My Nonprofit Reviews

My daughter and 6 crew members disappeared in the Tasman Sea in June 2013 while sailing aboard a 70' schooner from New Zealand to Australia. We, and the other family members, heard about Texas Equisearch (TES), and I honestly don't know what we would have done without their help. Their competent team of volunteers connected all of us through daily conference calls as we threw around ideas and information that could help in our rescue efforts. The boat still hasn't turned up, but we know it's possible for the crew to be surviving because others have done it. If they lost their mast, they could be caught in the wild and unpredictable Tasman currents. TES put together satellite searches and we found a boat the exact size and shape of our boat, but New Zealand refused to fly out and look at it, stating that no one could be alive after drifting for 3 months. We had to laugh when the man from Mexico washed up in The Marshall Islands after 14 months crossing the Pacific Ocean in a small boat with nothing but fishing gear. Another boat took 18 months before turning up in Tonga after being caught in the Tasman eddies. TES helped in fund raising efforts as well, and over $600,000 was raised to fund private searches. When New Zealand's Search and Rescue turned over search data, claiming that they did an exhaustive search and the boat sank, TES was able to study their procedures and question their capabilities. And even after a year, TES still participated in weekly conference calls with family and involved parties, striving to keep us informed while pushing for changes in the way future searches overseas are conducted. We remain eternally grateful to TES and their determination to save lives and help families achieve closure when the worst thing possible happens; someone you love goes missing.

More Feedback