Help Bob. - Summoning help from the water.

[Biggles Wader]

The other issue is if someone is in the water "a few miles" SE of the IOW how long does it actually take to get a lifeboat crew assembled, launched and on scene?

 

[Stemar]

Set everything off, the CG, maligned as they are, will be PDQ on the case.

That's my thought as well. Stop faffing around and overthinking it, just do it.

1 Set off the automatic stuff
2 Mayday on 16
3 999 on phone

If none of that works,

4

Drown like a gentleman

 

[Juan Twothree]

The other issue is if someone is in the water "a few miles" SE of the IOW how long does it actually take to get a lifeboat crew assembled, launched and on scene?

Between five and ten minutes to launch, then whatever the transit time will be at 25 knots (or 35 for an Atlantic 85).

 

[Mark-1]

The other issue is if someone is in the water "a few miles" SE of the IOW how long does it actually take to get a lifeboat crew assembled, launched and on scene?

If it's the ships and there was two way comms I'd like to think Bob would explain he doesn't have long and they send their ship's RIB.

If Bob's mobile works then a direct call to Hayling Island Rescue (who sleeps on his boat) would have him on site in 30 minutes.

For me that's also the advantage of the AIS SART. *If* a Sunseeker happens to pick it up, he can be there quick. But only if he actually pays attention in to his plotter and understands time his short and it's his problem. I have a strong suspicion that in the real world in busy areas what we actually do is think "Cool, someone's going to rescue them." rather than "I need to get there fast.". If so that renders it less useful.

If the PLB works then the CG (presumably) would task boats in the area rather than (as well as) deploy a lifeboat.

But all this stuff is why I started the thread. The detail of this is pretty critical to what you choose to carry and there's a lot of misinformation and guesswork about.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

"Who's wetsuit is this?"
"Bob's baby"
"Who's Bob"
"Bob's busted Baby, Bob's busted"

Thanks to Pulp Fiction

 

[Never Grumble]

we carry Epirb and plb hopefully setting both off would give some certainty that the danger to someone was very real.

 

[Mark-1]

we carry Epirb and plb hopefully setting both off would give some certainty that the danger to someone was very real.

Yeah, I'd love that confirmed. Does two different alarm types solve the delay for false alarms problem.

(Assuming that there *is* a false alarm problem - from previous posts that seems to be in doubt.)

 

[Biggles Wader]

Between five and ten minutes to launch, then whatever the transit time will be at 25 knots (or 35 for an Atlantic 85).

Does that include assembling the crew who might be at home in bed, at work or somewhere other than at the boathouse?
I did overhear a rescue which happened off Folkestone one evening. Dover vts intercepted a mayday call from a small fishing/dive boat to say someone was in the water. A passing ferry was diverted and the Dover launch/pilot cutter set off. A rescue was apparently made by the ferry RIB and the launch all before the lifeboat got under way. All's well that ends well but time is not your friend when someone is in the water.

 

[Juan Twothree]

Over my lifeboating career I've so far dealt with about 14 ( I think - may be a couple more) fatal incidents.

In all but two of those, the casualty had been dead for some hours, or even days, before the alarm was raised.

Food for thought.

 

[Juan Twothree]

Does that include assembling the crew who might be at home in bed, at work or somewhere other than at the boathouse?
I did overhear a rescue which happened off Folkestone one evening. Dover vts intercepted a mayday call from a small fishing/dive boat to say someone was in the water. A passing ferry was diverted and the Dover launch/pilot cutter set off. A rescue was apparently made by the ferry RIB and the launch all before the lifeboat got under way. All's well that ends well but time is not your friend when someone is in the water.

Yes, certainly for my station that includes crew coming from home, work or wherever, to the boat leaving the carriage.

We were once paged for an immediate launch to a swimmer in difficulties.

A few of us happened to be in the vicinity of the boathouse, so we were away within two minutes, and on scene a minute after that.

Poor chap still drowned unfortunately, but that was about as quick a response as it was possible to get in the circumstances.

 

[Mark-1]

Over my lifeboating career I've so far dealt with about 14 ( I think - may be a couple more) fatal incidents.

In all but two of those, the casualty had been dead for some hours, or even days, before the alarm was raised.

Food for thought.

You clearly have significant domain knowledge, can you confirm (or debunk) my post 19?

 

[Juan Twothree]

I did overhear a rescue which happened off Folkestone one evening. Dover vts intercepted a mayday call from a small fishing/dive boat to say someone was in the water. A passing ferry was diverted and the Dover launch/pilot cutter set off. A rescue was apparently made by the ferry RIB and the launch all before the lifeboat got under way. All's well that ends well but time is not your friend when someone is in the water.

I'm guessing they paged Dover LB?

An ALB is going to be nearer my ten minute estimate than five.
I'd have sent Littlestone (Atlantic 85) too.
Although a bit further away than Dover it would be quicker to launch, and only a five minute transit to scene.

 

[Bristolfashion]

Yep, set everything off as quickly as possible, call everyone you can ASAP.

 

[Buck Turgidson]

Do everything quickly and then tuck up into a ball to preserve heat whist contemplating why he didn't use his liferaft or tender to stay out of the water. He's gt less than an hour to think and probably 3hrs max before it wont matter.

 

[Juan Twothree]

You clearly have significant domain knowledge, can you confirm (or debunk) my post 19?

