Charger

She was relaunched on June 1

The Charger sailed north and went ashore again on a remote island called Oderin off of south eastern Newfoundland on August 21.

She was “banged up a bit” and was refurbished by Dwight Howse of the St. Johns School of Ocean Technology Marine Institute and was redeployed by an oil rig supply boat along with “Sea Tiger.”

“Charger” survived hurricane Rafael in mid-October but sent her last GPS report on November 7, 2012 at about the time Hurricane Sandy went through.

On January 9, 2013 we received an email from Katie Martin that “Charger” was found in good condition on the beach in Carmarthen, Wales during a routine beach check by an environmental officer.

Charger was refurbished. We received this nice update from Captain D.A. Sulin in March 2013:

Subject: THE GOOD VESSEL “CHARGER” UPDATE

PHILADELPHIA EXPRESS / WDC 6736 / 102W12

Dick & Ms. Nidz,

This is an update on the “Charger”.  I have copied this message to
other folks who have had contact with or an interest in the “Charger”.  I am
sorry that I did not have the email address of the Mayor of Baine Harbour,
Newfoundland so that he could be kept in the loop.  He put a nice note in
the canister on board the “Charger”.

The “Charger” arrived on board this vessel in remarkable condition.
The mast had been repaired and the sail is like new.  I have cleaned off
some of the dried on sea growth from the hull.  There are no big bumps or
bruises on the hull and the rudder is fine.  The folks that repaired the
mast did a masterful job.  The “Charger” looks fit for its next adventure.

Today I sanded off the gloss and epoxied the new transponder onto
the deck of the “Charger” just forward of your information canister.  I then
opened the canister and found that it had leaked a bit.  The contents had
been protected by a double set of Ziploc bags and were in relatively good
condition.  If the students don’t already know it, the canister still
contains a copy of The Mini Bagel, the nutmeg clove in the bottle, the
educational passages information sheet, the Charter Oak information sheet
with the Connecticut Sate Quarter still attached, a sheet of paper with some
addresses in the UK, your John Winthrop Middle School “Be the Wave” note, a
business card for Katie Martin of QinetiQ, a neck lanyard from QinetiQ, a
business card for Dwight Howse of the Marine Institute in St. John’s,
Newfoundland, a note from the mayor of Blaine Harbor, Newfoundland stapled
to a nice photo of Blaine Harbor that is advertising Blaine Harbor Weekend
August 17-19, 2012.  There is also a wonderful Canadian dollar coin that I
believe my friends north of the border call a “Looney” because the coin
features a loon on one side.  The flash drive is no longer there, but the
explanation of what is on the flash drive is.  I am sorry that I did not get
to hear your lovely music program.

I will add the business cards of Nigel Tarrant of Admiral Harding
and David Rimmell of the Denholm-Wilhelmsen agency as they played an
important role in getting the “Charger” delivered to the Philadelphia
Express.  I will also include my business card.  Additionally I will add a
two pence coin that the good folks in the UK call a “tuppence”.  I included
the tuppence because on the side opposite the Queen’s portrait is the “three
feathers” design which I believe represents Wales.  The world famous Welsh
rugby football team wears the three feathers design on their jerseys.

The contents of the canister are being dried out at this time and
will be inserted in a renewed set of Ziplocs before being returned to the
canister.  In order to protect this “cargo” in the canister I am in the
process of manufacturing a gasket for the canister that I believe will help
keep out the sea water as the “Charger” wanders across the Atlantic.

Attached is a photo of me sanding the gloss off the fiberglass in
order to prepare the deck area of the “Charger” for attachment of the new
transponder.  The epoxy that I used is curing now and the new transponder
will be very secure and ready for the “Charger’s” next voyage.  Also
attached is a photo of a “guest” who landed on board earlier today.  The
seagull injured himself (left leg) when a wind gust caused him to slam into
a container stack.  I have fed him some fish and sardines and he seems to be
mending well and I expect that he will leave us soon and rejoin his friends.
I added the picture just to give the students an idea of the kinds of birds
that may accompany the “Charger” from time to time.

Due to the winds and seas and in order to be sure that the “Charger”
will get a good start westward I intend to carry the “Charger” to a point
west of the Azores.  The weather down there will be much calmer and will
allow for a safe and efficient re-launch of your boat.  Be patient as the
“Charger” will soon be plying the Atlantic Ocean on its own without
interference from us humans.  The students should be aware that the ocean
waters in the area of the Azores will soon be very active with pods of sperm
and finback and pilot whales returning to their traditional feeding areas
for the spring and summer months.  It is entirely feasible that the
“charger” will be brushed by a whale as it passes through these waters.
That is something that the students may not have considered.

Thanks & regards,
Captain D.A. Sulin
Master
PHILADELPHIA EXPRESS

Thanks to the help of Captain Sulin, the Tarrant Family, and Teacher Bobbi Nidzgorski, after traveling across the ocean a few times onboard the Philadelphia Express, was finally deployed SW of the Azores on 30 March 2013.

On 29 January 2014, Charger landed on a sandy beach in Torreira, Portugal where it was picked up by a variety of groups that have shown interests. This include the Portuguese National Agency for Scientific and Technological Culture and the European project Sea for Society.

It is pictured below in Lisbon prior to restoration.

The Charger was refurbished by the Institute for Systems and Robotics in Lisbon.

She was relaunched in May near the Azores.

It traveled back across the Atlantic and landed in Georgetown, Guyana on 13 December 2014 after a fishermen grabbed it from the waves. After a few weeks of investigations, the fishermen was found and the boat was recovered.

The quest is still on to get the Charger home from Guyana. An article in the Soundings Magazine was published asking for help.