Florida Boaters Died...Had no Radio??

[triumphrick]

As I read it in this mornings Tampa Tribune, the owner of the Everglades relied upon cell phones and did not have a working vhf radio on his boat. Also, by the time they retrieved the flares, they were wet and not functioning. Both of these facts were reported via interviews with the survivor.

My wife and I run out 32 miles in a 20'KW to get to one really good spot west of Bayport. I am paranoid about maintaining radio contact with my BoatUS tow service. We also have and epirb and would like to acquire a small inflatable. Also, we chart weather for a day or so before we launch. Especially monitor the weather buoys.

I hope to be able to always maintain my healthy fear of the sea and its potential for doom....

[Wolakrab]

Whole lotta things were done wrong on this trip. The captain didn't pay attention to the forecast, he didn't have adequate safety gear on board, and pulled a bonehead maneuver trying to free a stuck anchor. Cumulatively, it cost three men their lives, and the fourth narrowly made it.

This should serve as the poster child for what can and will go wrong with taking a smaller boat offshore.

Such a waste of life.

[roadkill]

The only positive thing, I think, emerged from this disaster is the focus on safety and the smart things boat owners can and should do before going to sea. I should invest in EBIRB stock too.

[Gringo]

Here's a link to the official report, which does have equipment lists, etc. in it.

http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2009/PDFs...CISS_Report.pdf

[Joe2nyc]

That's some report. Terrible shame that it ended the way it did.

[Wolakrab]

One thing I am going to start doing is sealing all my pyrotechnics in vacuum bags before they go in the ditch kit.

Not much use for waterlogged flares and smoke signals.

Lots to learn from this tragedy....if it can save someone else from the same fate, then those lives lost weren't totally wasted.

[Fishinspot]

One thing I am going to start doing is sealing all my pyrotechnics in vacuum bags before they go in the ditch kit.

Not much use for waterlogged flares and smoke signals.

Lots to learn from this tragedy....if it can save someone else from the same fate, then those lives lost weren't totally wasted.

Thats an amazing report. Very good idea about vacuum bagging the flares.

[Whaler27]

Thats an amazing report. Very good idea about vacuum bagging the flares.

Seems to me that the last thing you want to do in the marine environment is vacuum bag anything you want to keep dry. Vacuum means that the pressure on the inside of the bag is lower than the pressure on the outside of the bag and so there is a tendency for air/water on the outside of the bag to go into the bag to equalize that pressure difference. If vacuum was a good thing in a marine environment, electronic makers would use it to keep electronics dry. Instead they use dry nitrogen pressure to keep moisture out.

Flare makers like Orion sell WATERPROOF and FLOATING flare containers. If your boat goes over and the flares go into the water, this is what you want. Vacuum packed flares would probably sink to the bottom.

[Reel Lucky]

Roger that, my signal kit is water proof and floats, it's an Olin offshore kit.

[The Hun]

Mine are sealed in zip loc freezer bags in the ditch bag. Have learned much from this tragedy. The Hun