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TWO HAWAII WOMEN who say they were lost at sea on a sailboat for months never activated their emergency beacon, the US has Coast Guard said, adding to a growing list of inconsistencies that cast doubt on their harrowing tale of survival.
The women previously told The Associated Press that they had radios, satellite phones, GPS and other emergency gear, but they didn’t mention the Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon, or EPIRB.
A Coast Guard review of the incident and subsequent interviews with the women revealed that they had an EPIRB aboard their boat but never turned it on.
Jennifer Appel confirmed in an interview today that they had the beacon and did not use it. She said that in her experience, it should be used only when you are in imminent physical danger and going to die in the next 24 hours.
“Our hull was solid, we were floating, we had food, we had water, and we had limited maneuverable capacity,” Appel said in Japan, where the US Navy took them after they were rescued by a Navy ship.
All those things did not say we are going to die. All that said, it’s going to take us a whole lot longer to get where we’re going.
In retrospect, though, Appel said there were two times that she would have used it — once when she and Tasha Fuiava were off Hawaii around late June to early July, and a second time off Wake Island on 1 October .
“That’s a lesson learned for me, because that was the best chance we had in the ocean to get help,” Appel said of the Wake Island missed opportunity.
Previously, Appel and Fuiava had said they were close to giving up when the Navy rescued them last week, thousands of miles off course.
The EPIRB communicates with satellites and sends locations to authorities. It’s activated when it’s submerged in water or turned on manually. The alert signal sends a location to rescuers within minutes.
A retired Coast Guard officer who was responsible for search and rescue operations said that if the women had used the emergency beacon, they would have been found.
“If the thing was operational and it was turned on, a signal should have been received very, very quickly that this vessel was in distress,” Phillip R. Johnson said in a telephone interview from Washington state.
Johnson described the device as sturdy and reliable, but added that old and weak batteries could cause a unit not to function.
Appel and Fuiava also said they had six forms of communication that all failed to work.
“There’s something wrong there,” Johnson said. “I’ve never heard of all that stuff going out at the same time.”
Trip
The two women met in late 2016, and within a week of knowing each other decided to take the trip together. Fuiava had never sailed a day in her life. They planned to take 18 days to get to Tahiti, then travel the South Pacific and return to Hawaii in October.
They set off on 3 May along with their two dogs and were rescued by the Navy last week, thousands of miles off course.
Key elements of the women’s account are contradicted by authorities, and are not consistent with weather reports or basic geography of the Pacific Ocean.
The discrepancies raised questions about whether Appel and her sailing companion, Tasha Fuiava, could have avoided disaster.
On their first day at sea, the two women described running into a fierce storm that tossed their vessel with 97 km/h winds and 9 metre seas for three days, but meteorologists say there was no severe weather anywhere along their route during that time.
After leaving “we got into a Force 11 storm, and it lasted for two nights and three days,”
Appel has said of the storm they encountered off Oahu. In one of the first signs of trouble, she said she lost her mobile phone overboard.
“We were empowered to know that we could withstand the forces of nature,” Appel said. “The boat could withstand the forces of nature.”
But the National Weather Service in Honolulu said no organised storm systems were in or near Hawaii on 3 May or in the days afterward. Archived NASA satellite images confirm there were no tropical storms around Hawaii that day.
Appel expressed surprise that there was no record of the storm. She said they received a Coast Guard storm warning while sailing after sunset on 3 May.
The pair said they thought about turning back, but the islands of Maui and Lanai didn’t have harbours deep enough to accommodate their sailboat.
At 15 metres long, the vessel is relatively small, and both islands have harbours that accommodate boats of that size. Plus, the Big Island — the southernmost island in Hawaii — has several places to dock.
Appel, though, said she modified her sailboat, called the Sea Nymph, and the extra-long keel meant it couldn’t get in to nearby harbours.
“Given the constraints of our vessel, we chose the appropriate action,” she said.
Still, they pressed on.
Days later, after parts of their mast and rigging failed, they sailed up to another small island, still with a working motor, but decided against trying to land, believing the island was mostly uninhabited with no protected waters.
“It is uninhabited. They only have habitation on the northwest corner and their reef was too shallow for us to cross in order to get into the lagoon,” Appel said.
