ve been following this story over the past several days on the Cruisers Forum . I didn’t write anything, however, as I thought the missing boat would soon show up. Now that seems increasingly unlikely, and it would appear that the fabled 59-foot schooner Nina , winner of the 1928 Transatlantic Race to Spain, the 1928 Fastnet Race, and the 1962 Newport-Bermuda Race, among others, has gone down with all hands somewhere between New Zealand and Australia.

Nina left Opua in the Bay of Islands bound for Newcastle, Australia, on May 29 on what was expected to be a 10- to 12-day passage. The last voice contact was on June 3, when meteorologist Bob McDavitt gave her crew weather-routing advice via sat phone. Their position at the time was about 370 miles west of New Zealand. The following day McDavitt received a text message asking for an update, and nothing has been heard since. Following three days of unsuccessful aerial searches over this past week, Kiwi SAR authorities have reportedly stated it is “logical to assume” the schooner sank. The crew of seven included the owner, David Dyche, 58, his wife Rosemary, 60, their son David, 17, a family friend, Evi Nemeth, 73, and three others, two men and one woman, who have not been identified. When last heard from, Nina and her crew were caught in a gale with winds blowing from 43 to 60 knots.

Owner David Dyche at the wheel of Nina

I’ve been struck by the mainstream media’s great interest in this story and can only assume it is because of Nina ‘s age and pedigree, as all accounts seem to refer to her as a “classic” and/or “historic” vessel. She is all that and more, and as sailors we should remember her (if it comes to that) more explicitly.

These days we all cite Olin Stephens ‘ famous yawl Dorade as the boat that transformed ocean racing and modern yacht design in the early 20th century, but really that was a process that started with Nina . Prior to Nina , ocean racing was dominated by much more conservative gaff-rigged “fisherman” schooners, many of them designed by John Alden . Nina , designed by W. Starling Burgess for Paul Hammond, retained a schooner rig, but flew a huge Marconi main with staysails forward, and her hull was narrower and deeper with a more swept-back keel than Alden’s more traditional hulls. Also, her construction was light for the time, and her masts were hollow. Most particularly, she was much more closewinded than traditional schooners, which is how she won the race to Spain.

Linton Rigg, sailing master on second-place Pinta , a gaff-rigged Alden schooner, described the finish as follows:

When we finally made landfall on Spain, Nina was way down on the horizon behind us. Then the wind died and came out dead ahead. The best an Alden schooner, gaff rigged, could make on the wind in that light going was six points, while Nina was doing four and a half. It almost broke our hearts to see Nina go by us to windward almost within sight of the finish.

Nina , seen here flying her original rig, was described by some as a “two-masted cutter.” Her mainmast is nearly amidships and her formast is so short her triatic stay is in a straight line with her forestay

Later in her career Nina was given a taller foremast, seen here

In the end Nina beat Pinta by 29 hours. Later that summer, when she lined up for the Fastnet Race at Cowes in England, she was considered so radical there was serious discussion of banning her from the fleet. Conditions favored her–light headwinds–and she won that race, too, by a margin of over nine hours.

A model of Nina side by side with a model of the cutter Jolie Brise , which corrected out to second place in the ’28 Fastnet Race. The blatant differences between these craft should give some idea of why the Brits thought it unfair for Nina to race

For much of her career Nina belonged to DeCoursey Fales, a commodore of the New York Yacht Club, and served for a time as the club’s flagship. Fales was her owner when she won the 1962 Bermuda Race at age 34, thanks to two massive gollywobblers she carried in her sail inventory, which were known respectively as “the Monster” and “the Grand Monster.” Fales at the time was himself age 74, and there was much ado in Hamilton, as you might imagine, over the fact that the race had been won by the oldest boat and skipper in the fleet.

Lines drawing of Nina

Profile and accommodation plan

For the past couple of decades Nina has belonged to the Dyche family, who, by all accounts, have maintained her carefully and have sailed her well on a long series of bluewater cruises. Here you can see her in action in a video made by one starstruck crew member during a passage to the Azores in 1992:

There is still some hope she and her crew will reappear soon–we can only pray this will be the case.

UPDATE (July 4): One story I’m seeing early this a.m. claims another text message, delivery of which was delayed, was received after Nina survived the gale of June 4. This message allegedly said the schooner’s sails were damaged, but that she was still making progress. Kiwi SAR authorities are searching a new area today. The formerly unidentified crew are Danielle Wright (18), Kyle Jackson (27), and Mathew Wootton (35). All onboard but Woottoon, a Brit, are U.S. citizens.

UPDATE (July 11): Pls. note I’ve changed one photo here, the third one, pursuant to a comment below. Still no word or sign of Nina and the search for her has been suspended. The situation seems quite bleak, I’m afraid.

