THE POOBAH NEEDS A SHOW OF HANDS AS TO WHO
THINKS THEY WILL ATTEND COAST GUARD
SEARCH & RESCUE SPECIALIST DOUGLAS SAMP'S PRESENTATION ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29TH AT 4 PM
AT THE WEST MARINE SUPER STORE IN SAN DIEGO.
SAR Specialist, Douglas Samp
While this is a Ha-Ha event, it's so important the Poobah is extending an invitation to members of the CUBAR, which is a smaller motor yacht version of the Ha-Ha, as well as the general public. But it will be very helpful for us and West Marine to have a general idea of who is planning to attend.
The presentation will be moderated by the Poobah, who will ask Samp questions that pertain especially to recreational boats on the high seas. Also on hand will be Eugenie Russell, who was the skipper of the boat that was sunk by a whale in the 2009 Ha-Ha. That the entire crew was rescued in textbook fashion is a testament to Eugenie's skill, the skill of her crew, and the great skill and resources of the Coast Guard.
By the way, who was the Command Duty Officer on the day of the rescue? None other than Specialist Samp, who obviously has a wealth of SAR experience.
What questions will be addressed?
- What is the best way to reach the Coast Guard? Satphone, VHF, SSB, email, text, EPIRB, InReach, Iridium Go!?
- If by satphone or text, what are the best numbers?
- What are the pros and cons of having a two-way communication device such as an InReach, Iridium Go! as opposed to a more rugged one-way device such as EPIRB? Captain Russell will have first-hand insight into this question.
- When does a situation qualify as worthy of calling the Coast Guard? I'll give you a hint from the last SAR Ha-Ha presentation: When in doubt, always call the Coast Guard. Their resources are funded and they are eager to help.
- Does the Coast Guard work in conjunction with the Mexican authorities? Spoiler alert. Yes, they do. In fact, Specialist Samp was in Ensenada the other day and commented on how much Mexico has upped its SAR game recently.
And Mexico had been helpful before. About five years ago we had a serious medical emergency onboard Profligate during the Ha-Ha and contacted the U.S. Coast Guard. Not only did they provide medical advice, but they also contacted the Mexican Navy, which was eager to come 150 miles offshore to offload our patient. As the seas were rough and the patient was no longer suffering excruciating pain, the decision was made to meet up at Bahia Santa Maria. Before we could even get our anchor down, the patient and Dona de Mallorca were offloaded to a high-speed Mexican Navy vessel and rushed to the clinic in San Carlos. It all ended well.
Obviously, the onus of safety at sea is always on the skipper and crew of any vessel. That said, it's great to know that the world's most capable SAR team is ready, willing and able to help. As such, the Poobah thinks it's incumbent on all skippers to know about that resource and how to access it.
So the Poobah hopes to see as many of you as possible at the West Marine Store at 4 pm on Saturday, October 29 in San Diego, and that you'll give an indication that you might possibly be there. Please respond to haharally@gmail.com.
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