BoatU.S. rental epirbs summon rescuers

Boat/US Magazine, July, 2005

Two sailing vessels participating in the Regatta Del Sol race in the Gulf of Mexico in early May were battered by stormy weather, forcing crews to send "mayday" distress calls on beacons rented from the BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water. The BoatU.S. Foundation makes these $900 406 MHz Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) available for $50 a week as a public service. The crews aboard both vessels were successfully located and rescued by Coast Guard helicopters and ships.

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On May 1 around 9 p.m. the crew of the S/V Luan Two activated their EPIRB after spending two days battling thunderstorms, winds up to 30 mph and 12-foot seas in an increasingly damaged vessel. The sailors were entered in the race from St. Petersburg, FL, to Isla Mujeres, Mexico.

The high winds had progressively blown out the 36-foot Gulfstar sloop's main, jib and storm sails, leaving the vessel under power only. However, the agitated sea state then disabled the engine, leaving it dangerously adrift and facing a possible rollover with no steerage.

Prior to the race, the vessel's fuel system had been inspected for water or growth, and five spare fuel filters were stored aboard as backups. However, the rough seas dislodged rust particles that repeatedly clogged each of the filters as they were changed.

With no sail power, damaged steering, nearly dead batteries and after numerous attempts failed to restart the engine, crewmembers made the decision to broadcast a mayday on the vessel's VHF radio. Luan Two successfully made radio contact with a nearby vessel, S/V China Doll, but that vessel's crew could not locate Luan Two even after the stricken vessel set off signal flares.

At that point, the BoatU.S. rental EPIRB was activated. Luan Two was towed back to Key West by the U.S. Coast Guard cutter with all aboard.

"The captain and his crew did everything right," said David Carter, manager of the BoatU.S. EPIRB Program. "It was only after they had exhausted all other means of self-rescue did they use the EPIRB."

In the second case, the captain of the S/V Maltese Kross, a CSY 37-foot cutter in the same race, became gravely ill after experiencing the stormy seas. The crew decided to abort the race and notify the Coast Guard of the need for medical evacuation of the owner, who was suffering heart problems. After the BoatU.S. rental EPIRB was activated, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter was sent to the scene and safely removed the sick sailor. A Coast Guard cutter towed the sailboat, which also had steering difficulties, to Naples, FL.

"In both of these cases, our rental EPIRBs contributed to safeguarding the lives of 10 people," said Carter.

EPIRBs are not required on recreational vessels but are highly recommended for any cruises or races more than 20 miles offshore, out of VHF radio range. When activated, the beacon sends an encoded distress message to a series of satellites orbiting the Earth. The satellites relay the distress message to land-based rescue stations and, when properly registered, the signal includes a description of the vessel and its location, greatly reducing search time.

The rental EPIRB program is funded by the voluntary contributions of 600,000 BoatU.S. members. For more information, call 888-663-7472 or visit www.BoatUS.com/foundation/epirb