Call me cynical...........the Esky Fishermen

[I spy]

OK, I know I may be biased, being ex-SAPL, but how the heck did these guys manage to get "not noticed" for 25 days, floating around the Straits and located just 60kms from Horn?


Men rescued from giant icebox in Torres Strait | Herald Sun

Anyone has who has flown the Straits knows that there is a heck of a lot of inter-island traffic, with the locals banging around in their wahoos etc.
They survived on fish (already in the container) and water collected. I buy that, being the "wet" and all, but discharged so soon from hospital after 25 days in the elements??? Oh - and the guy on the left of the photo appears clean-shaven??

Hey, look - I'm glad they were found, but just seems a tad strange to me.......anyone else?

[sms777]

I reckon it was another stunt from the Wiggles....."Six months in a leaking boat" send up, spoilt by our vigilant coastwatch.
The Islanders were cheaper than the black fellows they have used in their Qantas song

[VH-XXX]

I was thinking the same. Surely after that long at sea you would be sunburnt to the max (even if you are black) and there's no way the average man would last that long, 20+ days contrary to what the doctor said. I'm surprised it didn't tip over in the waves.

Going in their favour is that the esky was probably used on board for fish so they probably weren't illegal immigrants.

I can't help but think they haven't been there for long but they are adament that they got lost 2 days before Christmas day.

[airtags]

sorry but my cynical journalist training says "no way"

there are just too many wobbly bits to this story - besides my (younger)experiences in a few off shore races to New Caledonia suggests that the esky would not be the ideal vessel to cope with even the smallest of swells.

Can't quite put my finger on it but the stills from the initial sighting (alleged) don't quite stack up with the story -

- besides most assylum seekers these days are smart enough to save money and just book a seat in rows 60 thru 72 on QF10 out of Singapore and avoid the hassle of Coastwatch and a Christmas Island stopover

[el_capitano]

The guys in the esky were probably trying out for a position with the "Chasers War on Everything Team" so they could work for the ABC. I know its hard to come by jobs these days but the esky crew must be pretty keen, and the entry requirements to work at ABC must be getting harder.......

[frothy]

Wasn't there a Cyclone floating around up there recently. Bloody good Esky, beats my tinnie

Frothy

[sms777]

The manufacturer of the Esky already has plans drawn up for an extended version with an upper deck with ensuite and a full flybridge complete with satellite navigation and enough supplies to last at least 30 days without any inconvenience to the occupants regardless their race.
More details will be available soon on their website.

[WTA...]

I'd have to say with the amount of coverage i saw up there (bongo and dash times) no wonder they where missed... it's a big bit of water with F**k all in between. And the Navy / Coastwatch where only interested in the sea cucumber fishermen, and they got a nice westwind ride home. Bit Rich....But happens

[Peter Fanelli]

geeeez is this thread still here?
Where the hell are the moderators?

[Ex FSO GRIFFO]

How stable would a 'square box' ESKY be?
With such HIGH sides??

I mean, ...'I wanna wee wee' - would that mean that the other guy leans out as far in the other direction??

Equilibrium??

It must have been a 'mean feat' to have kept the thing upright in those 'choppy' waves?

Just curious......

[troppo]

Maybe they came to a compromise whereby one needed to take a leak and the other was thirsty. I mean we all know that drinking seawater makes you go crazy

[Wally Mk2]

Shhhhhhhhhhhh''' 'PF', you bucking to be a Mod hey?

Don't entice the Mod/s to kill off a funny thread, what else could it be, if our authorities believe this one then the esky manufacturers will be flat out for the next million years!
Ya gotta hand it to these two, clever or not their here at the Oz holiday camp, but now what? Stick 'em back in it & give a big push.............with lots of Mackers of course, that ought to sustain them long enough to be picked up by another gullible country


Wmk2

[Dick N. Cider]

Saw some photos from Coastwatch before the rescue and in one of them one was swimming about 5m away from the eski. Don't know what it means but buggered if I'd be swimming out there.

DNC

[Gordstar]

Eh,,,,,I know yooouuuuuuuu........

I spy, you are on the money mate, I guess I probably know you, having done my time in the Torres as a Kelpie.

What a croc of brown stuff, anyone who applied a squidge of thought to this story would notice a few holes.

I hope these clowns were sent straight back.......in their esky, with a stick and a blanket for a sail.

[I spy]

Gordstar - you do know me.

I was one of the only SAPL people on YHID that had tits.......and they were pretty hard NOT to spot

[morno]

I guess you SAPL people could confirm this, but I've heard from a mate of mine who was on the Dash 8 at SAPL, that the equipment onboard the Dash 8 can pick up an esky lid from about 100nm away. He was telling me how they were on surveillance one day, they detected something some ridiculous distance away, and when they got there, it was just a stump in the water.

So yes, finding this "Esky Fisherman" story hard to believe, .

morno

[Gordstar]

Floating black stump

Yep,,,the radar is pretty good, although the old gear could pick up stumps and trees too, the new stuff is pretty schmick.

Hiya I Spy, yeh reckon I worked out who you are.