DEAD GUY: Bill Butler

NORTHBOUND LUNACY 2024: The Return of Capt. Cripple—Solo from the Virgins All the Way Home

The late Frank Snyder who was also a commodore of NYYC told me that she was built as a rule beater, and the premise was that the stays should line up to make her into a schooner in name only, thereby gaining a rating advantage. Frank would have been born about 1920 so his information was not current with the building of the boat.

Evi Nemeth the friend of a very good friend is a larger than life character, it is difficult to think of her not surviving http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evi_Nemeth

Very good summary and interesting history! Makes one wonder about the conditions such that forecasts wouldn’t have called for a delay…..

@Gareth: Yes, my understanding is Nina was built as a rule-beater. Specifically, Paul Hammond had her designed explicitly for the race to Spain and to the rule that governed it.

@Don: My understanding was the forecast was not great, but I don’t know enough to second-guess their decision to leave. I gather crossing the Tasman is much like sailing from New England to Bermuda in the fall. Leave too early and you risk tangling with a tropical system; leave too late and you’re into winter gales. Plus, crossing the Tasman takes much longer! If you wait for a perfect window, you’ll never leave.

Nice….

Just to let you know that the first photo you show here is not Nina but is the boat Ninita which my wife Jenny and I own, racing in the Azores a few years ago. Ninita was built for us to Burgess’ plans for Nina but in 2004 and she carries the original Burgess sail plan. We are facebook friends of the Dyches and are still hoping…

Sorry, I said first photo, but meant 3rd…

@Paul: Thanks for pointing that out! I’ve put in another photo. I’m still hoping, too, but the chances are getting pretty slim, I’d say.

We just keep hoping. No identified debris yet? so perhaps still some hope …

It’s time wikipedia had an entry for Ni

“I know my daughter is alive and waiting to be rescued” – Ricky & Robin Wright, parents of 19-year old Danielle Wright, Niña Crew Member

“matthew is strong and a survivalist and we know he is still aboard the niña and trying to make his way home”, – sue & ian wootton, parents of matthew wootton, niña crew member.

On July 18th the families contacted Texas Equusearch Search and Recovery (TES), a non-profit volunteer service organization dedicated to assisting families find and return lost love ones (www.txeq.org) and asked for help in finding the Niña and her crew. TES formed a small core team of technology specialists and work began work creating a search and rescue plan.

Efforts to get U.S, New Zealand, and Australian support failed, leaving the families and TES completely on their own. However, money was raised, 100s of volunteers were recruited, and search efforts began. Experienced search and recovery flight crews were hired and have flown over 100 missions near New Zealand, Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island and Australia.

Needing wider range coverage, TES was successful in bringing on DigitalGlobe and its subsidiary Tomnod, who have graciously supplied free-of-charge high resolution satellite images. The process is to review the satellite images via the Internet, and when an object of interest is identified, send a search plane out to look for it. However, this resource has also failed to accurately locate the missing Niña.

Funds are very limited since they come from private donations and are used to pay for the aerial searches, drift modeling, and other activities to keep this search going. But the bottom line is from hundreds of hours of hard work, the Niña has not been found and our continued hope is she will be seen by passing ships or planes, or run aground on many of the coastal islands in the area and be rescued.

How can you help?

Donate Sign the Petition

Like us on Facebook to get the latest info & to know if/when new satellite images are posted and other updates for how you can help find the Niña.

The Dyche Family

Kyle Jackson

Matthew Wootton

Danielle Wright

General Monthly Updates
Families’ Response to Review
SAR Lessons
Search Support
Official Communications
Maps of Aircraft Search Tracks
Objects of Interest
Wind Models
Drift Models
Satellite Image Information

The Nina families still not given up hope (Radio New Zealand)

Sue is interviewed by Radio New Zealand: http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/2584518

Lost at Sea (The Sydney Morning Herald)

The schooner Niña disappeared during a storm in the Tasman Sea last June. Frank Robson meets the parents of one of the missing crew, who continue to search for their daughter. Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/lost-at-sea-20140205-32039.html#ixzz2t3qL9yK1

An update from Robin Wright

A message from Robin Wright: Ricky and I are wrapping up our visit to Australia and New Zealand in the next 2 weeks. It’s hard to even think about coming home without Danielle, but we’ve done everything we know to do to search for Nina and 7 very special people. We know they can survive …

Niña Crew Not Ready to Give Up

TV New Zealand news story. Update on how we are continuing the search effort and looking for answers from Officials. http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/family-missing-nina-crew-not-ready-give-up-5816913/video Message from Robin Wright: Thank you Jehan Casinader and Lee Frashier for covering our story and for taking us to Whangarei and Opua. It was a little disappointing that the broadcast seemed to suggest …

Search Continues for American Schooner Missing at Sea Since June (People Magazine)

Search Continues for American Schooner Missing at Sea Since June http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20777101,00.html

The Niña Seven

Rosemary, David III, and David IV on the deck of the Niña.

