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North Pole Dominick update: Battle against time
20:11 p.m. EST Apr 18, 2004
There are good news and more battles to report as we race against time for Dominick's Wednesday deadline.
Only over the weekend some 3000 euros (almost 5000 USD) has streamed to the search support Sampo bank account! In addition to the 3000, additional donations made today Monday should reach Finland by tomorrow.
As for the search area, we have consulted with both Russian and American authorities. Our estimates for an Easterly search (due to the current expeditions positions) were confirmed by the Joint Rescue and Coordinations Center in Canada. They have a buoy placed at N82'85 East 125. According to its location tracking, there have been a clear Easterly drift March 10-26.
The first satellite image didn't come out as the satellite wasn't in the correct position, but the satellite company is now working on a second picture.
Defining the correct search area has been the hardest. To begin with, we need the exact facts of the earlier search. Dominick's friends have urged Cerpolex for the coordinates over the weekend but with no result. The reason could be in a mail from France Friday: "Bernard Buigues was just on the TV news tonight about an exhibition which opens today (Friday) in Paris, of the Mammoth he found in Siberia some years ago."
Not until today afternoon did Dom's home team get a break: "Just spoke with Francois Bernard. He promised to send the coordinates - but not before 10 a.m. French time tomorrow morning. He said that all this information is in his GPS, which he didn't have with him."
All Cerpolex have offered until now is the drawing in the picture to this story. Also, Cerpolex announced that they now plan to attend the search themselves. Bernard Buigues have said that he will be in Khatanga tomorrow and give as detailed information as possible to the pilots. The team of course worries that this "help" will instead once again obstruct their effort.
As soon as the coordinates arrive, a final search plan will be made for the pilots, sometime tomorrow evening.
And we round up this report with another message from the polar community:
Dear Team
Thank you for your positive attitude regarding Dominick and everything that you do. I hope and pray she is well.
Kind regards, Correnč from South Africa (Last Degrees South and North Pole)
Five expeditions set out for a North Pole expedition this year, all from the Russian side. A big open water lead just off the starting point posed the first immediate problem for this years expeditions. Two solo skiers, French/Finnish woman Dominick and Frenchman Frederic decided to ski/paddle across the huge, 55 km semi open water area, in an attempt for a clean North Pole expedition (which must start from land). The other teams opted for an air drop onto thick ice.
Frederic Chamard-Boudet, fell in the water and was rescued. He is treated for severe frostbite. Dominick is missing since March 5th. Her tracks were found disappearing in an open water section, which she had planned to paddle over. No traces of Dominick, her kayak, sleds or other gear have been found.
Image of earlier search area provided by Cerpolex, courtesy of Dominick's friends.
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