Looking for "Spirit of Rema"

[Rover Crew]

7 months today since Ed left Hout Bay, and we are still continuing with our 'search'.
We have had some information passed to us, from someone who helped Ed prepare to leave, - and I post it here in the hope that something might 'strike a chord' with someone. -
At the time of Ed leaving Hout Bay, (26th Dec 2012) weather services predicted a 'few days' of northerlies, and indeed the northerly winds did hold for a few days, and Edward would have been able to get well away from the coast and into the westerlies, as planned. He was planning to travel along the 40th parallel, dipping north or south of it as necessary. He expected the journey (to Australia) to take 70days at best (which gives a possible arrival date somewhere around the 5th March) He was not at all worried about the timescale and was prepared to be at sea for a longer period.
He had GPS, VHF and a short wave receiver, and traditional navigation equipment, which he well knew how to use and paper charts which he preferred. His wind generator would provide ample power for his simple electrics, and he has a solar panel.
He was very well set up, in a simple, efficient and seamanlike way. The vessel is a strong little ship, handled by a very experienced man.
With the northerly winds that he had when he left, he would have taken the opportunity to get south quickly and would not have made landfall at any other SA port. It is not likely, in any way, that he headed towards Madagascar.
He spent alot of time getting back into shape for the journey, and there were no medical or health issues that I was aware of.

So there you have it, a very clear 'report' from one of the last people to see Ed before he left. We would like to publicly thank this guy for his time and effort in both helping Ed with preparations, and in supplying us with this information.
We remain, with our fingers crossed that he is out there somewhere, and that the only reason for his non arrival is a simple one.

Safe sailing to you all.

[Rover Crew]

So here we are, just over 9mnths since Ed left Hout Bay. We had been pinning our hopes on the supply vessel Marion Dufresne, recently operating in the waters around the islands where we hoped that Ed was holed up. Sadly they have returned to port unable to give us any news of any sightings.
Further checks have revealed that the fishing fleet out of the Kerguelen Islands have reported no sightings either.
... and finally, an email received from Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) Cape Town, tells us that they have "stopped all active searches for this vessel.The probability of success is just too slim"
This would seem then that they consider we have little hope of finding him now after all this time.
Difficult to grasp, but we must now accept that it is somewhat more than likely that he has been lost at sea.
Thank you to everyone who has shown concern and interest.
Fair winds to you all.. I shall still watch with interest what you are all up to out there, being on this forum has brought back many happy memories of sailing days gone by.

[redbopeep]

So sorry to hear no sightings/contact made. Thank you for keeping us up to date here.

Fair winds,
Brenda and David

[Anthony and Lynn Compson]

We cannot believe that we may have lost Ed to the Southern ocean.We only met him a few times and had a wonderful evening with him in Ipswich docks before he left to sail south.What a lovely unassuming man.We think of him often and still hope for a miracle.
Fair winds
Anthony and Lynn Compson

[Rover Crew]

Thank you, Anthony & Lynn for those kind words about Eddie. 'Unassuming' just about sums him up, and it is difficult to accept that we may have lost him.
We all hope against hope that he will wander into the NZ yachtclub one day (someone suggested, 'bearded and with long hair'!) and wonder what all the fuss is about.

[bfloyd4445]

When my daughter was at home she used to go with me on some of hair brained excursions into remote areas just to see the country. Most would not go with me so mostly I went solo, still do, and I'm 66. She used to say, Dad, someday you won't return and we will never learn what happened unless years later someone finds your big boots. I always carried ID, money, in my boot just in case. Now she says one day I'll just disappear out on the water never to be heard from again. I said, maybe so but when I sail off into the sunset it will be doing what I have always loved.

[Rover Crew]

Originally Posted by bfloyd4445

. Now she says one day I'll just disappear out on the water never to be heard from again. I said, maybe so but when I sail off into the sunset it will be doing what I have always loved.

Exactly!! and this is what we have to say about Ed - if he has gone, and it would appear that he has, he went doing just what he loved and wanted to do. It was his ambition to circumnavigate, solo and in the very basic way of the old sailing days, - and - he nearly made it.
It is, however, the not knowing what happened, that upsets us. We can only hope that whatever did happen was quick, and that he didn't suffer days of pain or so on.

Thanks bfloyd445, for your thoughts.

[bfloyd4445]

Originally Posted by Rover Crew

Exactly!! and this is what we have to say about Ed - if he has gone, and it would appear that he has, he went doing just what he loved and wanted to do. It was his ambition to circumnavigate, solo and in the very basic way of the old sailing days, - and - he nearly made it.
It is, however, the not knowing what happened, that upsets us. We can only hope that whatever did happen was quick, and that he didn't suffer days of pain or so on.

Thanks bfloyd445, for your thoughts.