The five families of the crew did not accept that conclusion:

“I know my daughter is alive and waiting to be rescued” – Ricky & Robin Wright, parents of 19-year old Danielle Wright, Niña Crew Member

“matthew is strong and a survivalist and we know he is still aboard the niña and trying to make his way home”, – sue & ian wootton, parents of matthew wootton, niña crew member.

How can you help?

Donate Sign the Petition

Like us on Facebook to get the latest info & to know if/when new satellite images are posted and other updates for how you can help find the Niña.

Air Search (4)
General Monthly Updates (2)
Satellite Image Search (2)
Updates (13)

Return to top

Old Salt Blog

A virtual port of call for all those who love the sea , hosted by nautical novelist rick spilman.

Historic Schooner Nina and Crew of Seven Missing Off New Zealand

Nina in 1928 Photo: Paul Gilbert

The 70′ schooner Nina and her crew of seven have been reported missing. They sailed on May 29, from Opua in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand bound for Newcastle, Australia. They were last hear from on June 4th, 370 nautical miles west of New Zealand. David Dyche is reported to be the captain of the yacht. Two other American men and three American women are aboard, aged between 17 and 73 as well as a British man, aged 35.

“Our records show that conditions at the last known position for the vessel… were very rough, with winds of 80km/h (50 mph), gusting to 110km/h (70 mph), and swells of eight metres (26 ft),” said Kevin Banaghan, rescue mission co-ordinator for the New Zealand maritime authorities.

There have been no distress calls from the schooner.Nor has the EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Beacon) been activated. New Zealand Air Force search planes have been dispatched to look for the missing schooner but thus far have found nothing.

The Nina was built in 1928 as a staysail schooner. She was designed by Starling Burgess for Paul Hammond and was built by Ruben Bigelow on Monument Beach, Cape Cod, Mass. The schooner quickly earned renown as a racer. Niña first became famous in the 1928 race from New York to Santander, Spain, which she won in 24 days. She was the first American yacht to win the Fastnet race and went on have a successful career in yacht racing under several owners. She has been owned by David Dyche since 1988. Accordin gto a post in sailblogs.com by Rosemary A. Dyche, in September, 2008 “Capt. Dyche, wife Rosemary, son David set off on their dream to circumnavigate.”

Thanks to Niall Sinclair and Phil Leon for contributing to this post.

Historic Schooner Nina and Crew of Seven Missing Off New Zealand — 13 Comments

Pingback: Not good news--NINA way overdue - SailNet Community

A giant squid probably got it

PRAY,PRAY,PRAY

Having sailed the Tasman from Auckland to Newcastle just four weeks ago, I can testify that it was not a wise decision to set out on this passage. Hopefully this historic vessel survived the ordeal, with all souls on board.

Nina was the first old wooden sailboat I fell for. Sailed with her when Hans VanNess was her captain. I am praying for her safe and quick return to land with all aboard warm and well. My thoughts go out to all concerned.

Sailed on board her summer ’74. She was a pure delight. Have kept in contact with the dyche’s as the have worked this adventure. Very saddened of this news.

My wife Penny Kempton sailed on DUEN ,old ketch ,converted Norwegian Shrimper . (many years ago in th 7os) in a gale they sprang a leak in a plank.They had to take turns with a bucket ,finally made it to a safe harbour, but they never gave up: She said there ain’t any atheists in the trenches. Never give up, the electronics can fail, they are to big to not to be noticed by traffic. H Otto Whangarei,sorry to have missed them here.

Don’t pray. It does not help as there is no god. This said, i hope they find them alive.

Also sailed with Hans Van Ness and a ship full of friends off New England coast; Many fond memories; Sorry to hear this news.

Saddened to learn of the Nina’s sinking and loss of life. Spent a wonderful weekend sailing around Nantucket & Martha’s Vineyard some many years ago…

I met them when they docked in Panama City, Fl early one morning as little David bolted from the companionway without a stitch on. He was one year old and Rosemary was trying to change his diaper.I leaned from the dock to grab his arm as he ran forward along the rail and hold him until she got dressed enough to retrieve him. We became friends as I was Captain of the Popeye a day charter Kenner ketch 41 overall. Captain David rebuilt munch of Nina in PC before their departure. He and his family will be missed by my wife Teri and me, the Panama City Coastal Cruisers club and many other local sailors.

