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Chuuk Hit hard by cyclone

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#1 Jerrymxz

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Posted 31 March 2015 - 10:33 AM

Chuuk was hit hard by a cyclone this weekend. There are several reported deaths on the islands. In a day or two we may have more information on the impart, both short and long term to the People, the islands and the Wrecks in the Lagoon. the Odyssey was damaged and is sitting on a reef with a hole in the hull and damage to major systems. engine room is partially flooded. All this is info from their web site and other internet sources.  SingleDivers.com is a huge caring group.  I would like to see if there is any way to help the Crew members who have had this terrible blow to them and their families.  They are a huge reason this trip is as memorable as it is. I would like to see us do whatever we can to help those crewmembers who need our help now. 


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If you are observant while diving in dark places listen to the account each has to tell, You cannot come away unaffected.   
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#2 Sqbagal

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Posted 31 March 2015 - 03:21 PM

From Worldwide Dive & Sail's Facebook page - dated today, March 31:

 

Mark Shandur, partner and general manager at WWDAS/Siren Fleet, with the latest update regarding Truk Siren. I have cut my family holiday short and flown back early to Head Office in order to help manage the situation in Truk as best as I can from here and my partner Frank arrived in Truk in the last few hours.
Typhoon Maysak has now passed Truk completely and the clean-up and recovery operations are now in progress. We are now back in reliable contact with our local operations team and so we are in much better position to update a little more clearly. Most importantly Siren Fleet has been very lucky in the sense that all members of our crew are safe and well, our thoughts continue to be with the people of Truk who have suffered injury and loss of life and property. Our thoughts are also with the people of Yap, who are currently in the path of Typhoon Maysak.
Power is mostly restored to Truk and flights are now in operation so our guests who were disembarked prior to the storm are leaving the island today. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them on behalf of everyone here at Siren Fleet for their kindness and support during this time. I would also like to say a huge thank you to everyone at Blue Lagoon Resort and Truk Stop for their continuing support!!
With regard to Truk Siren, the crew, has been out to visit her and we now know she is currently sat upright on a shallow reef, along with 5 other vessels, and has suffered significant damage from the storm. There is water in the engine room, damage to the prop & masts, and the rudder is missing along with other structural damage which Frank is now assessing with a view to the long term prognosis.
I am also hugely sad to report that though we have received huge support from many people in Truk over the last few days (indeed weeks and months), that we are hugely grateful for, it seems there is always a bad element in any society and there has been massive internal damage caused by looting, something that all the stranded boats have suffered from. Throughout the entire boat, fixtures, fittings, electrical items, furniture and anything that you might be able to think of have been stolen or destroyed beyond repair. There is also wanton destruction with graffiti, smashed windows throughout the boat and much more. As you can imagine the crew who fought so hard to keep Truk Siren safe, putting their own lives at risk in the process, are desperately saddened by this development and I can't even begin to imagine how they feel, especially as their personal belongings were left behind on the boat when they evacuated.
We still cannot say anything concrete about the future of the boat, however, it seems clear to us at this point that bringing in not only the materials required to fix the storm damage to such a remote location, but also all the fixtures and fittings to bring her back up to her previous best is an enormous task.
Finally I'd like to thank everyone for their support and offers of assistance over the last 24 hours. We will continue to update you all on progress over the coming days and weeks.


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#3 WreckWench

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Posted 31 March 2015 - 08:05 PM

It is with a sad heart that we learn of the devastation of the island and the boats that bring so much value to the island. We are hopeful that since our trips are over a year out that we'll be ok but it will be a bit longer before we know the full extent of the damage and how long the estimated repairs will take. We will keep you posted.

 

I agree with Jerry that we can certainly help the crew of our beloved Odyssey and I would be supportive of such an idea.



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#4 Jerrymxz

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Posted 08 April 2015 - 01:35 PM

This is from the Odyssey's page on Facebook:

 

Hello! My apologies for being away for a few days. Also please bear with me. I"m trying to catch up on emails and phone calls that keep coming in. I'm finally starting to get my feet back under me and getting things caught up. The boat is sitting in a trench of sorts right now. She is floating but has reef around her. They have removed the fuel, bilge water, etc to try and get her as light as possible for the next high tide to get her over the "hump". The outpouring of love and support for the crew is amazing! You all have no idea what this will mean to them. I will be getting a first round of donations out to them within the next week so Lenny can get money to them asap. Don't feel you can no longer donate. I will continue sending donations out as they are received! Thank all of you for your continued support, prayers and donations.


Each wreck has a tale to tell about its life and its demise. 

If you are observant while diving in dark places listen to the account each has to tell, You cannot come away unaffected.   
Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude


#5 little mermaid

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Posted 09 April 2015 - 02:21 PM

Hi Jerry, thanks is there a website to donate to or just get you the $$.  Thanks again, I would like to see these boats back in working order so I can eventually mark it off my bucket list!!!! :pray:  :pray:



#6 Jerrymxz

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Posted 12 April 2015 - 07:17 AM

Hi Jerry, thanks is there a website to donate to or just get you the $$.  Thanks again, I would like to see these boats back in working order so I can eventually mark it off my bucket list!!!! :pray:  :pray:

if you go to the Odyssey web site there is a link there to donate. I'm going to go donate myself early next week.  I hope we get a couple more people to help out as well.  Thanks for the donation. They are a wonderful group of people who had so very little to start with.  The Odyssey employes many local people to ensure that our vacations go smoothly. 


