A little news story from the deep south.

[William_H]

Not a new kind of story and only in the water for 15 hrs about 6Nm off shore.
http://www.news.com.au/national/wes...6-hours-in-ocean/story-fnii5thn-1226819660016
What the news does not say is that they were obliged by law to carry both VHF radio and EPIRB. Apparently neither carried and not used.
They were just a few miles from Fremantle Volteer Sea Rescue Service who operate a monitor your trip type service (free to all) So they could have been rescued within an hour of being overdue.
They did not tell relatives when they were due back and only a son raised the alrm the next morning when they had not come home.
The winds in the afternoon were around 20+ knots not a good place to be in a 5metre fishing boat.
This is the kind of incident that happens too often that has had the authorities impose requirements like a skipper's ticket, carriage of radio, in date flares. life jackets etc
Still some people never learn. olewill

 

[prv]

This is the kind of incident that happens too often that has had the authorities impose requirements like a skipper's ticket, carriage of radio, in date flares. life jackets etc

Seems like a good argument for why such requirements shouldn't be imposed (ie, they don't work) - but I realise that's not the way governments think.

Pete