Very sorry to hear of Nina’s loss. I spent the summers of 1959-1964 on the 68 foot Sparkman Stephens yawl Black Watch. We raced against Nina and Commodore Decoursey Fales many times. We almost always lost. I pray that the souls of those aboard Nina are at peace.

My wife and fiends sail hans years ago it was the best .I habe never fogoten those days

Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

UK Edition Change

UK Politics
News Videos
Paris 2024 Olympics
Rugby Union
Sport Videos
John Rentoul
Mary Dejevsky
Andrew Grice
Sean O’Grady
Photography
Theatre & Dance
Culture Videos
Fitness & Wellbeing
Food & Drink
Health & Families
Royal Family
Electric Vehicles
Car Insurance Deals
Lifestyle Videos
UK Hotel Reviews
News & Advice
Simon Calder
Australia & New Zealand
South America
C. America & Caribbean
Middle East
Politics Explained
News Analysis
Today’s Edition
Home & Garden
Broadband deals
Fashion & Beauty
Travel & Outdoors
Sports & Fitness
Climate 100
Sustainable Living
Climate Videos
Solar Panels
Behind The Headlines
On The Ground
Decomplicated
You Ask The Questions
Binge Watch
Travel Smart
Watch on your TV
Crosswords & Puzzles
Most Commented
Newsletters
Ask Me Anything
Virtual Events
Wine Offers
Betting Sites

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in

Ghost ship Nina: Missing for four months in the vastness of the Pacific, with seven crew presumed dead, is this faint satellite image a glimmer of hope?

Article bookmarked.

Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile

Supporters claim the satellite image looks like a life raft

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails

Blurry satellite images of what appears to be a ship drifting in the Pacific Ocean have raised faint hopes that seven crew members, missing since their yacht disappeared off New Zealand four months ago, may be alive.

Mystery has shrouded the fate of the Nina, a mahogany schooner which vanished after sailing into a severe storm in June. No trace of it was found during a search of more than half a million square nautical miles of the Pacific. The last word from the boat was an undelivered text message reporting: “Sails shredded last night.”

Relatives of the crew – six Americans, including David Dyche, the Nina’s owner and skipper, and 35-year-old Matt Wootton, from Orpington, Kent – say the object in the satellite images is the same size and shape as the 21-metre Nina. A private search and rescue company recruited by the families, Texas EquuSearch, is trying to plot its probable course before conducting an aerial search.

“We have never lost hope that the crew of Nina is alive and well, and that they will be rescued,” Robin Wright, whose 18-year-old daughter, Danielle, was on board, told The New Zealand Herald. However, the images gathered by EquuSearch are a month old, and some are sceptical as to whether they really depict the schooner. According to an Auckland-based meteorologist, Bob McDavitt, the area – about 200 kilometres west of Norfolk Island – is traversed by a vessel at least every other day. Even if the pictures do show the Nina, it may be a wreck – or a ghost ship, with no one left aboard.

The yacht – once the flagship of the New York Yacht Club – left Opua, in New Zealand’s Bay of Islands, on 29 May, headed for Newcastle, north of Sydney. It apparently weathered a storm on 4 June, with Evi Nemeth, a 73-year-old crew member, subsequently reporting the shredded sails.

Ms Nemeth said she would update the Nina’s position six hours later. But no further message was sent. Her undelivered text was released by the satellite phone company Iridium a month later. The boat’s emergency beacon was never activated.

On the day of the storm, Ms Nemeth – in the crew’s last direct contact with the outside world – had sought Mr McDavitt’s advice. The pair spoke by phone, after which she texted him, asking: “ANY UPDATE 4 NINA? … EVI.” That was the last he heard.

Nigel Clifford, the general manager of safety and response services for Maritime New Zealand, has said that while the Nina survived the storm, “very poor weather continued in the area for many hours and… [was] followed by other storms”.

New Zealand authorities have rejected calls by the crew’s families to resume their search. “We feel they are not going to be convinced by a satellite photo until they can see seven people holding their passports up, with their date of birth clearly visible,” said Mr Wootton’s father, Ian. He told the Herald that he and his wife, Sue, had mixed feelings when they first saw the photos. “You get the elation of ‘Yep, this looks like a really good image’. But also the downside of ‘How are you going to find it [the boat] again?’”

One expert, Ralph Baird, told the NY Daily News that the Nina was “a needle in a haystack, and that needle is moving”.

After the Nina disappeared, Russ Rimmington, a New Zealand skipper, claimed that the Nina was unseaworthy, with a warped hull, and that Mr Dyche – whose wife, Rosemary, and son, David, were also on board – refused to carry modern gadgetry.