But Christmas Island, part of the island nation of Kiribati, is home to more than 2,000 people and has a port that routinely welcomes huge commercial ships.
“We could probably nurse it down to the next major island in Kiribati,” Appel said.
Then we’ll be able to stop there and seek safe haven and get up on the mast and fix it.
The island has at least two airfields, and women had flares aboard to alert people on land. Plus, its widest point spans about 48 km, a day’s hike to safety from even the most remote area.
When asked if the small island would have been a good place to land and repair their sails, Appel said no. “Kiribati, um, one whole half of the island is called shipwreck beach for a reason,” she said.
Christmas Island has a place called Bay of Wrecks on its northeast side.
So, instead of stopping for help, they say they set a new destination about 1,609 kilometre away and a few hundred miles beyond their original target of Tahiti. They were headed to the Cook Islands.
“We really did think we could make it to the next spot,” Appel said.
Then, they say, another storm killed their engine at the end of May.
The Coast Guard made radio contact with a vessel that identified itself as the Sea Nymph in June near Tahiti, and the captain said they were not in distress and expected to make land the next morning.
More than five months after they departed, they were picked up in the western Pacific about 1,448 kilometres southeast of Japan.
The two women and their dogs were all in good health when picked up by the US. Navy.
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So…. Trump is introducing measures already in place in Ireland and nearly everywhere else?
@Brendan Fitzsimons: yes. nothing wrong with that.
@Brendan Fitzsimons: I’ve never been asked for a passport or anything other than a voting card to vote
@FoxyBoiiYT: how did u get your voting card?
Trump is playing an absolute blinder
@Dominic Leleu: nothing wrong with it at all…look at Russia, North Korea, Syria etc etc. wonderful places
@Brendan Fitzsimons: No, it’s the start of a policy that will ensure victory for him or his fellow travelers. Wouldn’t be surprised if he changes the laws prohibiting him running again.
@FoxyBoiiYT: I didn’t need a voting card to vote in the last General election. I left it at home when I left for work, on the way home from work I popped in to the polling station and showed my id and I was allowed to vote.
@king kong: is that because of him applying the actual current law or because he is dismantling a setup his predecessors in place a system that broke the law?
@Buster Lawless:
He will??
It’s all he has ever done.
Why do you think Putin,and Kim Jong are his best buddies.
@Mary.E.: Drama Drama! ID to vote as a citizen of the country- this is not rocket science (triggers musk haters) it’s common sense imo
@Oh Mammy: The Democrats passed laws to make it illegal to show your ID. Yes you read that correctly, illegal to verify who the person is. Trump is saying we need to know who is voting to stop fraud. The left will no doubt come up with some scrap to say how verifying a person’s identity is a threat to democracy lol
@Ger Whelan: you don’t need your polling card, just ID. The presiding officers ask 1 in 4 for ID even if you have a polling card. It protects from fraud and impersonation.
@king kong: but he can’t run again. .he will. Be pushed around in a wheel chair at that point
@Karen Marten: He can as he hasn’t been elected for 2 terms consecutively.
Imagine having to provide identification when voting in an election.
What a Dictator, this has to be a breach of human rights.
Would you ever give me a break.
Do you Journalists at The Journal actually take yourselves seriously????
Really???
@martin lawlor: Providing identification (like a driving license) is different to providing proof of citizenship. You knew that already, but the actual facts don’t suit your particular (and very weird) fetish for the orange criminal.
@Jason Memail: With the exception of British citizens who have a mark on their polling cards. Can non Irish Citizens vote in Ireland general election?. I know several eastern European citizens who have lived in Ireland for years and they cannot vote in our general election. So why is it wrong for America to want something we do here in Ireland?
@Jason Memail: Alright sweetheart,calm down,go have yourself a Rosemary and Nettle flavoured Tea,it will be Alright pettle.
@Ger Whelan: The suggested change is that people would need to provide proof of citizenship at the polling station, which is not what we do in ireland. Why doesn’t America only send polling cards to people who are eligible to vote, like we do in Ireland?
@Jason Memail: In a General Election in Ireland,you must have Irish or British Citizenship.Would you like to change that also???
