'It can't happen to me.' But yes it can. Another leisure sailor has drifted in the ocean for days before being rescued because he didn't have a registered EPIRB on board his boat.
The Coast Guard rescued a 73-year-old sailor, Richard Steg of Connecticut, who had been adrift at sea since Monday approximately 47-miles east of Jacksonville Beach, Florida.
The crew of the Port Canaveral, Fla., based 87-foot Coast Guard Cutter Shrike located Steg adrift at sea aboard the 35-foot single-masted sail vessel Bonvivant. The vessel's engine lost power Monday and sustained a broken mast from heavy weather leaving Steg adrift with no power to control the vessel.
Steg had attempted a mayday distress call that was luckily picked up by the operator of the tug boat 'Calusa Coast' Tuesday evening. Steg soon lost complete power and was left unable to communicate.
The operator of the tug relayed the mayday distress call to Coast Guard Watchstanders at Sector Jacksonville and they launched an HH-65 Dolphin rescue helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Savannah, Ga.
The initial search was completed after a two-hour search pattern that covered 273 square-miles, but was abandoned when the light failed.
A first light search commenced the next day with a C-130 air crew from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Fla., and the Cutter Shrike who later located Steg and confirmed he had made the mayday distress call. Steg's last port-of-call was Ponce de Leon Inlet enroute for Groton, Connecticut. This happened off Florida, but the issue is universal.
The Coast Guard reminds all mariners that a maritime emergency can occur at any moment.
Lifejackets should be worn at all times whenever on the water.
In addition, they advise all sailors to maintain a registered emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) aboard your vessel so rescue crews can pinpoint your location in an emergency.
Sail-World.com : Sailor with no EPIRB drifts for days before rescue
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