Mr Rimmington also told Fairfax New Zealand that the Nina would have sunk if it had capsized, because of the lead on its keel.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.

New to The Independent?

Or if you would prefer:

Hi {{indy.fullName}}

My Independent Premium
Account details
Help centre

AMERICA'S CUP
CLASSIFIEDS
NEWSLETTERS
SUBMIT NEWS

Missing schooner Nina presumed sunk

AMERICA'S CUP
CLASSIFIEDS
NEWSLETTERS
SUBMIT NEWS

New thread of hope - is this a photo of drifting Nina?

Featured Yachts
Yacht Search
What’s My Boat Worth
FYS Sold Boats
List Your Boat
Our Company
Testimonials
Your Saved Searches

Presented by

Robert Siviter Fillingham Yacht Sales

1-727-460-5687

2013 Kasten 44' (13.00 m) Marine Designed 44 Redpath Schooner

Saint petersburg, florida, united states.

Flag of Registry: United States

Aluminum Hull

Price just reduced

Description.

PRICE REDUCED on 'Tesha' .. an aluminum Kasten Marine Designed 2013 44' (LOD) Redpath Schooner built by the Yachtsmith International and the current owners in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She was designed and built for long range and low maintenance world travel.

Commissioned in 2013 after eight years in the making, 'Tesha' is Coast Guard Documented and sailed from Canadian waters to the Florida keys before settling at her current berth in Saint Petersburg, Florida. With limited use over the last couple years due to continued professional obligations, the owners have decided to sell her and enable new owners to set sail and follow their dreams.

Specifications

LOA: 44' (13.00 Meters)

Type: Sail- Used

Beam: 12' 10''

Draft Max: 5' 7''

Single Berths: 2

Double Berths: 1

Fuel Type: Diesel

Hull Material: Aluminum

Fuel Tank: 180 Gallons

Fresh Water: 150 Gallons

Holding Tank: 30 Gallons

Designer: Michael Kasten

Builder: YachtSmith International, Halifax

Photos click to view all

2013 Redpath Schooner 44 'Tesha'

Foredeck / Windlass

Bowsprite Netting

Propane / Rope Lockers

Propane / Rope Locker

Edson wormdrive Helm Steering

Helm Engine Control

Ritchie Compass

Garmin GPSMap 740S

Aft Cabin Companionway

Aft Cabin w/ Sink

Master Berth

Nav Station

Systems Control Panel

Electrical Control Panel

ICOM IC-M504 VHF

Aft Cabin Bigle Access

Dorade Vents

Main Cabin Entry

View Forward

Main Cabin Companionway

Teak & Holly Cabin Sole (fore and aft)

Main Cabin / Galley

Main Cabin Port Settee

Port Storage Access

Starboard Galley

Propane Stove Top and SS Sink

Forward Cabin / Sail Locker

Head Compartment

Head / Shower

Main Cabin Wet Locker

Main Cabin Bilge Access

72HP Volvo Diesel D2-75

Racor Filters

Sea Strainer

Xantrex Freedom Charger / Inverter

Xantrex Remote Switch

View Aft (underway)

Tender on Stern Davits

Vessel Diagram

Tesha at Anchor

Engine Make: Volvo
Engine Model: D2 - 75
Engine Year: 2013
Engine Type: Inboard
Drive Type: Direct
Power HP: 72.00
Power KW: 53.69
Hours: 150.00

Full Details

Accommodations.

FORWARD CABIN - The Forward Cabin has an 'L' shape single with room to sit and read. Plenty of locker space below the bunk, book shelves, AC/DC power, lights and a hanging locker. Skylight over the bunk and access to the chain locker.
MAIN CABIN - The Main Cabin hosts a sitting area, galley, wet locker and access to the head. High headroom with six 6" stainless port lights, skylight and companionway to main deck. The starboard side galley has a two burner propane stove, two deep ice boxes and a large stainless steel sink. The port side settee (single berth convertible to two) has plenty of storage both behind and below the bunk. The enclosed wet head has a stainless steel sink, show and full size, manual head.
AFT CABIN - The Aft Cabin has an extra-large master berth on the starboard side and access (and visibility) to the main deck and helm. Portside has an extra-large and comfortable navigation station, VHF and AC/DC/bilge panel controls. There is plenty of storage space, below and aft of the master berth as well as in the three drawers and hanging locker. There are a couple of deep book shelves at the head of the berth with a hidden ‘gun’ locker. The aft cabin has four 8" port lights and ample AC/DC power.

The boat has teak and holly soles throughout.

Mechanical / Electrical

The engine compartment is amidships, spans the full width of the vessel and is closed off by two full bulkheads. The result is that engine noise, heat, and odors are completely separated from the living spaces.