@Jason Memail: Not what I asked you. I asked can non Irish vote in the Irish general election?. The US has a different way of doing things but it comes back to the same thing proving you are a citizen of the country you wish to vote.
@martin lawlor: You seem to be the one getting very triggered by what the journal and people’s comments. What’s the matter? Tough day on the dole?
@Iano C: I’ve a pair of gloves that’s seen more work than you kid.I do be just baffled with some of the snowflakes on here including some of the waffle from The Journal.When you give yourself the name Iano,I’d nearly hash a guess at your IQ.
@Jason Memail: no it’s not. It’s only to register to vote, same as here. Read the article
@martin lawlor: not a facts man are you. Like most sexual assaulter supporters
@Ted Daly: Another one ha ha, in fairness it’s almost childlike with some of the comments here, like a hormonal teenager who shouts all sorts when they don’t like what they hear.Would you grow up seriously.
@Ted Daly: Do you think you should be able to mail your vote in Ireland Ted instead of showing in person with ID????
Save you the hassle like??
@Ted Daly: what a very very strange and slanderous comment to make….and yet this rag allows your comment to remain….showing their true colours….just like you!
@martin lawlor: What you do with your gloves is your own business, weirdo. Your on here calling others snowflakes and teenagers but your first comment screams snowflake. We can all see it. Maybe take a deep breath and try to calm down, dear. You’ll blow a gasket, if you’re not careful.
@Iano C: I’ve a 19 year old daughter who used to call me a weirdo when she was 14/15 years of age.She is a bit older now and laughs about it.Typical Teenager ,everything I said or did was weird to her at that age.How old are you son? You not in school today?
@Emer McDonnell: A 100% Emer
@martin lawlor: You can do postal vote. I’ve done it when I knew I wasn’t going to be here for a GE.
@Ian: A 100% Ian , after you received you’re voting card.
@Ger Whelan: No only Irish & British citizens can vote in the Irish general election. Other European citizens are entitled to vote in EU elections. Anyone who is ordinarily resident in the state can vote in local elections. Only Irish citizens can vote in presidential elections or a referendum. The proof is provided in Ireland when you are registering to vote, so putting your name on the electoral register which has to be done by a certain date in advance of any elections that take place. If your name isn’t on the register, then regardless of citizenship, you will not be allowed to vote on polling day. In the US you can sign up to vote in shopping centres etc and even on polling day currently. It looks like the proof of citizenship is going to be asked to be provided on the polling day which would be quite time consuming and could result in long queues which mean people might not get to cast a ballot as papers would have to be checked. Look I think ensuring that people who are voting have the right to do so is a good thing but maybe getting that proof in advance and just looking for ID like we do is a smarter option.
@Ian: In every other walk of life you’ve to provide ID, something as important as the Right to Vote in the country which you are a Citizen is a very important Right, therefore I can’t see what the big problem is.
@martin lawlor: Just shows how out of touch you are, old man. At your age, one would expect at least some level of wisdom but, alas. All you keep referring to is your own personal experience showing a lack of depth and understanding of the wider issues. Regardless of age, you’re not very bright, are you.
@Susan Walsh: Fully agree with you Susan they really should get proof of citizenship in advance of an election. But as they don’t do that then bringing proof of citizenship to a polling station on the day of an election makes sense. So it’s a non story here Trump is ensuring in a different way what Ireland is already doing.
@Iano C: I’d say I have lived twice the life at your age ,and I know your very young by you’re naivety.You a talking through your backside.As for lack of depth or understanding??My generation just worked hard and got on with it,not like the like of yourself,who blames everyone and everything in life but actually does nothing with their own.Instead of feeling sorry for yourself or blaming others for their lack of depth and understanding,grow and pair and get on with it.
@Iano C: When I say grow a pair, would that also fall into the category of a lack of depth and understanding in your head ?
@Ger Whelan: I think some of the problems come with what constitutes proof of citizenship. Less than 50% of Americans have a passport which is probably the easiest proof of citizenship. So do all those other people now have to apply for passports? As surely the proof would require not just a written document but photographic too to prove you are the person named on the other document. This is why it gets messy trying to do it at a polling station when poeple are trying to vote. And are those in the polling station going to be trained to recognise fake documents etc etc.
