http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...n/6593206.html

This is odd as hell.
Coast Guard had called off the search.
Something not right here.

--Vic

On Sun, 30 Aug 2009 13:55:38 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...n/6593206.html

This is odd as hell.
Coast Guard had called off the search.
Something not right here.


What's not right is that they went at least 75 miles offshore without
a liferaft or an EPIRB, and in an unsuitable boat. Other than that
everything went well.

In article ,
says...

On Sun, 30 Aug 2009 13:55:38 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...n/6593206.html

This is odd as hell.
Coast Guard had called off the search.
Something not right here.


What's not right is that they went at least 75 miles offshore without
a liferaft or an EPIRB, and in an unsuitable boat. Other than that
everything went well.

smugglers??

--
Wafa free since 2009

On Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:34:10 -0400, JustWait
wrote:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...n/6593206.html

This is odd as hell.
Coast Guard had called off the search.
Something not right here.


What's not right is that they went at least 75 miles offshore without
a liferaft or an EPIRB, and in an unsuitable boat. Other than that
everything went well.

smugglers??

Maybe but I doubt it. Most of the smuggling is back towards south
Florida and is done in stolen high speed boats, typically fast center
consoles.

On Sun, 30 Aug 2009 15:36:34 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Sun, 30 Aug 2009 13:55:38 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...n/6593206.html

This is odd as hell.
Coast Guard had called off the search.
Something not right here.


What's not right is that they went at least 75 miles offshore without
a liferaft or an EPIRB, and in an unsuitable boat. Other than that
everything went well.


"Unsinkable" so-called off-shore fishing boat, no wreckage found.
Flat sea conditions. Predictable currents put them where they were
found by a pleasure boater.
Coast Guard can't find them, and gives up.
You damn well better have an EPIRB or liferaft.
PLB's might be called for in some circumstances.
A sat phone in a ditch bag might be your best friend.
Looking for some clarity in state of art EPIRB versus PLB's I ran
across this:
http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-m...e-epirb-2.html
"Just a quick note, not entirely helpful to the thread but might be
interesting: I took a tour of a Coast Guard Station last week on the
Maine coast. I was asking about response times, eperbs and such..I was
told that the Coast Guard gets so many eperb signals that they don't
do anything unless there's some other information to back it up.
Sounds like the eperb ought to be the last form of comunication in an
emergency."

Doesn't that just tickle your heart?
According to this guy, the Coast guard ignores EPIRB signals unless -
basically - they get a phone call.
You would think that if an EPIRB (or PLB) sends a GPS signal from 10
miles offshore there would at least be a proactive protocol to follow
via the EPIRB/PLB registration database to confirm the validity of the
distress signal.
I don't know how the CG is handling EPIRB/PLB distress signals, but it
might be comforting to know the answer - or maybe not too comforting.
Your wait for the calvary might be longer than you think, even with an
EPIRB.
Those 3 guys sitting on an upturned hull in the Gulf for a week does
NOT inspire in me much confidence in the CG.
Best not count on them, which is why personal preparation is so
important.
Not taking anything away from the CG, of course.
They can't be perfect.

--Vic

On Aug 30, 10:10*pm, Vic Smith
wrote:
On Sun, 30 Aug 2009 15:36:34 -0400, Wayne.B

wrote:
On Sun, 30 Aug 2009 13:55:38 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...n/6593206.html

This is odd as hell.
Coast Guard had called off the search.
Something not right here.

What's not right is that they went at least 75 miles offshore without
a liferaft or an EPIRB, and in an unsuitable boat. * Other than that
everything went well.

"Unsinkable" so-called off-shore fishing boat, no wreckage found.
Flat sea conditions. Predictable currents put them where they were
found by a pleasure boater.
Coast Guard can't find them, and gives up.
You damn well better have an EPIRB or liferaft.
PLB's might be called for in some circumstances.
A sat phone in a ditch bag might be your best friend.
Looking for some clarity in state of art EPIRB versus PLB's I ran
across this:http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-m...o-plbs-one-epi...
"Just a quick note, not entirely helpful to the thread but might be
interesting: I took a tour of a Coast Guard Station last week on the
Maine coast. I was asking about response times, eperbs and such..I was
told that the Coast Guard gets so many eperb signals that they don't
do anything unless there's some other information to back it up.
Sounds like the eperb ought to be the last form of comunication in an
emergency."

those of us who do watchstanding at CG stations know this ain't the
truth. don't forget there are several things, beyond the EPIRB to be
considered: liability and careers. if someone drowns, someone's gonna
hang for it. the CG has been successfully sued for neglect for
ignoring distress calls.

Those 3 guys sitting on an upturned hull in the Gulf for a week does
NOT inspire in me much confidence in the CG.

you mean just because the CG searched an area the size of the state of
minnesota? how much should they have searched?

On Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:20:23 -0700 (PDT), wf3h
wrote:

On Aug 30, 10:10Â*pm, Vic Smith
wrote:
On Sun, 30 Aug 2009 15:36:34 -0400, Wayne.B

wrote:
On Sun, 30 Aug 2009 13:55:38 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...n/6593206.html

This is odd as hell.
Coast Guard had called off the search.
Something not right here.