Two mushroom dorade vents for engine room ventilation. Fuel capacity: two (port and starboard) 80 gallon diesel fuel tanks; 20 gallon day tank. Power inverter, hot water heater, two large capacity battery banks (used separately or in parallel).

Two (port and starboard) 75 gallon fresh water tanks in main cabin; large, fiberglass black water tank in keel well. The black water tank can be emptied through the deck or overboard via a manual Whaler Gusher pump located in the engine room.

Red / green running sidelights in the forward shrouds. Garmin 740S chart plotter on deck for navigation with radar on main mast. Two large rope/propane lockers on deck and propane sensor in galley .

ICOM IC-M504 VHF at the navigation station. Garmin chart plotter on deck, with a Garmin radar high up on the main mast. 30 AMP short power with 50’ cord .

72 HP Volvo D2-75 Diesel
Three fuel tanks w/ 180 gals. total ( two 80 gal tanks plus a 20 gal day tank )
Xantrex Freedom Inverter/Charger
(2) Battery Banks
30 AMP Shore power w/ 50' cord

Rigging and Sails

The schooner rig design for ' Tesha' is surprisingly simple. The Sails ( Main Gaff - Fore Gaff & Jumbo Jib) are heavy duty. Oceanus offshore fabric and triple stitched, each with 3 reefs. The Main and Fore are laced on for ease and quiet and the Jumbo jibs is self tacking on a boom. Stainless standing rigging on turnbuckles and the Running Rigging is synthetic 3-strand (easy to splice) with oak blocks.

The two Gaffs are kept short to maximize luff length, eliminate gaff tops'ls and to permit the use of single halyards. The main halyards are rigged so that there is 2-1 pull on the port side to get the sails up, and rigged 8-1 on the starboard side to add tension. There are adequate pin rails on all shrouds and on the masts. The spars are aluminum pipe and are considerably lighter and stronger than wood.

Hull and Deck

'Tesha' was designed for simplicity and ruggedness. Ruggedness is for the sake of safety and is achieved by using aluminum for the hull, deck, and cabin; and by using aluminum pipe for the spars. Large, high significant hand rails aft of the main shrouds for offshore safety and heavy duty dingy davits on the stern.

Windlass - Over spec’d Maxwell vertical, bi-directional capstan with two anchor rodes, each with ~100ft of chain and ~150ft of 3-strand anchor line (spliced). One CQR (lunch hook) and a large Delta.
HELM - Large, bronze Edson worm gear and large, stainless Edson wheel (Moves a very large rudder, Tesha turns quick.)
Single chine hull
Dingy on Stern Davits
Mahogany (Hatches / Skylights / Companionway / Wheel & Dorade Vents (open fore and aft) )
All Cleats are welded (no screws through the deck)
Three large zincs per side and two on the rudder
9' West Marine Inflatable dingy with segmented floor and a 6HP Mercury O/B

Want more information?

Name * First Last
Current Boat
Schedule Showing
Boat Interested In
Hidden Listing Owner Email
Email This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Robert Siviter

Yacht broker.

Robert Siviter, President and Owner joined the highly successful Fillingham Yacht Sales, Inc. sales team in 2012 and purchased the brokerage from Bob and Sharlet Fillingham in July 2018. Since joining Fillingham Yacht Sales, he has been able to combine his love and knowledge of boating with his sales expertise making each buying and selling experience unique to fit the needs of his clients. He will go above and beyond for his clients; and he greatly values the importance of being transparent throughout the buying/selling process to ensure exceptional client satisfaction. As President and Owner, he will carry this vision forward for the company knowing the importance of building and maintaining strong, long lasting relationships with buyers and sellers, and looking out for their best interests. If you wish to sell your boat, Robert supports the Companyâ€™s vision through extensive marketing and research to ensure listings are positioned to reach the right buying audience. He also supports his Buyer's through communication, extensive research and negotiations to find the right boat to fit their individual needs. Robert Siviter is a 3rd generation native of St. Petersburg, Florida. He has been an avid boater his whole life and grew up in the St. Petersburg Yacht Club Youth Sailing Program. He is a graduate of the University of South Florida where he earned a degree in Business Management. When not showing boats, Robert enjoys spending time on the water diving, fishing, or just having fun with family and friends. He loves to travel and enjoys fishing in Costa Rica once a year. No matter what your boating experience may be Robert is ready to assist you in the most professional and stress-free manner possible.

