Survival!

[bigmahi]

Everyone lives and learns. Sometimes it takes a
whack to prove we are not invincible or "it cannot happen to me" or a wake up call.
Lots of debate about shoulda, coulda, woulda but there is a hard reality here--survival in an emergency.
Luckily things did not degrade to a sinking boat.
Here is some sobering info:

Survival Note:

According the USCG Search and Rescue Operations section, it is imperative that all boats heading offshore have an EPIRB or Personal Locator Beacon on board in addition to life jackets and preferably a raft. Without these location beacons search operations can drag on. For example, in the recent missing boat situation, it took the Coast Guard 26 hours to locate the missing boat. If the boat had sunk, and there was no life rate, the average survival time of an average size individual in regular clothing would be 12 hours in 70 degree water with an air temp of 60 degrees! Being in a life raft almost triples the time of survival to 30 hours. The Coast Guard will not begin a search until: the vessel is overdue, it gets dark, and a family member gets worried and calls for help. Then the search ops begins and it can be a couple of hours before a boat or airplane begins the actual sortie. If you go, go prepared.

As of this week, The CG is working on better operations to locate and rescue mariners faster.
I will keep you informed on their progress.

[d_rehmann]

Glad to hear that this is being done. Nothing is better then knowing if **** hits the fan, there are people out there doing everything they can, as fast as they can to help us. Safety should never EVER be overlooked as the ocean is a very powerful force and shouldnt be tempted with. As grandma, grandpa, mom and dad always told us; Better to be safe then sorry.