What's not right is that they went at least 75 miles offshore without
a liferaft or an EPIRB, and in an unsuitable boat. Â* Other than that
everything went well.

"Unsinkable" so-called off-shore fishing boat, no wreckage found.
Flat sea conditions. Predictable currents put them where they were
found by a pleasure boater.
Coast Guard can't find them, and gives up.
You damn well better have an EPIRB or liferaft.
PLB's might be called for in some circumstances.
A sat phone in a ditch bag might be your best friend.
Looking for some clarity in state of art EPIRB versus PLB's I ran
across this:http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-m...o-plbs-one-epi...
"Just a quick note, not entirely helpful to the thread but might be
interesting: I took a tour of a Coast Guard Station last week on the
Maine coast. I was asking about response times, eperbs and such..I was
told that the Coast Guard gets so many eperb signals that they don't
do anything unless there's some other information to back it up.
Sounds like the eperb ought to be the last form of comunication in an
emergency."

those of us who do watchstanding at CG stations know this ain't the
truth. don't forget there are several things, beyond the EPIRB to be
considered: liability and careers. if someone drowns, someone's gonna
hang for it. the CG has been successfully sued for neglect for
ignoring distress calls.

So put the lie to rest. What do you do with EPIRB signals?

Those 3 guys sitting on an upturned hull in the Gulf for a week does
NOT inspire in me much confidence in the CG.

you mean just because the CG searched an area the size of the state of
minnesota? how much should they have searched?

No. I mean just what I said. One week, no find.
I do NOT intend to rely on the CG for offshore SAR without
a SAT phone notification that the EPIRB/PLB distress signal is legit.
Unless you tell me otherwise.
Then I'll think about it some more.

--Vic

On Sun, 30 Aug 2009 21:31:11 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:

Those 3 guys sitting on an upturned hull in the Gulf for a week does
NOT inspire in me much confidence in the CG.

you mean just because the CG searched an area the size of the state of
minnesota? how much should they have searched?

No. I mean just what I said. One week, no find.
I do NOT intend to rely on the CG for offshore SAR without
a SAT phone notification that the EPIRB/PLB distress signal is legit.
Unless you tell me otherwise.
Then I'll think about it some more.

We recently listened on our marine VHF radio as USCG dispatched a
helicopter several hundred miles out into the Gulf in reponse to an
EPIRB signal. That is a major commitment of resources and exactly
the right response. An EPIRB broadcasts the exact lat/lon of its
location and a coded serial number registered to the owner. If the
owner has followed procedures, his contact information plus a
designated alternate is contained in a database accessible to USCG.
We are mailed a confirmation form every two years where I have to
certify that our contact information is still correct.

The procedure when USCG gets an EPIRB alert is that they attempt to
contact the registered owner or the alternate to determine if the
alert is legitimate. If they get an affirmitive response or no
response, they initiate a search at the reported location if resources
are available, and also broadcast a repeated information message on
both VHF and Single Side Band radios.

If we get into trouble offshore my money is on the EPIRB and USCG
assuming we are in US waters at the time. If elsewhere, USCG
attempts to contact the organization appropriate for that region,
Bahamian Search and Rescue for example.

I find it easy to understand why the boat was not located by the
search since they did not have an EPIRB. They were a long way out on
a small overturned fiberglass boat which probably had no effective
radar signature at all in that position. There's a good chance the
boat had a dark colored bottom, quite possibly blue. The men on top
would be virtually invisible from any altitude at all. Their VHF
radio (assuming they had one) would have been disabled by the capsize.
Given their overall lack of foresight and preparation they probably
had no handheld VHF either. In my opinion they were lucky to have
been found at all.

Just like the football players from St Pete Beach, they were a
disaster waiting for a place to happen.

On Aug 30, 10:31*pm, Vic Smith
wrote:
On Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:20:23 -0700 (PDT), wf3h
wrote:



those of us who do watchstanding at CG stations know this ain't the
truth. *don't forget there are several things, beyond the EPIRB to be
considered: liability and careers. if someone drowns, someone's gonna
hang for it. *the CG has been successfully sued for neglect for
ignoring distress calls.

So put the lie to rest. *What do you do with EPIRB signals?

the RCC contacts the nearest station to dispatch the resources
necessary for SAR. Generall CG stations themselves do not have the
capability to check EPIRB signals.

On Sun, 30 Aug 2009 20:29:05 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:34:10 -0400, JustWait
wrote:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...n/6593206.html

This is odd as hell.
Coast Guard had called off the search.
Something not right here.


What's not right is that they went at least 75 miles offshore without
a liferaft or an EPIRB, and in an unsuitable boat. Other than that
everything went well.

smugglers??

Maybe but I doubt it. Most of the smuggling is back towards south
Florida and is done in stolen high speed boats, typically fast center
consoles.

Hmmmm - I have a fast center console. :)