COMMENTS

Schooner Nina
The Schooner Niña is famous as a boat that transformed ocean racing yacht design. Prior to its construction in 1928, ocean racing was dominated by gaff-rigged 'fisherman' schooners, many named after their designer, John Alden. ... Ricky Wright departed local airport to visually air search islands for the schooner Nina and its crew of 7.
The Disappearance of the Nina
The 85-year-old staysail schooner Niña, a fabled 50-foot (LWL) ocean racer that once was the flagship of the New York Yacht Club, disappeared without a trace on the stormy Tasman Sea with its American owner, his wife and 17-year-old son, and four crewmembers. Niña left Opua in the Bay of Islands on New Zealand's North Island May 29 bound ...
W. Starling Burgess NINA
1940 Winner New York Yacht Club Astor Cup 1939 Winner New York Yacht Club Astor Cup 1929 Winner London to Gibson Island Chesapeake Bay. 1928 Winner Fastnet Race. Under the command of C.Sherman Hoyt, Nina was the first American yacht to win the 600 mile Fastnet race, 4 days, 12 hours, 48 minutes, 13 seconds.
A Maritime Beauty, Possibly Gone Forever
Nina, a 70-foot schooner that was a racer, a flagship, a training vessel for aspiring mariners and the unrequited love of so many sailors, went missing with seven people aboard. ... In 1935, DeCoursey Fales, a banker who was a member of the New York Yacht Club, bought Nina. When Mr. Fales was elected commodore of the yacht club, whose ...
Schooner Nina and her crew
Schooner Nina and her crew. Introduction. The Schooner Niña is famous as a boat that transformed ocean racing yacht design. Prior to its construction in 1928, ocean racing was dominated by gaff-rigged 'fisherman' schooners, many named after their designer, John Alden. Nina was a narrower and deeper-hulled boat rigged with a Marconi main ...
Sea mysteries, Part II: The disappearances of Niña and Baychimo
It was a prophetic statement. The 85-year-old Niña, a fabled 50-foot (LWL) ocean racer that once was the flagship of the New York Yacht Club, disappeared without a trace, along with Dyche and his wife, 17-year-old son and four crewmembers during what should have been an eight- to 10-day crossing. ADVERTISEMENT.
SCHOONER NINA: Missing and Presumed Sunk
Now that seems increasingly unlikely, and it would appear that the fabled 59-foot schooner Nina, winner of the 1928 Transatlantic Race to Spain, the 1928 Fastnet Race, and the 1962 Newport-Bermuda Race, ... a commodore of the New York Yacht Club, and served for a time as the club's flagship. Fales was her owner when she won the 1962 Bermuda ...
Our Story
The Niña Seven. The lives of 7 people are at risk. The sailing schooner, Niña, went missing in the Tasman Sea, and the families of the crew have requested help from the U.S. Department of State and New Zealand rescue authorities, as we believe the sailors are trapped on the disabled Niña. Rosemary, David III, and David IV on the deck of the ...
American schooner Niña is officially lost at sea
Aug 2, 2017. Original: Jul 19, 2013. Earlier this month, the Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) called off its search for 70-foot American schooner Niña, last heard from on June 4. On the night in which the Niña was last heard from, conditions in the Tasman Sea were rough: 26-foot waves and 50 mph winds with up to 68 mph gusts.
Bringing Home the Niña and Her Crew
Bringing Home the Niña and Her Crew. by admin in Latest Classic Yacht News on March 10, 2015. After nearly 21 months, not a single trace of the Starling Burgess designed schooner Niña (Spanish for "little girl"), or her seven-person crew has ever been found. The Starling Burgess designed Nina, a classic sailboat with an impeccable racing ...
The Nina goes missing
Nina was 85 years old and had been designed by an Americas Cup winning designer in 1928. She entered and won a New York to Spain race followed by winning the Fastnet Race a month later. ... heavy 70 foot long wooden schooner is a handful at the best of times. Add cold, wet, fatigued crew, eight metre swells and winds gusting 65 knots to the mix ...
Starling Burgess NINA- Timeline for Search and Rescue
JUNE 27TH - A statement from Maritime New Zealand released early Thursday indicates "grave concerns" for the six member crew of the classic Starling Burgess designed 1923 schooner yacht "Nina"Our thoughts and prayers go out to all. Last reported communication was June 4th, in "very rough" conditions with winds gusting to 68 mph ...
Revealing report on Search for American yacht Nina released
The report, released this week into the search for the vintage American yacht Nina, which disappeared in the Tasman Sea in June 2013 with six Americans and one Britsh sailor aboard, said the entire dynamic of the rescue operation would have changed had the message been delivered earlier. The critically important message was a text sent on a ...
TES S/V Schooner Nina Search » "Lost Is Not Alone"
The sailing schooner, Niña, went missing in the Tasman Sea, and the families of the crew have requested help from the U.S. Department of State and New Zealand rescue authorities, as we believe the sailors are trapped on the disabled Niña. Rosemary, David III, and David IV on the deck of the Niña. The Niña is a 70 foot long, deep hull wooden ...
Historic Schooner Nina and Crew of Seven Missing Off New Zealand
The 70′ schooner Nina and her crew of seven have been reported missing. They sailed on May 29, from Opua in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand bound for Newcastle, Australia. They were last hear from on June 4th, 370 nautical miles west of New Zealand. David Dyche is reported to be the captain of the yacht. Two other American men and three ...
Ghost ship Nina: Missing for four months in the vastness of the
Mystery has shrouded the fate of the Nina, a mahogany schooner which vanished after sailing into a severe storm in June. No trace of it was found during a search of more than half a million square ...
Missing schooner Nina presumed sunk
The 85-year-old schooner Nina had left Opua on New Zealand's North Island on 29 May with a 'realistic' estimated time of arrival into Newcastle Australia on or about 25th June. ... She became the first American yacht to win that race. Her overall time was 4 days, 12 hours, 48 minutes, 13 seconds. Niña had one more major win, the 1929 race from ...
Missing yacht Nina 'presumed sunk' off New Zealand
Missing yacht Nina 'presumed sunk' off New Zealand. 29 June 2013. AFP. Three days of aerial searches of the sea and New Zealand coastline have yielded no sign of the schooner Nina or its eight ...
New thread of hope
The families of the crew of the schooner Nina, missing since June in the Tasman Sea, are not giving up. A private search team have now identified satellite images of a vessel or object resembling the missing yacht Nina. ... This luxury 19-metre sailing yacht displays incredible onboard space, both above and below deck Designed for short-handed ...
schooner sailboats for sale by owner.
schooner preowned sailboats for sale by owner. schooner used sailboats for sale by owner. Home. Register & Post. View All Sailboats. Search. ... Crescent Sail Yacht Club Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan Asking $12,000. 36' Sabre 36 Mount Sinai, New York Asking $34,000. 25' Beiley B-25 Wabamun Lake near Edmonton Alberta Canada
St. Petersburg Yacht Sales and Service 727-823-2555
St. Petersburg Yacht Sales and Service 727-823-2555. St. Petersburg Yacht Sales and Service has been serving customers since 1964 and is located in downtown St. Petersburg. We are close by the St. Petersburg Municipal Marina where we have some of our many brokerage boats on display.
St. Petersburg Yacht Sales & Service in St. Petersburg
Contact. Call Now. 200 Beach Drive NE, St. Petersburg, Florida, 33701, United States. Tampa Bay's premier yacht brokerage and charter business for over 30 years offering services including yacht and boat sales, yacht charters, and marine service. Clear Filter Owner: broker-st-petersburg-yacht-sales-service-30654. 8 boats.
TESHA 44ft 2013 Kasten Yacht For Sale Fillingham Yachts
Description. PRICE REDUCED on 'Tesha' .. an aluminum Kasten Marine Designed 2013 44' (LOD) Redpath Schooner built by the Yachtsmith International and the current owners in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She was designed and built for long range and low maintenance world travel. Commissioned in 2013 after eight years in the making, 'Tesha' is Coast Guard ...

