-----Original Message-----
From: Jakob Adolf Jadolf@dts.mg
To: 'Chris Marrow' ChrisMariners@btinternet.com
Date: Monday, August 24, 1998 17:43
Subject: Search for "Transgression"
Search for Transgression 21.07.98+22.07.98
21.07.98 We departed Ivato at about 12:00 local time. The search started at a position just about 10 miles north of Mahajanga. We followed the coast at about 600-1000 feet to Diego. We searched all islands and bays on the way and resumed the search at the coast wherever we had left the coast. At all times we were able to see fishingboats and villages along our route. The number of sailingboats increased as we approached Nosy Be. We investigated the ones that fitted the description. There was nothing unusual visible along the entire route. Since the 21st I had two opportunities to check the area around Mahajanga again.
22.07.98 Our planned departure at 0600 was delayed due to bad weather (poor visibility) to 0745. Diego is lacking a weather radar facility. So we decided to go out towards FARQUHAR and see how much we can do. While the cloudbase was very low at the beginning (600 feet above sealevel) the visibility over the ocean was acceptable for a search. The wind was up to 30 knots. About 2/3 out the weather improved to "blue sky". Our office confirmed a big mass of clouds over the north of Madagascar covering the comores and COSMOLEDO (Infrared weather picture from the Internet). But since it was still before noon I was speculating on a weather improvement towards the west and back in Diego.
FARQUAR GROUP We found about 20 different buildings on the island, one old runway and at least 25 people going after their everyday work. Including several boats spread over the entire lagoon. There were only small motorboats and some other marine equipment in their base. The GROUP is not very big and any object that doesn't belong there would have been spotted very fast. Among the local population we noticed 2 or 3 white males. On the southwestern reef is an old boat wreck but of much bigger size and all metal + a definite motorvessel.
PROVIDENCE ISLAND On the southern island we found a few houses with a few motorboats and people busy unloading them. Offshore, outside the reef there was a supplyship on anchor. The most northern island of that atoll is 4 miles further north. It had no people on it but a few houses. We think the people who live there where at that time at the southern island to meet the supply ship. But there were no signs of recent movements and no tracks in the sand. North east of that atoll was a small local build fishing boat. It was 2 miles out but it was an unseal sight since from all the southern seychelle islands it was the only smaller boat that we observed to be outside the reef. Apart from that it was blue. But it was definitely a locally build boat. The rest of the shallow water inside the atoll and around the reef had no unusual signs. Our chart indicates shallow water about 4 miles north of the northern island, but as we arrived there we could not see a difference to the rest of the ocean.
From that point we continued to SAINT PIERRE ISLAND It is a very small island but at one point it must have been some type of TESTSITE. We found about 15 houses one dock and an old runway. The island has a diameter of about 1000 meters. One half is covered by trees the other only by grass. A railroad track leads from the dock to the centre of the island. Since it was the first island without any signs of live we spend a little more time circling. But after about 10 minutes it was very obvious that there was nothing unusual there.
Almost half way to COSMOLEDO GROUP it was clear that the weather was not improving at all, in fact the winds had increased and we were heading into a situation that would have made an island search difficult and the sea search impossible due to extremely low visibility and lowering ceilings. Diego has no means to support an instrument approach of any kind. But at the same time it was our only option with less than one hours reserve arriving there. I decided to postpone the other islands to a later point and return to Diego from that position. On the way back we received information that the weather pattern was not supposed to change for that area for the next 48 hours.
Up to the point of cancelling the remaining islands, the sea search was very effective but we did not see any other things than the one supply ship of FARQUAHAR and the local fishing boat north of PROVIDENCE. On the way from the point of cancelling the visibility wasn't very good. At times it dropped to less than a mile but most of the time we had at least 5 miles and more but with a ceiling of 400 feet.
Due to the time of day we were able to see into the water around the reefs and the water in the atolls was a 100 % transparent. Unlike the later flight around the remaining islands we did not observe any old nets and floats on the beaches.
Jakob Adolf
MAF-Madagascar