Missing yacht: ask the US Coast Guard for help | Argentinian Renzo Spasiano’s family collect signatures on petition

The family of Renzo Spasiano, the 20-year-old missing since last Tuesday with the four other people with whom he was returning to Mexico by sea, after a trip from humanitarian aid to Haiti, claims that the United States Coast Guard gets involved in research since the other Argentinian who was on board also has the nationality of that country.

“As Carlos Juárez, the owner of the yacht, is also a US citizen, what we want is for the US Coast Guard to help, either to search for one of its citizens or to help with the search,” did he declare. Luis Spasiano, father of Renzo, at Telam.

The missing Argentines live in Puerto Aventuras, about 10 kilometers from Playa del Carmen, where Juárez owns a yacht business where Spasiano works. Besides Renzo Spasiano and Carlos Juárez (43), in the boat about which nothing is known since 9:30 am (Argentine time) on Tuesday 28, were the Cuban Denis Manuel Fernández Díaz (46) and the Mexican Martín Vega Argaez (44).

All were returning to Mexico after a 10-day humanitarian mission in Haiti, where they had left food, medicine and even a field hospital.

“We need the US Coast Guard to listen to us and give us their cooperation, which is why we are doing a signature collection on Change.org,” said Spasiano.

To this end, Renzo’s family and friends have filed a petition that has already collected more than 3,900 signatures. “We call for urgent support from the United States Coast Guard to begin, together with the Mexican Secretariat of the Navy (Semar), the search / rescue of the crew of the vessel MOI Guadalupe with the registration number 4576714A, who was returning from Haiti after providing humanitarian aid to the victims of the earthquake that hit the country in August, ”the request indicates.

Spasiano said search tasks continue, to which a Semar aircraft has been added in recent hours, which, along with two ships of that force and a family-hired plane, are looking for the lost “throughout the Gulf of Mexico. “. , although in vain. The data was confirmed to Telam by Argentina’s consul in Playa del Carmen, Lautaro Filchtinsky, who explained that “the Mexican navy is looking north” to the Gulf, “and the family further south.” “They are working in coordination, looking in different areas, but so far nothing,” he said.

In addition, through the Argentine Embassy in Cuba, the Havana Harbor Master’s Office has also warned Cuban-flagged vessels to report any clues that may help locate the vessel.

From Cuba, the International Hemingway Yacht Club has also announced that it is joining the search. “Cuba works a lot with the media they have,” said Spasiano.

Regarding the different hypotheses that are treated, Renzo’s father does not believe in that of the technical failure, the tropical storm or a possible collision.

“Before the ship left (from Mexico, on the way there) I helped to inspect it and it had no technical faults, later it arrived in Haiti on time and returned in the same way , sailing in a straight line with the very ferrous sea and the optimal climate, ”he explained.

“In addition, there was all the safety equipment and since it’s a huge 83 foot boat, they had a rigid rescue boat in addition to the rafts and it has two big engines, so if one has a defect, the other continues to work without problem. “, he counted.

On the other hand, “the weather has been optimal for more than a week”, which Spasiano was able to corroborate yesterday while flying over the coast of Cuba, “with perfect visibility and without waves”. And although “we do not rule out any possibility”, it is difficult for him to imagine a kidnapping scenario because “there is no piracy in this area”.

“What we do know is that 120 miles before (the seaside resort of) Cozumel, the Spot Truck sent the last signal, which is a stand-alone satellite device that marks its position every 15 or 20 minutes: it was doing it. since left Haiti You even see the card that fills up in Jamaica and returns to Mexico, ”he said.

Also, 15 minutes before Spasiano got lost, he said that “they had spoken by satellite phone with a captain from Miami who called them to see how they were coming, and they told him everything was normal and that ‘they had 15 or 18 hours to get there. “

But as of 12:35 GMT (9:35 in Argentina) on Tuesday 28, there were no more positioning signals and it disappeared from radars and GPS monitors.

De su hijo, manifestó que había decidido ir en misión humanitaria de una congregación religiosa a Haití porque “es solidario” y estaba muy conmovido por cómo había afectado a los niños del último terremoto que dejó 2.200 muertos y porque “quiere ser marendinero y está aprá ” office.

“Before he left he said to me, ‘Fat man, I have to go, these boys have nothing.’ they had nothing to wear, ”he said.

The trip was organized by volunteers from the International Rescue Brigade in Cancun with the Missionaries of the Risen Christ. It took them a week to load the merchandise and equipment they had managed to recover. After three days of travel, the MOI Guadalupe arrived at the port of Miragoâne, in the department of Nippes. They brought not only food, but also a field hospital, “medical equipment and supplies to establish a primary medical service” for the commune of L’Asile, where most of the houses were destroyed by the earthquake. .

It was the Mexican episcopate itself that on September 20 issued a statement congratulating the four crew members on their mission. The MOI Guadalupe belongs to the company Yacht Club Playa which offers private excursions in the paradisiacal waters of the Caribbean Sea, in the bay of Yucatan. As they promote on their website, this is a luxury boat with a capacity of 50 people.