Probably the worst fear you can face as an offshore sailor is losing your vessel at sea. And while we definitely want to make sure we have a vessel-mounted and personal EPIRB ready to send out a distress signal immediately, we also need some means of communicating with rescue operations should this unthinkable horror ever come to pass.
Click the cover to view the articles in the May/June issue of Ocean Navigator.
InReach of civilization and rescue
Any at sea emergency can be broken down into these six main phases:
Control phase: You must maintain control of yourself, passengers, situation, and vessel as best you can. Communication phase: It is vital to alert the authorities to obtain assistance, and report your condition and position. Abandonment phase: If and when it comes to abandoning ship. Survival phase: You protect yourself from the harsh environment and wait for rescue. Location phase: The rescue personnel try and fix your position and send rescue forces out to rescue you. Rescue phase: Rescue personnel have located you and are on-scene to take you back to civilization for medical treatment, if necessary.
You might have noticed that if the communication phase is successful that the survival, location, and rescue phases will be abbreviated, which helps ensure one's ultimate survival. That is why I like to concentrate on communication devices in this newsletter. Since this latest device uses the Iridium communications network we will discuss it first.
Electronic prime directive #1: Take care of your boat's electron source, no electrons = no electronics! By Fredrick Gary Hareland
In today's computerized age of networked electronic systems representing a veritable alphabet soup of acronyms (GPS, ECDIS, AIS, VHF-DSC, ARPA, GMDSS-to name a few) it is more important than ever to make sure that your boat's electrical system is in good working order. Electronics thrive on good clean power. Problems such as voltage surges, sags, transients, and momentary interruptions can cause system failures. The best way to protect vital electronic loads from temporary bad power glitches is with a good old uninterruptible power supply (UPS). There are even power strips available from computer companies that can help protect your PC. Although the power strips are very small and take up little room, there are other more rugged and much larger UPS systems that can be found in places such as an engine compartment, pilot house, or radio console. These larger units have internal batteries and much more complex electronic control circuits than the power strips. These you will have to keep an eye on by periodically checking the status LEDs.
FISHES Act Introduced to Cut Red Tape In Delivery of Disaster Funds; Alaska's Copper River Wild Salmon Fishery Opens May 16 View this email in your browser ...
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