Fred Olness and Carmalita to the rescue

We carry our dinghy on top of the boat when on the water. We have a ditch bag attached to the dinghy with a lanyard (too many things in the ditch bag to list here), two type three life jackets with pockets containing dye packet, whistle, 3 skyblazer flares, smoke signal, signal mirror, waterproof flashlight, lightstick on about 4 ft of twine, compass, knife. We have a handheld GPS and VHF in the boat to go with us.
 
The first thing I installed in my offshore boat was a bilge alarm.

Very easy and cheap.. Float switch from west marine in the bilge area and a loud car horn from the local auto parts store mounted under the center console.
 
I talked with Fred this week down at Westport. I thought you would like to know one more piece of the puzzle. This was the first time that they used the boat. The owner had just bought it and this was the maiden voyage. How many of you have taken your boat 15 miles offshore on your maiden voyage?
Forrest
 
forrest":2r7qa57m said:
I talked with Fred this week down at Westport. I thought you would like to know one more piece of the puzzle. This was the first time that they used the boat. The owner had just bought it and this was the maiden voyage. How many of you have taken your boat 15 miles offshore on your maiden voyage?
Forrest
Click to expand...

ha, not even close for me. but I dont know what his nautical history is. I've had 23 days on the boat so far since buying it in May, and I have not ventured into open water yet. just the protected waters of south puget and lakes. soon though... soon.
 
Don't forget, If you have a handheld VHF, even if it has a GPS function, if the MMSI is not entered, using the red button will put out your location but it does not put out any information about you (like phone number) or anything else. The location will be a big help, but the advantage is to be able to contact a rescuing vessel or helo to help guide them to you.

A handheld VHF from water level will have a limited range. Get the position call out as early as possible.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
I ocean kayaked for years and most of us used a bow and stern safety/tow line. That way you could control the tow for a friend and had a way to line or move the boat from the bow. Lots of boats had safety lines on the sides but they can be dangerous if you get caught in them. When we white water raft we use flip lines/straps that allow us to turn the raft over when it is upside down. You could see the value of a flip line in getting on top of a capsized boat - a good gunnel helps also. White water kayaking we use Spectra rope as it is light. All my throw bags have floating line - great device - much better than a toss cushion/ring or me. Some older life boats had handrails on the bottom of the hull, not intended for speed anyhow. I have had many small sailboats and never used a bilge/emergency pump - I use a sturdy bucket make for bailing. Even the largest Whale Gusher cannot keep up with a desperate man with a good bucket. They have other obvious uses as well although I try to separate the potty bucket from the dish washing bucket by using color. Best buckets are the ones intended for horse/equestrian use (I ride also).
Last but not least, I foam pad my ditch bag so that it floats no matter what, tie everything inside and use a tether and carabiner to keep it attached to me or a floating raft/boat. If you check out the whitewater rafting sites you will quickly see the best compact safety gear.
Bob
 
Wow!
Gives us all a lot to think about and then going out and getting the essential survival gear to survive an event like that.

I, too, talked with Fred when we were down in Westport earlier this month, but until you see what happened, it's kind of hard to imagine what occurs. Thank goodness for a calm ocean and relatively warm water out there and of course, calm educated fishermen and the Coast Guard.

Here is the story from Kiro TV:

http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/fisherm ... oat/nZS3N/
 
Back
Top