The New York Times

What's Next

SCHOONER NINA: Missing and Presumed Sunk

Related Posts

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

“I know my daughter is alive and waiting to be rescued” – Ricky & Robin Wright, parents of 19-year old Danielle Wright, Niña Crew Member

The Nina families still not given up hope (Radio New Zealand)

Lost at Sea (The Sydney Morning Herald)

An update from Robin Wright

Niña Crew Not Ready to Give Up

Search Continues for American Schooner Missing at Sea Since June (People Magazine)

“I know my daughter is alive and waiting to be rescued” – Ricky & Robin Wright, parents of 19-year old Danielle Wright, Niña Crew Member

Old Salt Blog

Historic Schooner Nina and Crew of Seven Missing Off New Zealand

Historic Schooner Nina and Crew of Seven Missing Off New Zealand — 13 Comments

Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

UK Edition Change

Thank you for registering

Ghost ship Nina: Missing for four months in the vastness of the Pacific, with seven crew presumed dead, is this faint satellite image a glimmer of hope?

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails

Join our commenting forum

Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article

Missing schooner Nina presumed sunk

Related Articles

New thread of hope - is this a photo of drifting Nina?

Related Articles

Presented by

Robert Siviter Fillingham Yacht Sales

2013 Kasten 44' (13.00 m) Marine Designed 44 Redpath Schooner

Price just reduced

Specifications

Photos click to view all

Full Details

Mechanical / Electrical

Rigging and Sails

Hull and Deck

Want more information?

Robert Siviter

COMMENTS