41 Hatt goes down

[thoward]

Anyone without the DSC on the radio does not belong out of sight of land. Really they should stay at the dock.

I choose not to have DSC enabled primarily because of fishing privacy although I do carry a full ditch bag with epirb and VHF.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

I choose not to have DSC enabled primarily because of fishing privacy although I do carry a full ditch bag with epirb and VHF.

I don't think others can see your location unless they have your DSC # programmed into their GPS. The only way they would get your coordinates is if you push that panic button.

 

[pmurphy]

With DCS, In order for someone to get your location you either have to push the panic button or in the "non emergency mode" they would 1) have to have your MMSI number input into their VHF and 2) you would have to have your DSC settings set to automatically reply to a position request. Your VHF radio DSC settings allow you to either automatically reply to position requests or you have to option to approve an incoming position request.
I am a big proponent of getting everyone set up with DSC as a back-up. You have to instruct your crew how to activate the panic button too, just in case you are the guy in trouble (MOB, heart attack, etc.)

 

[34Hatt]

With DCS, In order for someone to get your location you either have to push the panic button or in the "non emergency mode" they would 1) have to have your MMSI number input into their VHF and 2) you would have to have your DSC settings set to automatically reply to a position request. Your VHF radio DSC settings allow you to either automatically reply to position requests or you have to option to approve an incoming position request.
I am a big proponent of getting everyone set up with DSC as a back-up. You have to instruct your crew how to activate the panic button too, just in case you are the guy in trouble (MOB, heart attack, etc.)

Like others have said about the dsc is right and have you heard of a RDF I know guys that have them for that exact reason!

 

[Bugsy]

My question is.....

Consider rowing a dinghy (in rough seas) from south of Gun Cay to Florida.
I cannot fathom how you can row across a strong northbound Stream and arrive two miles off of South Beach. No autopilot--no chartplotter with offset calculated to your waypoint. Pull out Chapmans and do the calculations.

There is no way this is a reliable story. First rule of survival---take the closest opportunity; namely, row to the nearest land.

 

[Pascal]

Do you really think that you will make any progress rowing a dink in rough open waters AGAINST A 15kts WIND?

With the wind blowing out of the NE, they would have drifted towards the SW but the stream resulted in a WNW drift Over 60 hours, that would be enough to take them to Boca

Again those poorly written articles always raise many questions, the worst in this case is that they could not have been off Gov cut Monday evening and then 50nm to the north by 6am... Especially since 2nm off Gov Cut they would have been out of the stream

 

[sandspur1966]

This doesnt make much sense any which way you look at it.

Aside from the good points made regarding navigation, preparedness, decisionmaking and seamanship.

Who the heck spends a few thousand bucks in fuel, the expense of crew, docking etc... all to pick up a dive compressor that could be shipped or even better gotten for less locally than the expense of retieving it from the Bahamas?

Just weird from start to finish.

 

[saltshaker]

This doesnt make much sense any which way you look at it.

Aside from the good points made regarding navigation, preparedness, decisionmaking and seamanship.

Who the heck spends a few thousand bucks in fuel, the expense of crew, docking etc... all to pick up a dive compressor that could be shipped or even better gotten for less locally than the expense of retieving it from the Bahamas?

Just weird from start to finish.

He owns a boat so he obviously doesn't make sound financial decisions. Seriously, not too much of this makes sense and I'm sure there is much more to the story. It's amazing how a series of decisions can turn against you. I try to be prepared and always worry that I haven't done enough. Some days your the fly, others your the windshield.

 

[Boatsb]

Maybe there was some "accessories" he was picking up with the compressor that made it worth wile.

So many people make bad choices out of ignorance. They just think they know something and make choices based on that wrong information.

 

[Freeebird]

Maybe there was some "accessories" he was picking up with the compressor that made it worth wile.

Kinda makes you wonder if there's not somebody out there in the islands with a "new" 41 Hatt. Maybe a little spin on the Joe Cool "survivors" who were found floating around after the run-in with pirates.

One other thing that made no sense... why on God's earth would you waste time and energy trying to bail water out of a 41' boat with a huge hole in the hull?

 

[Bugsy]

Do you really think that you will make any progress rowing a dink in rough open waters AGAINST A 15kts WIND?

