Rescue at Sea; Near Death, Helicopter saves 2;
Coast Guard picks up 4, 1 Dead
Ripped from today's Headlines

By Wayne Spivak
National Press Corps
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary

Headlines ripped from the nation's press. We've all seen them, read the stories, and marveled at both the bravery and oftentimes, the unpreparedness of those involved.

Why do I use the term unpreparedness? We can certainly understand bravery, of the Coast Guard crews who operate their boats and aircraft, seeking to save those who either by their own fault, or who are faultless, find themselves in trouble on the water. But unpreparedness -that seems like a strong term, until you realize that many of those who get themselves into trouble could have easily avoided or mitigated the difficulty with a little preparation and/or education.

Am I being too harsh? I think not - for we, as boaters must take some of the blame when trouble arises, and we haven't prepared ourselves, our boats or our passengers for the “what if” scenario of an emergency. Take it from one who has read several SAR cases; the price of lack of preparation and/or lack of common sense costs some boaters their lives.

One common situation where boaters do not fully prepare themselves and/or their vessels for potential hazardous situations are those who venture out to sea during the winter months, as is evidenced in the scenario described below.

Cold Water Preparation

Starting in October and running though March, the water temperature in the Atlantic maintains itself at an average of 46º in New London , CT and 59° in Charleston , SC. The highs and low's of water temperature range from warm, 73º in Charleston during the first two weeks of October, to the cold of New London (37º in January and February).

On the Pacific Coast , the average temperatures for the same time period are 45º in Seattle , WA and 59º in Santa Barbara , CA . The range of temperatures is from a monthly average high (October) of 63º in Santa Barbara to an average monthly (February and March) low of 46º in Seattle. (Data from NOAA www.nodc.noaa.gov/dsdt/cwtg)

The United States Search and Rescue Task Force published data, which shows survival time in 73º water to be almost indefinite, but in 37º water, it ranges betweenº, 30 - 90 minutes. With such a small window of time, why would anyone venture out into the ocean without proper emergency equipment and be thoroughly familiar with how to wear it?

Such equipment consists of cold water immersion protective clothing. As with all emergency and survival equipment, improper storage, handling and failure to use it correctly or in time, diminishes the chances of survival.

The Coast Guard currently requires the use of anti-exposure coveralls when the water temperature or air temperature pose health threats, should a member get wet. According to one manufacturer's published research, by wearing the anti-exposure suit, the survival time increases approximately 60 minutes, but only if the suit is properly maintained and donned. Dry suits, which prevent water from touching your body, increase your survival even longer.

Preparation

Coast Guard regulations (in the First Coast Guard District, Southern Region) require all of their crew members to don anti-exposure suits when the water temperature is between 50º and 60º. Should the water temperature drop lower than 50º, then dry-suits are mandated. This means, even if the air temperature is 80º, and the water temperature is less than 60º, members must still wear an anti-exposure suit, except if the local station commander applies an exception. Other Coast Guard Districts have procedures that are similar.

Part of our training, certifying and re-certifying procedures are to correctly don an anti-exposure and/or dry suit yearly. As stated previously, an incorrectly worn or used piece of emergency equipment does no one any good.

Case History

In a recent story from the PressofAtlanticCity.com, reporter Martin DeAngelis describes the rescue of three fishermen off the coast of Sea Isle City, New Jersey . For the three fishermen, a most fortuitous set of circumstances made this Christmas a one they will remember for some time to come.

The commercial fishermen in the vessel Tamara Lane were towing a sister ship when they called the Coast Guard for assistance. In 13 to 17 knot winds, with waves 4 to 5 feet in height, the Tamara Lane was having difficulty making headway, with their tow. Responding to the call for assistance was the Coast Guard Cutter Ibis , an 87 foot vessel home ported in Cape May , New Jersey .

Released from their tow, the Tamara Lane returned to their original plans - fishing. However, within the time it took for the Ibis to make seven miles while towing, the Tamara Lane encountered a disaster. It caught fire.

By the time the Ibis cut the tow free, and raced back to the Tamara Lane , the fishing vessel was engulfed in flame. All hands had jumped into the ocean, where water temperatures were 40º.

The Ibis was able to save all three fishermen, but found that while all three men were wearing survival suits, two of them had them donned improperly.

Two of the men had not fastened the suits correctly, letting water enter them. The effect of this error was two-fold: First, a normal 150 pound man now weighed in excess of 500 pounds (sea-water weighs approximately 8.5 pounds per gallon). His weight made it difficult for the crew of the Ibis to remove him from the water. Secondly, his suit gulped up approximately 160 gallons of sea-water, at a temperature of 40º. Based on survival times, he would have been exhausted or unconscious in about 15 to 30 minutes, with death ensuing anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes after immersion in the ocean.

Fortunately, for all, the Ibis was extremely close by, and all the fishermen were removed from the water before their bodies became hypothermic. They were the recipients of probably their best Christmas present ever.

Lessons learned: Safety is everyone's responsibility.

Whether it's expired flares, fire extinguishers that have lost pressure, degraded PFD's or lack of knowledge about how to wear a survival suit, it is the responsibility of the skipper and crew or passengers to understand the use of all safety equipment.

The United States Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary want all recreational boaters to understand the importance of safety at sea. To this end, the Auxiliary offers a wide array of boater education courses, as well as a FREE - no penalty Vessel Safety Check (for recreational vessels) and a FREE - no penalty Commercial Fishing Vessel exam. For more information, about educational courses, opportunities to volunteer with the Auxiliary, or careers with the Coast Guard, contact your local Coast Guard unit. On the web, the Coast Guard can be found : www.uscg.mil. , and the Auxiliary's web site is located at www.cgaux.org . Boaters can request a FREE Vessel Safety Check by visiting www.vesselsafetycheck.org

Table 1.
(Data from NOAA www.nodc.noaa.gov/dsdt/cwtg)

Table 2.
(Data from NOAA www.nodc.noaa.gov/dsdt/cwtg)

Table 3.
(Data from NOAA www.nodc.noaa.gov/dsdt/cwtg)

Table 4.
(Data from NOAA www.nodc.noaa.gov/dsdt/cwtg)