@martin lawlor: Oddly, you hold yourself in very high regard. You sound like a Boomer. Anyone who utters the phrase “my generation” cannot be taken seriously. Narrow mindedness and myopia are the cause of the ignorance we see in today’s society and you, my friend, are the perfect case study. Thankfully, your days are numbered.
@Iano C: Ha ha , ya sound like a lad in his bedroom loosing at his computer game.
My day’s are numbered???
Good god, and the likes of you going to build the future??, I’d say you couldn’t wire a plug.
I’ve work to get back to son, don’t stay up too late.
@Susan Walsh: They have 3 and a half years to work that out. We have done it here I’m sure there they can do it there
@Jason Memail: in California it’s illegal to ask for ID at voting stations! Why did they change that law, could it be the mass migration folks tend to vote Dem as they offer all the money & open door policies. Dems were most certainly looking to flip the swing states and would have got that in for next election if Harris won. Thank god they choose Harris to run lol
@ToolsDown: Voter fraud is being exaggerated, voter ID requirements vary by State. But you would have to ask yourself why would a non-citizen who managed somehow to get themselves on the voting register (which in itself would be difficult because you need proof of citizenship to get on the register) casting a vote as a non-citizen is a federal crime, you would absolutely lose any chance of ever getting naturalization to become a US citizen. Because ICE do verify if you ever voted before you applied for naturalization, So why would any non-citizen want to jeopardize their chances just to cast a vote?
@martin lawlor: Well said
It’s the electoral college system that needs changing but he’ll never touch that because it gives republican candidates a huge advantage in swing states
@Sean: could never understand that electoral college system myself. Much like the senate elections here.Not representative of the people in my view.
@Sean: or maybe he’ll never touch that because it’s in their constitution so can’t be touched by a president
@George Bowling: that’s what amendments are for…it can be done to any constitution
@James Leahy: have a look at the history of the electoral college system. It was bro in to keep power away from the people and so the the government can overturn states that don’t vote their way. It’s never happened that the electoral college went against the vote of the people, Trump is the only president that ever tried to get them to, in 2020. It should be abolished, it’s a crazy system.
@Sean: He’s been elected twice in 3 elections but lost the 3 popular votes. It’s a mental system of politics.
@George Bowling: he’s happy enough to ignore the 5th amendment though and wants the 14th changed.
@Paddy O’Donnell: Trump won the popular vote against Harris.
@Sean: The Electoral College is prime example of DEI because it was designed to be more inclusive to rural Americans by giving them same representation, despite having lower population compared to high density areas. Sounds quite similar to DEI(A) today, doesn’t it?
@George Bowling: hasn’t stopped him before!
@Ger Whelan: 0 from 3
In fairness it does need overhauling it’s a shambles of system they operate
@Darran Macken: California with over 39 million people has the same number of senators as Wyoming, with about 580,000 people. Sums it all up really. Backwards as f…..
This is distraction as usual. There is almost zero evidence in vote rigging. In fact the only attempts discovered were trump supporters. While he’s at it he could outlaw the heavy gerrymandering rampant across the states that basically copperfasten Republican majorities for all time. You should see the map of gerrymandered districts. There are some literally like snakes on the map deliberately designed by Republicans to make sure they won’t lose.
@Franno: regards, it’s still good that he wants to make ID mandatory. It could help avoid any rigging in the future.
@Michael Ryan: Voter ID is already mandatory in most states. The main issue is that a lot of states have outdated databases that may show someone as a non-citizen but that person may have subsequently become naturalized and be eligible to vote. If they use outdated databases like a state DMV to purge people off the voting register then someone who got their drivers license 8 years ago as a non-citizen but got their citizenship in the meantime would be removed from the voting register.
@Michael Ryan: it’s such a non issue compared to all the other bad stuff Republicans themselves do to suppress voter turnout in minority areas. Gerrymandering, defunding democratic areas so there are fewer polling places, stopping people handing out water to people waiting hours in poling queue, aggressive voter roll purges. Voter ID laws also target women and minorities disproportionately even if they are totally legitimate. But that all plays into their long term strategy of disenfranchisement of non white non males. Republicans have been chipping away at this for decades.