My experience has been that we get launched, and the enquiries then carry on in the background. Older devices relying on a satellite passing overhead were a bit more hit and miss, as they seemed to produce a large circle of uncertainty.

But the modern GPS ones seem fairly bullet proof, plus the ones I've been called to also generate a homing signal on 121.5.

We can listen for that on our DF set, as can the helicopter. And the helicopter can obviously pick it up at far greater range.

There have been a few alarms where the coastguard CRT gets dispatched rather than the lifeboat, but that's because the GPS position was ashore somewhere, or it was LW in an area we had no chance of getting to.

 

[boomerangben]

No assumptions on my part, just can’t be definitive as I don’t work at ARCC, but visited a few times and was on the other end of the phone for a number of years.

For further comfort, the Homer on SAR helicopters can receive the DSC, AIS and 406 GPS messages and plot it on their moving map once they are line of sight.

 

[veshengro]

" Maybe that's all wrong, that's why I started the thread. I want to know what happens. "

I can't help with what happens off the Isle of Wight but from personal experience I can say what happens in the Caribbean.

Before I sailed single handed from Falmouth in late Spring 2005 I sent an 'Itinerary' of sorts to HM Coastguard at Falmouth. Nothing too precise, just departure date and voyage route to Greece with approximate timings, probable stopping places, Portimao, Gib, Ports on the Spanish Med coast, Balearics etc: and also timings for an Atlantic crossing the following year starting from my winter berth in Kalamata, Greece. Route from Greece and proposed departure date from Las Palmas once the ARC had cleared.

In the Spring of 2007 I got caught in the beginnings of an unexpected Tropical storm after I sailed from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Long story, 30 hours hand steering, no sleep etc; and I managed to stuff my Gaff Cutter on a reef somewhere about halfway between Rum and Samana Cays while trying to cut through and get into the Atlantic and deeper water where I could heave to and sleep..

I triggered the EPIRB before abandoning ship and trying to get onto the reef, she was sinking under me..
Forty (40) minutes later a big US Coast Guard Sikorsky helicopter out of San Juan lifted me battered and bruised off the reef in appalling conditions. Fabulous, brave flying by the US Coastguard. I learned of the forty minute details the next morning in Providence, Turks and Caicos Islands where the Coastguard had dropped me off. They chose Turks and Caicos as (A) I am a Brit and (B) because they were running on fumes and desperate for fuel to get home to San Juan.

Months later I called at the Coastguard Centre in Falmouth and thanked them. I was told that when my EPIRB went off, a look at a screen and a few button taps brought up my details, the itinerary and voyage details. Time/location of EPIRB signal indicated genuine distress and apparently they then telephoned San Juan office ( That's what I was told) spoke to US Coastguard and within the hour I was airborne on the way to safety and a very hilarious meeting with Immigration and Customs in the early hours of the morning.

Give the Coastguard a chance, with good information, location etc: and they will commit 100% to helping you..

 

[FairweatherDave]

Good thread Mark!

 

[Bouba]

" Maybe that's all wrong, that's why I started the thread. I want to know what happens. "

I can't help with what happens off the Isle of Wight but from personal experience I can say what happens in the Caribbean.

Before I sailed single handed from Falmouth in late Spring 2006 I sent an 'Itinerary' of sorts to HM Coastguard at Falmouth. Nothing too precise, just departure date and voyage route to Greece with approximate timings, probable stopping places, Portimao, Gib, Ports on the Spanish Med coast, Balearics etc: and also timings for an Atlantic crossing the following year starting from my winter berth in Kalamata, Greece. Route from Greece and proposed departure date from Las Palmas once the ARC had cleared.

In the Spring of 2007 I got caught in the beginnings of an unexpected Tropical storm after I sailed from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Long story, 30 hours hand steering, no sleep etc; and I managed to stuff my Gaff Cutter on a reef somewhere about halfway between Rum and Samana Cays while trying to cut through and get into the Atlantic and deeper water where I could heave to and sleep..

I triggered the EPIRB before abandoning ship and trying to get onto the reef, she was sinking under me..
Forty (40) minutes later a big US Coast Guard Sikorsky helicopter out of San Juan lifted me battered and bruised off the reef in appalling conditions. Fabulous, brave flying by the US Coastguard. I learned of the forty minute details the next morning in Providence, Turks and Caicos Islands where the Coastguard had dropped me off. They chose Turks and Caicos as (A) I am a Brit and (B) because they were running on fumes and desperate for fuel to get home to San Juan.

Months later I called at the Coastguard Centre in Falmouth and thanked them. I was told that when my EPIRB went off, a look at a screen and a few button taps brought up my details, the itinerary and voyage details. Time/location of EPIRB signal indicated genuine distress and apparently they then telephoned San Juan office ( That's what I was told) spoke to US Coastguard and within the hour I was airborne on the way to safety and a very hilarious meeting with Immigration and Customs in the early hours of the morning.

Give the Coastguard a chance, with good information, location etc: and they will commit 100% to helping you..

Great story

 

[Mark-1]

Good thread Mark!

Yeah, so much technical information on this kit and nothing but guesswork and assumption on how that translates into actual rescue time.

Mind you, JuanTwoThree seems to have nailed it in post 35.

It's just a shame poor Bob had to suffer so much to get us to this point.