Coastguard urges sailors to register emergency beacons

Coastguards are reminding sailors to register their emergency beacons after a beacon was activated overnight and found several hours later on a boat in a marina. The emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) was activated at midnight last night but was not registered and coastguards were therefore unable to track down the owner of the vessel.

This morning, the Coastguard helicopter located the beacon, transmitting from a vessel, which was safely alongside in Robertson Marina, off Woodbridge. The owner of the vessel was in London.

Mark Rodaway OBE, Maritime Commander for HM Coastguard says:
“The search today necessitated a search involving a significant amount of coastguard resource. If the beacon had been registered this could easily have been avoided.
When an emergency beacon is activated we have to assume the worst and begin a search for a vessel in difficulties. In this case the Felixstowe and Shinglestreet Coastguard Rescue Teams and the Coastguard Rescue Helicopter from Lydd carried out a search and using the capabilities of the aircraft located the EPIRB, transmitting from a vessel which was safely moored in a marina.

“If you are going out to sea, we urge you to ensure that you have the correct communications equipment with you in case of emergency; an EPIRB is an essential piece of kit, it will send us a distress alert should your vessel capsize or sink. You must ensure that it is registered with the coastguard though. This is free – go to this Link


Popular posts from this blog

Label your kit at the coast

Image
Kayaks. Canoes. Paddleboards. What do they all have in common? They’re quite often found on the coastline or drifting out to sea. And if we don’t know who they belong to, we can spend time searching for an owner when they’re home safe and sound. So please help us to help you. Label your kit so that if you do get separated from it, and it turns up somewhere, we can get hold of you. In recent weeks, our Coastguard Rescue Teams have found numerous items such as kayaks and canoes drifting out at sea or abandoned near the shoreline. Unfortunately, some of the items we have found have not had their owners’ contact details written on them nor been reported as missing to the Coastguard. As a result, it makes it difficult for us to find out who it belongs to and also means we can never be completely sure if someone is safe or in the worst case, in trouble at sea. This can place a huge strain on our resources especially during the busy summer period when we have to call upon our Coastgua
Read more

A short history of HM Coastguard

Image
Today HM Coastguard is a world leader in maritime search and rescue. Looking back almost 200 years, the goods, which now travel by road, were carried by hundreds of small ships. Year in year out dozens of ships and hundreds of lives were lost within sight of the coast. Public shock and dismay at the tragedies drove forward the creation of national life saving organisations. Though it’s beginnings lie in those decades HM Coastguard originated not to meet the dangers of the seas but to combat a threat to the country’s economy and security – smuggling. As soon as medieval taxes were charged on imports and exports, people began smuggling. By 1743 th e estimate was that half the tea drunk in Britain was illegally imported and shows that smuggling was highly profitable. Smugglers have often been romanticised but the reality was brutal. Local people lived in fear, with violent reprisals on informers and the murder of revenue officers, while corruption enabled smugglers to evade harsh p
Read more

Emergency Radio Procedures: Does your fishing crew know what to do?

Image
DSC emergency radio procedures                                                              Picture: Planefocus Fitting a Digital Selective Calling radio on your vessel and knowing how to use it in an emergency could save your life.   If the worst were to happen at sea, using a DSC radio correctly can save vital time in getting those in trouble back to the shore.   Calling HM Coastguard with DSC in an emergency significantly helps in locating an incident and providing that help.      Most fixed VHF radios come with built-in DSC, meaning the Coastguard can be called easily and fast.   Assistant Chief Coastguard Matt Leat said:  “DSC means information is sent quickly and clearly so a rescue can begin right away. As well as having a registered personal locator beacon (PLB) per crew member on board, with DSC you’ll be assisting the Coastguard in locating you much faster.   “No one wants to be in an emergency situation and have to use DSC or a PLB, but that does not mean your vessel sho
Read more