I don’t like trump but I think it’s crazy that you can vote and not have to show any ID or even be a citizen of the country.
@John: that’s not true. You must be US citizen to vote in POTUS election
@Franno: How do you prove that you’re a USA citizen to vote and that you’re still alive to vote in any POTUS election? In Ireland, before voting day, you have to show to the council proof of citizenship for general elections, presidential and referendums, proof of EU citizenship for EU elections and proof of identity and legal status for non-citizens for local elections. On election day, you may or may not be asked for ID, which is discretionary to the polling official, but as per the law, under the Electoral Act 1992, you must bring valid identification with you. You haven’t been asked for one until now? Good for you, but you still have to carry it as per the law.
@J Ven: why are you asking me that, am I google or something? I was just correcting disinformation from the OP.
Blatant authoritarianism
@Argus Romsworth: the only one looking to rig elections is himself
@Argus Romsworth: G..sh..e
@Argus Romsworth: how, by having to be a citizen and show ID? I don’t like trump but the current set up leave it wide open for corruption
@John: because he is revoking citizenship of people he doesn’t like, so you could be American but not a white American and we can say you are not a citizen esp in democratic States. I agree the voting is not fair or equal in the states.
@John: sure the man who has made claims of election fraud has been elected himself twice.
@Colette Byrne: Proof of this please.
So, while Trump is planning on devastating our economy, we continue with the farce in the Dail where we cannot even form a government
@RIP: No where the government is trying to pull a fast one, just like trump and needs to be stopped for all our sakes.
@Colette Byrne: 8 minutes of additional speaking time. That’s what your lot are acting like football hooligans over. Put it into perspective maybe?
@Jason Memail: If it’s just “8 minutes” why doesn’t the government take the hit and let its supporting TD’s use their talking time?. I mean it’s only 8 minutes so why is the government making a big deal of it?
Well done to the president of peace
@Mike Doe: You know he just slaughtered 200 kids blowing up tents in Gaza, hardly peace is it.
@Dave Grant: he did? You mean Israel.
Trump to bring about change with a move that Kim Jong Un would be proud of .
@Chaotic State: Not quite. North Koreans were never asked to prove their citizenship during the many free and fair elections that took place under Kim.
This is why Democrats lost the last election. They went off the deep end in terms of left-wing craziness and part of the that was the official party position that you shouldn’t require an ID or proof of citizenship to vote. This is common sense and I’m glad that Trump is bringing it in. You need ID to buy a beer, get on a plane, opening a bank account, renting a hotel room, getting a fishing licence and many other activities. Voting is clearly more sacred than those things and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t have to show a valid ID for this important duty either. Georgia brought in a similar bill three years ago and Democrats attacked it as “undermining democracy” yet a grand total of zero voters said that they had a poor voting experience after the law was passed. I welcome this move.
He did say at his rallies he only needed their votes for the last election, democrats seem to think the election cycle will continue, i have doubts.
@bruce banner: so do I…
@bruce banner: Can he run for election again? No. So it was his last election. I highly doubt he gives a rats ass about the republican party and the next election.
Who cares, the misdeeds by our government and misdirection by their msm chums keep the NPC irish from seeing the real con. The middle class of this country is being eroded away and you are all cheering it on.
Is Trump saying that the Presidential election was flawed by people voting who weren’t entitled? Maybe he should nullify the election and run it again
The redneck vote will seriously diminish. They’d be worried about their bench warrants.
The electoral college system is rooted in racism. End it.
@Luas Vuitton – Penneys Drag Queen: ah racism. Glad someone mentioned that word. Haven’t heard since, when was it? Well at least an hour ago anyway.
@Fran Ken: What time are you up in court?
@Luas Vuitton – Penneys Drag Queen: it was supposed to be tomorrow. But I’ve heard you’ve asked for more time to prepare your defence.
He wil b the first Dictator in the USA
@Tony Martin: and the American people just don’t see it, land of the free is coming to an end.or maybe it’s end of times. one or the other .
Absolutely fantastic but of course the evil democrates will oppose.
@Rian O’Sullivan: Rian ‘Traitor’ O’Sullivan.
Could the sniper just hurry up please and thanks.