From the thread I get the impression Ed could handle just about anything that came his way so if he has moved on to a better world than ours, my feeling is it happened graciously.
In my life I have had two experiences which often come to mind one happened in 1987 when a very good friend had an accident when sailing on a small lake. Rod was never going to have kids cause there were already plenty to go round and he and his life long girl friend were fine until she became with child. They both thought the same way so there was much soul searching and they decided to get married, keep the baby. To celebrate they had a big party at Rancho Seco lake a 20 acre lake used for reactor emergency cooling that had been made into a nice little park. The day before the party to ice the cake he was promoted to an upper management position in the company he worked for. Everything was looking really nice and the couple were full of life. The day of the party Rod took his laser??..not sure what the name was to the park to sail. When he had showed me this thing a couple of months earlier I had told him it looked difficult to control and dangerous. Rod replied, she is a little feisty but lots of fun and fast. Well the day of the party there was a bit of a north west blustery wind and the party goers realized there was no Rod so they went looking for him. He was found in less than five feet of water and his sail not far off. The cause of death was drowning which most thought odd cause Rod was a very good swimmer. Thinking about it I believe a sudden gust cause a gybe which knocked him out in the shallow water and he drowned. Very sad but a painless way to go.
Then another incident I wish to mention happened to me when I was a child of maybe 7-8. I was in a swimming pool having a grand time when there was a blank second and then I was watching the people in the pool while laying on the bottom perfectly contented. I can distinctly remember the peoples feet and legs moving under the water which I found fascinating to watch. Then the next thing I knew I was sitting on a toilet with people standing around me. I looked around and asked, why am I here what happened. I was told that I was missed and I was found on the bottom of the pool and everyone had thought I had drowned. But as you can see I am fine and this is 58 years later. What that incident told me was that drowning is painless and you do drift off into a fantasy world which includes the world around you.
This is life, Rod has no pain, but I survived to enjoy another 58 years past of intermittent pain and maybe a few more in the future. Maybe that's why I like the water. It treats all equal even if a bit moody<smile>. Yesterday I the ocean off the Oregon coast was flat with almost no swell almost becalmed but for a very light north west breeze. The bar at Coos Bay Oregon can be pretty nasty but yesterday it was as calm as the ocean like I have never seen it before. Wonderful day as is today the tuna fleet is doing very well out of Coos Bay this year. There's a cannery there, Chucks Seafood, that I like to stop at to load up with canned tuna. The only better canned tuna is that which you can yourself but only sometimes. I've canned tuna and my product isn't consistant like Chucks.
Anyway my friends, I assure you Ed is fine, and grateful of your love. He is a lucky man to be so loved.
God bless

[Rover Crew]

Tomorrow will mark a year since Ed set sail from Hout Bay, South Africa.
He has now been officially registered as 'missing'.
We wil be raising a glass to his memory, along with a any number of his friends.. please join us.
Heres to you, Ed.

[redbopeep]

Glasses raised, a toast to Ed--bless his life and memory. We, like other sailors always remember:

"It isn't that life ashore is distasteful to me. But life at sea is better."
-Sir Francis Drake


Fair winds,
Brenda and David

[bfloyd4445]

God bless

[moetsailing]

Just heard the sad news about Edward. A wonderful man and a a dear friend. An inspiration for how to live life. We spent a lot of time together in NZ at anchor over the years and shared many special moments. I feel honoured and proud to have known Edward, and pleased he touched so many people along his journey. He is very much missed. x

[Rover Crew]

Thank you 'moetsailing' for you thoughts and words about Ed.
Yes he is missed by all of us, and I am sure that he has been an inspiration to many. I certainly have been contacted by many people who knew him since I posted on here, and began the 'search for Ed'.. it is clear that he touched many lives.
Cheers for now.. safe sailing to all..

[Rover Crew]

TO ALL FRIENDS, ACQUAINTANCES & SAILING COMPANIONS
OF EDWARD (EDDIE) ANKER,
OF 'THE SPIRIT OF REMA'

A Memorial Fund has now been set up for Edward (Eddie) Anker.
It is known as the 'Forever by the Sea fund' and is in support of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, UK (the RNLI).

Anyone who wishes to make a donation or add their memories or photos of Ed, to the webpage - please PM me for the link, or go to the RNLI webpage and search for Edward Anker in the funds list.

Regards, - and safe sailing to you all.

[RoyMcBride]

Hello,

I have noted in the past that there was a post to search for Eddie Anker who had been posted as missing.

I live near the Hout Bay marina and used to see Ed working on his yacht.

I have one comment and it was from an ocean sailor, Spirit of Rema had no safety life lines around the deck, meaning if Ed slipped he could easily end up over the side and even with a harness be washed away?

I have two images, Ed is in both of them as is his yacht, if I click on the Insert Image it asks for a URL, I have the images in my Documents, how do I access them??

[RoyMcBride]

I have at least two images, there may be more in my PC if I search for them?

How do I access the images that I do have, they are in Documents in my PC not on a web site.

[Auzzee]

The easiest way to post is to first drag and drop the images on to your desk top. Then, when you reply to a post, look in the fields above the text box. Click on the paperclip. This will prompt you to browse for an image.

Find the image on the desk top (you can only open one at a time), click on it to download, then when it appears in 'manage', click on it, then scroll down to 'preview', to see if the image has been loaded. You can do this with each image before you click 'post'.

If you have any problems, please ask fr further assistance. meanwhile, thanks sincerely for tasking the time and trouble to post your images. I know it will mean a lot to Eddie's friends and family.

Best wishes.

[RoyMcBride]

Thanks,

I will try that in the morning, then search out the rest of the pictures to do the same.

[Rover Crew]

Thank you Roy, for contacting this thread, and trying to put your photos on it.. and thank you Auzzee, for your assistance there!
Sadly it is clearly, more than obvious that Eddie was lost at sea somewhere in between South Africa and Australia, 7 years ago in 2013.. but even so, I still keep an eye on various web sites and internet news pages, with a vague hope that someone will turn up something, even just a piece of the boat.. or some identifiable item, just to put a lid on it all.
I hope that you can link your photos to this thread, I shall be interested to see them. I'll check in again in the next few days, to see if they are here.
Best wishes.. and thanks again for your message.

[RoyMcBride]

Hello,

i am new on this group but please why not change the format where an image or file can be uploaded. Similar groups give the option to choose between Documents or Pictures, super simple, why does this group not do the same?


It asks for a URL why?