With the wind blowing out of the NE, they would have drifted towards the SW but the stream resulted in a WNW drift Over 60 hours, that would be enough to take them to Boca

Again those poorly written articles always raise many questions, the worst in this case is that they could not have been off Gov cut Monday evening and then 50nm to the north by 6am... Especially since 2nm off Gov Cut they would have been out of the stream

Obviously, I don't have enough to do---too much time on my hands---and so....
In an article about rowing long distances, the author noted that as against a 15 knot wind with accompanying waves, he measured a forward speed with no tidal current of between 3 & 4 knots. Interestingly, if your assumption was correct, Pascal, you would conclude that the rower's speed would increase significantly rowing with the wind but apparently, that is not the case. I'm no engineer but there is an explanation as to the degree of motive force expended on a stable object.

Absent any current, the rower would indeed make forward progress as against a 15 knot wind out of the NE. The example above was taken from an "accomplished rower" with the best of equipment. Our putative rower wasn't rowing against the wind; he was supposedly rowing in a north of east direction and he was using very basic equipment and presumably hadn't trained for the task. He would make some progress so let's give him a forward speed of 2 knts.
However--now factor in that Gulf Stream current which averages 4 mph.
That dinghy would be moving north at at least 2 mph and in 60 hours would be well north of Boca.

When docking (and as a general statement), I'm reasonably certain that you would give more attention to a 5 kt. current that to a 15 kt. wind.

 

[Freeebird]

 

[Pascal]

Do you really think a Watertender can be rowed at that speed??? Even with no wind and sheltered water.. no way! I don't know what kind of boat the guy you mentioned rows I but my guess is that it s a purpose designed row boat, not a blunt bow rectangular 9' boat.

 

[Freeebird]

Pascal, I can tell you from personal experience that solo paddling a 14' jon boat with a big flat spot leading the way into a 20+MPH wind and making good progress is not a problem... even in sub-freezing weather. That's what happens when your trusty 9.8 Merc isn't so trusty, and you have to paddle 3-4 miles home from duck hunting.

 

[Bob Bradley]

Which is one more reason why my lab Mako and I hunt for pheasants.

 

[Freeebird]

Which is one more reason why my lab Mako and I hunt for pheasants.

I would love to go pheasant hunting as I've never been. I'll never forget that day as my anchor line was frozen into the mud when I got ready to head home after the morning's hunt. The wind had picked up, and the temperature had dropped like a rock since I left out that morning. After cranking that outboard several times, I popped the cowl only to see a coil wire was broken. I knew then I wasn't going anywhere with that motor.

As I paddled the boat from the bow seat (the only way I could make any real straight line progress), every time that flat spot on the bow hit a wave, it shot the wave straight up about 5-6 feet and landed promptly on top of me. After pulling the boat up on the bank and walking 300 yards to the house, my clothes were frozen solid. I remember lying flat on my back in the floor of our den, unbuckling my belt, and wiggling out of my insulated pants which stood in place as though I was still in them. Yes, I was much younger then, and my parents just shook their heads as I was a first generation duck hunter.

 

[Boatsb]

I used to hunt pheasant out east when I was younger. We drove around in a van about dusk and used a 22 cal pellet gun with "hunting pellets". Good eating and surprisingly not gamey.

 

[thoward]

With DCS, In order for someone to get your location you either have to push the panic button or in the "non emergency mode" they would 1) have to have your MMSI number input into their VHF and 2) you would have to have your DSC settings set to automatically reply to a position request. Your VHF radio DSC settings allow you to either automatically reply to position requests or you have to option to approve an incoming position request.
I am a big proponent of getting everyone set up with DSC as a back-up. You have to instruct your crew how to activate the panic button too, just in case you are the guy in trouble (MOB, heart attack, etc.)

Learn something new everyday. I always thought it made your numbers available on standard calls. I guess I should have actually read the rest of the story..lol I am in the middle of installing new electronics, I will go ahead and hook up the GPS to the VHFs.

 

[labrador]

Randy, If you took your dog with you you wouldn't have to paddle. My brown lab used to swim with a tether to the dink. I'd just throw the ball in front to the direction I wanted to go and he'd tow me along. When he got the ball he'd give it back and we'd repeat the process. Kind of like a spare get home engine.

 

[Boatsb]

Randy, If you took your dog with you you wouldn't have to paddle. My brown lab used to swim with a tether to the dink. I'd just throw the ball in front to the direction I wanted to go and he'd tow me along. When he got the ball he'd give it back and we'd repeat the process. Kind of like a spare get home engine.

Put a tennis ball on a string. hang it from the stick and the dog will paddle all day to get it.