@Ian: Great to wish other people risk their lives for something you wouldn’t do yourself from behind the safety of your keyboard.
There really is nothing Trump could do that the simps and Trolls here wouldn’t support 110%. As long as he also continues to murder enough Palestinian children obviously. If that stopped he would lose some support.
@FoxyBoiiYT: That sounds great hope the golf course in Gaza will open soon.
@Rian O’Sullivan: pathetic.
Hitler required id so one could walk in the streets. He also invades all round him ( wants greenland resources and Gaza as a “holiday camp”. He’ll probably end up like Hitler as well !!!
@W Kienan: we require id to vote does that make the Irish government nazis?
Trump as much as he would like to think he’s is the puppeteer, like most western world leaders he is merely the primary puppet. The US want all these changes, Trump is just the face of it.
Make it as difficult as possible to have votes going to the other party next election. Man is already thinking of the future president. Sly fox!!
@peter willekens: Does it not also make it difficult to have votes coming in for his party next election? How is he rigging it that the rules apply to other parties voters and not his?
@peter willekens: is that what we do here then?
@Ger Whelan: it’s simple. You’re less likely as a poor person to have a driving license or passport even if you are entitled. So it’s a bit of friction to a few percent of people, overwhelmingly Democratic voters, and they don’t bother voting. Same with married women whose ID still shows their maiden name and they need to update their ID or the name doesn’t match. So in one stroke, it puts a thumb on the scale against women and minorities disproportionately. Republicans have been thumbing the scales in their favour in various ways like this for decades.
Chairman Donald starting to cut all ties to democracy and still no one will do anything.
I’m generally okay with having proof of eligibility to vote, while also okay saying that basically all of his claims have been false.
I would wonder how much this affects military posted overseas, since they vote by mail, as has Trump, and sometimes those ballots don’t arrive on election day. They would have been counted if were signed before election, but does this mean that they become null if arrive a day late?
The 900 pages of Project 2025 outlined in black and white how they plan to dismantle democracy, oppress minorities and make the wealthiest even wealthier.
Why did anybody think they weren’t going to follow through on it?
I am not a lover of the man, he is ruthless Donald but he is Saving serious money in every department
The way dictators he is doing is not pretty.
@Phillip Smyth: the way we do it with OPW is borderline scandal.
@Phillip Smyth: How much money has been saved to date? If there’s so much corruption, why has nobody been prosecuted?
@Phillip Smyth: he has not been saving money. He has made claims that Doge has but they’ve shown zero proof and every time they have fire government and public staff they have been forced to rehire them. Stop repeating lies and actually look at what’s happening. Meanwhile people are worse off over there than they were under Biden and people have lost 10s of thousands off the value of their pensions because of what his tarrifs are doing to the stock market.
@Phillip Smyth: Trump 1.0 added $7.1 Trillion to the US national debt. Makes a bit of a mockery of your point
And so the dictatorship continues.
…..and he is the rigger in chief!!!!
The US is the only country in the world where you are not required to show ID when voting.
How lefties can be against proof of eligibility to vote speaks volumes to their inherent corruption.
@Paul: This is how the Dems rigged the 2020 election. A large number of the votes Biden got were postal and never verified against actual people. I wouldn’t be surprised if Trump investigated this in a lot more detail to show people how the Democrats rigged the 2020 election. Along with the Democrats push to remove the need to verify voter identity and pile that with social welfare incentives for illegals. Where were the highest proportion of illegals sent? Yes you guessed it, swing states and red states. Anyone with half a brain can see what they were up to. I think a lot of regular people will be shocked to see that this was allowed to nearly happen in America, bit it was too big to rig as Trump said.
@Adam H2022: haha!!
@Paul: so any yellow belly or red neck could just walk in and vote for him. . Even of he changes ot and tries to run again he will loose out
He probably has a point. Voting requirements are not really enforced.
The Democrat Voter Election Fraud tactic has been exposed. Time for real elections again. Importing illegals completely dependent on social welfare is a vote for Blue and that is election rigging. Not just election rigging but using tax payers money (many of which are republicans) to effectively buy Democrat votes is election rigging on a scale not seen before. Great to see Trump encouraging transparency again. Now if only we could stop the same system in Ireland that would ve great!
have your say