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[Reality Check]

Originally Posted by John A

Is there a valid reason to sail into Hurricane country with two months left in the hurricane season that I'm unaware of?
I realize with the new age electronics and the cradle to the grave protection we've come to expect that nothing should happen.
But.....

Yes there is a valid reason.. we do not hide under a rock just because the month is within the half of a year hurricane season!!! Sailing is a 12 month event.

No valid reason exist No To as long as you keep a weather eye and have plans on what your going to do if it changes. It appears the skipper did just that.

[YOGAO]

Originally Posted by Joli

Mike, you are being disingenuous about not knowing you are making backhanded insults. You post an inflammatory comment and add the popcorn avatar waiting for the fireworks.

People get in trouble in all kinds of boats and you choose to use a possible situation as an insult. Get it?

Nope, guess I am stoopid and I will admit to being that, but NOT disingenuous. I deliberately lined thru the so-called "inflammatory comment" to make it a throwaway. The popcorn avatar was to see WHO WOULD BUY THE BEER!

I was trying to make a silly and perhaps stupid, tasteless joke. Again, sorry if I offended you.

I am relieved that Skip, his wife and two grand-daughters are OK. After spending time with him, I was shocked and concerned to hear the initial report.

Fair Winds,
Mike

[Ocean Girl]

Group Hug

[dana-tenacity]

Make them illegal on sailboats, it won't take many more incidents like this and the shiny arsed bureaucrats will want to introduce more legislation making it harder for us to go anywhere.

[cantxsailor]

Hey YOGAO,

Not a bit ironic really. There was an emergency but it was being handled by George and his friend. I apparently jumped the gun when the SPOT didn't reset itself.

When the coasties asked about his condition and if he needed assistance he told them "The engine is not working and we have been holed but have the water coming in under control now so we're ok" They called back for clarification asking "Please say again, You're engine is out, your taking on water but you're NOT in need of assistance?" After a few more minutes he managed to convince them that if he really needed them he would activate his EPIRB(which I didn't know he had).

He made it to Key West 2 days later and had the boat repaired only to loose the boat and everything he owned on board going into the St. Augustine inlet in bad weather a few months later.

It seems he had a run of really crappy luck starting with IKE and ending with the sinking. The boat was never found by the way although his EPIRB washed up with some of his other belongings which were scattered for several miles down the beach...........m

[TaoJones]

My reading of this thread:

YOGAO made a little jab at the monohullers, knowing that his friend Skip Gundlach was already safe and sound. It was silly, and in jest.

Joli took exception because this could have been an actual, serious boating incident, except that it had already been sorted out. Skip and family were already determined to be fine.

cantxsailor has posted an amusing, ironic parody of imagined happenings to Skip, addressed to YOGAO. Please, don't anyone take his post as anything but the send-up it is.

Best advice so far:

Ocean Girl: Group Hug

Let's get back on track, please. This is worth discussing. Thanks.

TaoJones

[Cheechako]

"Make them illegal on sailboats, it won't take many more incidents like this and the shiny arsed bureaucrats will want ...."
Yep, there will be a new fee structure for exiting the country, one added to the Document fee etc etc to cover the costs of "rescue". Meanwhile, the gov't will spend as much money "training" while the rescue agenda is quiet....

[Stillraining]

Originally Posted by cantxsailor

It seems these things(SPOT) are supposed to be used to help keep the home bodies assured of your safety when they may actually cause the opposite...........m

Ecactly...there are too many worry wart types back home with their fingers hovering over the 911 speed dial button to make these things practical.

IMHO the Coast guard should not be allowed to respond to a spot signal...if you want the umbrella of Coast Guard protection outside say a 3 mile limit buy an EPIRB inside of that a VHF or cell phone.

IMHO these things are glorified toys... and should be used by there owners and or friends and family ashore accordingly...not as a life line of communication that things are all peachy keen on board...or going to heck in a hand bag.

I grew up under an over protective mothers black cloud...I shudder to think of the wasted tax dollars that woman would have racked up if this technology was available 40 years ago.

[Christian Van H]

Please dont take this the wrong way, and I'm really glad Skip is OK, but starting a search on a boat that left a day ago, and isn't transmitting a crummy "SPOT" signal is BS and a complete waste of our taxpayer money. I read Skip's posts all the time, and he's a good sailor. No way he set this up with his friend. What is this all coming to? How did we get to this point? Are we gonna fly rescue missions every time one of these cheaply built toys craps out? People risk their lives on these missions...good Lord!

[tami]

Here's something for y'all.

Husband and I take the trimaran down to the Keys for a week. Now, we're gunkholing around on the Gulf side, and really not far from anything, right?

So we figure, geez, why spend a buttload of cash on an EPIRB when we can just get this SPOT thingie.

Even when we don't have cel service (which is reasonably often) we can let our people know that we haven't been assaulted (for that's what likely would happen in the Keys, never mind weather.)

And the parents had a bit of fun following us along as well.

[Christian Van H]

Originally Posted by tami

we can let our people know that we haven't been assaulted (for that's what likely would happen in the Keys, never mind weather.)

Tami, since you have one, isn't there a special button on the thing for "Emergency"? There is no report of Skip ever activating his...BTW, where in the world did you get the idea that you might be assaulted in the Keys? Noting where you are posting from, it seems more likely to happen at home...(and yes, I did live aboard for a couple of years in the Keys)

[Maddog]

I have a Spot and really just use it to let folks back home know that I have arrived at my destination. It is third on my list for emergency rescue after VHF and PLB. It is nice that people can use google maps to see where we are. I figure that the PLB and Spot together would get some attention if both are deployed.

[Pelagic]

I must admit my ignorance about SPOT till this thread, since it is not marketed in Asia yet.

From what I can understand, it is only as good as the marine rescue services in your area, which while great in the US, is dismal in most 3rd world countries.

That it can cause premature concern to shore family, due to schedule demands that can be overdue for a variety of personal and technical reason.

Personally, I would hate to have my friends ashore…. constantly mother my well being by putting the onus on them to sound an alarm.

Installing a self activating, float away EPIRB’s that can also be manually set off in a real emergency would put the onus rightfully where it belongs, which is with the captain.

Alternatives and Costs:

The SPOT tracking bundle costs about $320 to initially purchase then about $150 annually to maintain.

How would this compare cost wise today with buying a sat phone that is used only for emergencies to a dedicated knowledgeable shore contact who could respond to a real cry for help with the big advantage of knowing the details of the problem?


What other systems would you consider?

[Cormorant]

Not to flog a dead horse, but in this case the auto-shutoff of tracking info after 24 hrs (if that's what happened -- we're still speculating) gave the electronic illusion that the boat "just disappeared." That reassuring blip on the map was gone, and it immediately conjured up images of rogue waves, unseen reef, Kraken, etc.

If tracking had remained on even in the absence of an "OK" message, the friends on shore would have seen that the boat was proceeding along its planned course. They would have been much more hesitant to call the Coast Guard.

[imagine2frolic]

Knowing Skip it will all be in his log, and sent to us soon.......i2f