The story below could have been written differently, with the help of a PLB (Personal Locator Beacon).
Two boaters rescued after 17 hours in the water
Posted: 09 Aug 2010 09:18 AM PDT
HOUSTON – The crew of a towing vessel rescued two boaters Monday morning after their vessel capsized Sunday afternoon in Trinity Bay.
The crew of the T/V Diamond Back rescued the two people at approximately 8 a.m. Monday morning. The survivors left in a small pleasure craft Sunday from Eagle Point in Galveston County, and were forced into the water after their vessel capsized at approximately 3 p.m. They reported that they were unable to make a distress call.
A 25-foot Response Boat – Small from Coast Guard Station Houston is en route to transport the two back to shore. Their survival is attributed to wearing their life jackets and staying with their vessel after it capsized.
“Due to the circumstances of their situation, they were unable to make a distress call,” said Bill Segelken, an operations unit controller at Sector Houston-Galveston. “The fact that they were wearing their life jackets, significantly increased their ability to remain afloat throughout the night.”
“Staying with their vessel after it capsized, contributed to them being visible and able to be rescued,” he said.
According to the National Safe Boating Council, 85-90% of people who drown in boating accidents are not wearing life jackets.
These boaters and so many others could have decreased their time spent in the water by having a PLB on them. When you are on any boat in any body of water anything can happen. These boaters were in an area they felt was relatively safe and they were smart to have life jackets but they could have been out of the water much sooner with the help of a PLB.
This story has a happy ending of rescue not recovery but the rescue could have been much sooner with the right equipment. There are PLBs as small as a mobile phone now, that cost less than a lot of phones, so not having one is just a matter of not wanting to have one. Put yourself in those soggy shoes and ask how long would you want to be in the water especially over night. Even near shore and in the bay a PLB attached to your life vest could save your life.
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This Larger PLB unit is full of features and will come with a belt clip, lanyard and floats!
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Don't go on any outdoor adventure without the peace of mind a PLB can bring.
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