Important: 27 foot Flush Poker overdue on Atlantic crossing

[MalcolmP]

Dutch sailor missing in the Atlantic

On January 15th 2014 Dutch sailor Sietse Hagen left the port of Tenerife heading for Barbados and the Caribbean islands. Since his departure, now over 60 days ago, he has not reported home. His friends and family, as well as the Dutch sailing community, are deeply concerned about the well-being of this very experienced sailor. He has been reported missing at the local authorities, but your help by keeping a lookout for his boat would be very much appreciated.

Sietse is sailing a 27ft Gib’Sea Flush Poker named ‘Pokerface’, small but well prepared for long voyages. Distinctive properties are its doghouse and black painted stern (photos above). Before he left I had the pleasure to drink a beer with Sietse on board Pokerface and I can assure you that he was well prepared for the trip.

You can help us by spreading this message as much as possible and to bring this under attention in your own social network. If you have any information that could help finding Sietse please contact Henny through the contact page (see link below) or your local police.

Your help is much appreciated.

Henny.    framsblog.wordpress.com/2014/03/21/dutch-sailor-missing-in-the-atlantic/

[On y va]

Thanks for posting this Malcolm. This is a friend of mine who is missing.

Although it says the boat was well prepared for long voyages.....there was no Epirb, no life raft, no SSB radio, just a handheld vhf. Sietse is/was a firm believer that he would never want anyone else to risk anything or spend money in saving him, as he chose to do this.

I am still hopefull he is floating around somewhere, dismasted and with a piece of rope in his prop.......but it is a long time now, so I fear the worst.

[tedp]

I'm afraid it doesn't look good. The latest news, just in, says 'Pokerface' has been found drifting about 1000 miles off the Moroccan coast.

Here is a news item from a Dutch newspaper. It has also been posted on the Dutch police website.

Yesterday (Monday April 8th), a Dutch freighter on passage from Savannah to Agadir found the badly damaged boat deserted. There was no trace of the skipper. They investigated on board and took all assets and documents off the boat before sinking her as she was considered a navigational danger.

[On y va]

Yes, his family was informed at 14:00 that day, but the news caught up pretty quickly.

The last entry in his log book was 23 January, 8 days after he left. So something must have happened soon after that. We will probably never know. But at least the family have more clarity now.

[tedp]

It is a very sad thing to happen. As he wasn't found on board, he can only have gone overboard at some moment. This must be the biggest danger to any solo sailer, not the boat breaking up or being overwhelmed by a breaker. The boat itself apparently kept afloat for months, even though it wasn't sailed but simply drifted. I'm glad anyway the uncertainty for his family is now past.

[On y va]

Here some info in english from the vessel that actually found "Pokerface".

www.vesseltracker.com/nl/Ships/Saimaagracht-9288069.html