The Coast Guard used ships and airplanes to search the Atlantic on Oct 30 for the captain of the HMS "Bounty".
The Coast Guard was optimistic Robin Walbridge, 63, of St. Petersburg, could still be alive in his blazing red survival suit 145 kilometres off the North Carolina coast.
Walbridge went overboard early on Oct 29 when the ship rolled over 5.5-metre waves. The search was hampered by 4.5-metre waves. The search through the night for the captain encompassed 3,366 square kilometres, aided by a Miami-based plane with night-vision capability.
A decision on how much longer to search will be made later. The survivors received medical attention and were to be interviewed for a Coast Guard investigation.
Biography - Captain Robin Walbridge
According to Captain Robin Walbridge, Bounty has no boundaries. As her captain, he is well known for his ability and desire to take Bounty to places that no ship has gone before. Captain Walbridge's philosophy is that all people of all ages should have the chance to see the great ships from the Golden Age of Sail - ships that have changed the course of history, made and destroyed nations, and have had an impact on us as a people and culture today.
Captain Walbridge is a quiet, self-effacing individual; yet, when you stop to consider all he has done in its entirety, collectively, it and he are pretty amazing. If you spend any time with him, you will realize that his loves are obvious: life, youth, the sea and HMS Bounty. He does not have children of his own, but has all the patience in the world when it comes to kids.
Robin entered the world of tall ships through the back door. Raised in St. Petersburg, Florida, he obtained his first raw boating experience when he borrowed a sailboat at age 18 and it proved to be a defining moment. By the time he owned a 38' schooner in his mid-twenties - the sea - any sea- was firmly in his blood. At 28, he secured his 50-ton license while working on the Miller houseboats on the Suwanee River in Florida where he was the field mechanic for five years. When not on the houseboats, he taught adult education and basic navigation to fishing and boat guides.
He went on to work on the Governor Stone in Apalachicola, Florida as Captain, conducting day sail programs, and crew training programs for the operation of the vessel. It was here he earned his 100-ton license.
Robin admits to sailing on the best and with the best when it comes to sail training education for youth. He became hooked on kids working with adjudicated youth as Captain for Vision Quest and the Bill of Rights. While on board the Bill of Rights, he worked on programs taking "hard-core" youth on-board from three months to 18 months. In 1993, he worked on Boy Scout programs on the Heritage of Miami. He developed sail training programs to take scouts on one-week voyages in the Florida Keys, including programs for children with disabilities. In his off-seasons, from 1993 – 2000, he was on-call as mate or engineer for Sea Education Association's (SEA) two vessels, Westwood and Corwith Cramer. Robin also spent some time on the 198' U.S. Brig Niagara of Erie, Pennsylvania, which only enhanced his fascination for square-rigged sailing.
Robin moved on to HMS Rose in 1993 as First and Second mate and went on to obtain his 500-ton Captain's license. He continued to work with youth sail training programs, developing programs for trainees along the eastern seaboard and Great Lakes. In 1995, he obtained his 1600-ton license.
Enter HMS Bounty in 1995. It was a labor of love from the beginning, and Robin has never looked back. Keeping her afloat has been a full-time occupation for many years. If it weren't for Robin's efforts, the ship would have sunk at the dock in Fall River, Massachusetts. During these financially difficult years, Robin organized programs with a local orphanage taking four to six young adults on as part of his crew. He also worked with an Ohio-based alternative school to give children an opportunity to find their love of the sea in a new environment.
The highlight of his career, however, is the two years and over 15 voyages spent training the crew of "Old Ironsides," the U.S.S. Constitution. He was at the helm as guest Captain/Advisor for the ship's inaugural sail in 1997 after 116 years of being dormant, a moment he remembers as "awe-inspiring," as many in his position would.
Under different owners, scores of crew, coast-wise port appearances along the East coast, Great Lakes and Europe, and extensive movie making, Robin continues to present Bounty to hundreds of thousands of fans. To Robin, Bounty is an extension of himself. Once a movie prop, built as an ocean-going vessel, she is a living classroom for the scores of children who have crossed her decks, and slept in her cabins.
When Bounty was in Boothbay Harbor Shipyard in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, finalizing her third phase of a total renovation, Robin oversaw in its entirety all phases of the restoration, with the ultimate goal of obtaining an SSV license. Now 50 years old, Bounty has lived many lives. If up to Captain Robin Walbridge, she will continue to thrill many, for many years to come.
It is people like Captain Robin Walbridge who keep the thrill of sail training and the art of square-rigged sailing alive. He has a life-time of effort and passion to show for it.
Captain Walbridge has studied naval architecture under David Wyman, former professor of the Maine Maritime Academy. When not under sail, rare in itself, Captain Walbridge loves building experimental kayaks. He has a commercial pilots license, loves photography and is an avid chess player, and one day, will live in Costa Rica.