Each wreck has a tale to tell about its life and its demise. 

If you are observant while diving in dark places listen to the account each has to tell, You cannot come away unaffected.   
Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude


#7 little mermaid

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Posted 12 April 2015 - 11:51 AM

Thanks for the info, just donated!!!  Hope they are on the way to recovery soon :teeth:



#8 Jerrymxz

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Posted 14 April 2015 - 04:15 PM

Here is another update from the Odyssey Facebook page.  Keep the donations coming!

 

Hello, hello, hello! Yes, we are here! Ok, I have been super busy over here, but I just wanted to post to say that they are working away over there. Things are progressing along. Some days are slow, some days are really busy, good ones, some days we just still say a lot of prayers. The boat is mostly dug out. The bow to about room 6 is clear. We are still working on getting the back half out. There is progress still being made and while all that has been going on, the boat ha...s been getting prepped for a return trip to the Philippines. The props are in the Philippines getting fixed as I'm writing this so they can get back to Chuuk, put back on the boat for the trip over to the PI for repairs. The boat is ready for travel once she gets out, props back on and a couple other things. We still have no timeline as of right now, but the shipyard is ready for us so that is a blessing. Kudos to George at Colorado Shipyard!

The donations for the crew and the Adin family are amazing! I am so blown away by the support and love shown by so many of you for our crew and us!

I just got off the phone with Lenny and he discovered something today that neither one of us knew was there. It's a kid's reading center. They have been there for about 2 years. I asked Lenny to get the address for me so I can post it. He said there were about 8 Chuukese girls waiting to go in to read. They are always looking for new reading material. If anyone has any books they would be interested in sending, once I get the address, I will post it so you can send books of all sorts and age ranges over there for the kids.

Thanks to you all for standing by us and supporting us. You all are keeping us going!


Each wreck has a tale to tell about its life and its demise. 

If you are observant while diving in dark places listen to the account each has to tell, You cannot come away unaffected.   
Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude


#9 ev780

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Posted 15 April 2015 - 09:23 AM

Could be worse!!  This is from the Worldwide Dive and Sail Facebook page.  Parent company of the Siren fleet.  After reading this I am not sure I want to reward a country with my dollar that bites the hand that feeds it.  Sure leaves a bad taste for sure.  If you look at the photos you will see that it is burned to the waterline!!!  Complete loss.

 

Hello all, Frank here with more Truk news.

While back in Ecuador finalizing the last bits and bobs on the Galapagos Master Liveaboards we received some devastating news over the weekend. I left Truk lagoon last week with our beloved Truk Siren Fleet still on the reef, and we were waiting for the insurance to decide what the next step would be. Apparently the looters didn't have the same idea and decided to destroy all the evidence of the looting and vandalism and "totally sen...seless" put the boat on fire and burned her down to the ground. You can see on the pictures we received that there is nothing, but really nothing, left of this once so amazing beautiful vessel.

The majority in Chuuk have the same bad taste in their mouth about what happened because tourism in this amazing part of the world is a very important income for the locals, so with this in mind it is not an excuse for us to throw the towel.

We are fortunate to still have an amazing yacht that has been used for many years as a private luxury vessel and, although not a Siren, she is definitely as nice in her own style. We are now working hard on how and when we can be back to serve all of you and show you the wonders that Truk has to offer. My saying has always been "if it doesnt kill you it only makes you stronger" and with this in mind we hope to be back soon, i keep you posted.

Frank.

 

 

 

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Edited by ev780, 15 April 2015 - 09:25 AM.

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#10 Jerrymxz

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Posted 21 April 2015 - 05:03 AM

Another update from the Odyssey on Facebook:

   The Boat is off the reef and floating on her own.  That's a big step on the long road to getting her back on her feet and in the game. 


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Each wreck has a tale to tell about its life and its demise. 

If you are observant while diving in dark places listen to the account each has to tell, You cannot come away unaffected.   
Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude


#11 Jerrymxz

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Posted 21 April 2015 - 05:11 PM

I know I posted this morning but here is another update that I thought was too good not to post.

 

Ok, now that I am breathing a little more regularly now, I can write.....As I posted below, the Odyssey is now free from the reef and floating without assistance. She will be making way, under her own power, to the shipyard in the Philippines for permanent repairs. At this time we expect to be back in Chuuk and operational before the end of June.

 

The time estimate by the marine surveyor and the shipyard is 4 weeks to complete the repairs, maybe sooner. Fortunately, the damage was not too severe. It will take 3 weeks to complete the voyage to and from the shipyard. That is a total of 7 weeks. We will be visiting the same shipyard we have gone to for the past 15 years. They are currently getting many tasks completed before leaving for the shipyard.

 

Once they are underway, I will post that.

 

I know many people have been wondering why I hadn't written in the past week or so. It had been a tough week over there trying to get things lined up to get her pulled off. We had a lot of ups and downs and needed a lot of things to line up to get this major thing accomplished! Last night was the highest tide of the month and Lenny was able to get all the right things lined up to make it happen. We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but getting her off was the most difficult hurdle.

 

On behalf of Lenny, Cliff, myself and our entire crew, we are truly thankful for so many past and future customers, crew, wholesalers and friends who support us in so many ways.


Edited by Jerrymxz, 21 April 2015 - 05:12 PM.

Each wreck has a tale to tell about its life and its demise. 

If you are observant while diving in dark places listen to the account each has to tell, You cannot come away unaffected.   
Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude





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