Coast Guard rescues stranded boaters

[Gone FishN]

Did you guys see this on the news today? 

http://www.nbc-2.com/Global/story.asp?S=12291826

Boaters going out on their boats that had no business doing do.

If you don't know what you are doing, you should not be on the water.

The weather changes very quickly here in Florida and it not even summer yet.

[Dave]

I saw that on the news.

One of the missing guys said his steering cable broke, lost control of his boat and thought he should now have a VHF on board.

The importance of having a good anchor and lots of rope to hold you in 30-40 mph winds and driving rain is to have it and hopefully never need it. The same with a good working waterproof VHF.

Where  I fished in California, the Channel Islands. You could be on the windward side of the island 15 miles offshore, come around to the other side to head in and have zero visibility.
Zero visibility like not seeing past the bow of your boat.
15 mile is back, zero visibility through a major shipping channel gets stressful. Only hearing and smelling the big oil ships and never seeing them at all.

I did it more times than I wanted, with proper planning and the right equipment it can be safe.
You leave in the morning to a perfect day and a perfect weather forecast, the winds change, the cool sea air hits the hot air on land and Fog, lots of fog, 15 miles worth.

The US Coast Guard was station in the same harbor I kept my boat and they would not come out to bring you back in only for poor visibility.
They told boaters to wait it out. And many had no choice.

I always check the weather forecast, especially in the summer here.

I always have a backup plan for closer harbor to go to if I can’t make it home.

I always have rain gear on board.

I always tell someone where I’m going and when I should be back. I do this one every time I go out.

Fortunately I’m been lucky. Only a few times has it started to downpour as I made into my cannel.
   

[donahue_85]

Normally, when I go out, I ALWAYS have a cell phone on me! It's the next best thing next to a VHF. I do tell, whomever it may be, that I should return around a certain time.

Good thing in my case, I normally don't leave the harbor area, so I don't have too big of worries if something happens like that. I know the area very well & know what to look for when a storm is coming close. There are lots of different areas to go in the case of a storm. I have been in lots of BAD weather in the harbor. I was out once with the wife in my old 15' bass boat, in the harbor during a pretty bad flurry. We sat under the 41 bridge & each of us held onto a piling while the boat rocked pretty crazy in the surf. It sucked! But, we made it out ok.          I'm not saying that nothing bad can/will happen to me, but I've been there done that in this Florida weather too many times to not know what to do.

As, for the people on Sanibel, I was on the island later that night & never knew a thing about it until I got home & watched the news.   

[Gone FishN]

Fishing primarily offshore, in addition to a good working VHF radio I also carry an Epirb. A device that cost less than $600 and saves lives.
A device which would have prevented the deaths of those football players not very long ago.

Personally I believe Epirb’s should be required on all offshore boats.
Another overlooked safety item, life jackets.
Self inflating jackets maybe suitable for inshore fishing on calm summer days. In a 25 – 35 knot winds and big seas you they are not going to provide much buoyancy and may even deflate.
Invest in proper safety equipment for your boat.

Most anglers spend more money on a fishing reel than on their life.

I’m willing to bet, most anglers spent more money on bait last year then on safety equipment.

[donahue_85]

Speaking of safety equipment, I was at Port Charlotte Beach Complex about a month ago putting in my boat. I had my buddy Nick, his wife & my wife with me. Just as soon as I backed the trailer in the water, a Sheriff's Marine Patrol truck pulled up to the ramp. He came over & started doing safety inspections, needless to say I got a warning. I hadn't had the boat out many times before this because I had just bought it about a month prior, but he checked all my safety gear & my fire extinguisher was no good (it came with the boat), something had pitted a hole in the side of it. I only had 2 life-jackets on board (I thought I had all of them)        with 4 people going on the boat, my trailer tag had fallen off somewhere & I didn't have my throwable floatation device (thought that was on board too). The only thing I had on the boat that worked properly at the time was my key chain whistle.         Shame on me.         He made me leave to go home & get all my things before I coould go out & you better believe that he was right there waiting for me when I got back to be sure I had gotten all the right equipment! He let me off with a warning.         But, none the less, ALWAYS be sure you have all your proper safety equipment before you leave home or you could end up paying a hefty fine!   

[dudesikoff]

Are VHF's required by law, because im gettin my first boat going and barely have enough money as it is and a VHF might hurt the wallet a little more than I can take.

[donahue_85]

No, VHF's are not a required instrument, unless your boat is over so many feet in length. I'm unsure of the requirement on the length, but as long as your boat isn't longer than 24', you don't have to worry. They are a good tool to have, but a cell phone with decent service is just as good. If you feel that you need one, save your money & you can find a used one for half the price of a new one. Also, if you plan on doing a lot of off-shore fishing, they are definatly a good idea! More than likely, any cell phone will have very little, if any at all, service miles off-shore.

[julieg2]

Yap
We been stopped 4 times this year along, usually at the dock for safety inspection

4 time more than in the past 5 years

Man what's up with this 

Lee County needs some money 

[donahue_85]

Charlotte County has always been one of the most strict countys around. It's understandable here, but I wouldn't think much for Lee County.