We used sat phone -too far off for VHF.
_____ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, January 16, 2008 10:02 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Liveaboard] Near death experience - remember to monitor Ch 16whenonboard And I expect that the SeaTow folks responded because they expected a tow job not a mercy mission. -----Original Message----- From: Bob Johnson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Sent: Wed, 16 Jan 2008 9:50 am Subject: Re: [Liveaboard] Near death experience - remember to monitor Ch 16whenonboard My experience in time of need was just as dismal. I had to abandon ship 200 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico. One crew member was recently retired USCG still under contract to New Orleans office. We had a sat phone on board so a call was placed to his office at 0430. A Falcon jet came out and over flew us. We indicated to the pilot that we had stabilized the boat but that we would not be able to maintain integrity when the northern front arrived within 18 hrs. He had to return to Corpus to refuel and would return. Prior to departing we asked what the plan was. Reply: You are too far out for helo rescue so we called the Mexican Navy to come pick you up. This was the last we ever heard from the Coast Guard. Unbeknownst to us the Mexican Navy decided we were too far away so they didn't bother to leave port. The jet had taken footage, gone back and released it to the 6:00 news along with a press release saying that we had been picked up by the cutter Shalimar and were safely enroute to Corpus. Fact was the Shalimar was in the yard and not capable of getting underway. About 8 hrs latter we were contacted by a passing tanker and were picked up. When we were safe I called home and got the voice mail and left a message indicating we were alright. Needless to say when my wife got home my message was buried along with many messages from people I had met in TX as well as the news parasites looking for a quote. When my crew member got back to the office and inquired(not too politely) what had happened he was told that if nobody picked us up they were going to send a plane to drop a life raft and flashlights both of which we already had. Bottom line don't count on the USCG for anything other than potty policing and chewing up tax dollars in their shinny new Avons with the 50 cal machine guns. Don't even get me started on their role in "homeland security". Saw that in Houston. Bob Pat's Cat On a different note, I'm shocked that the USCG failed to get a helicopter out there for this medical emergency. Two unconscious people is not a SeaTow job, although we should be glad they reacted so promptly. Ron Rogers _______________________________________________ Liveaboard mailing list [email protected] To adjust your membership settings over the web http://www.liveaboardnow.org/mailman/listinfo/liveaboard To subscribe send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] The archives are at http://www.liveaboardnow.org/pipermail/liveaboard/ To search the archives http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] The Mailman Users Guide can be found here http://www.gnu.org/software/mailman/mailman-member/index.html _____ size=3 width="100%" align=center> More new features than ever. Check out the new AOL Mail <http://o.aolcdn.com/cdn.webmail.aol.com/mailtour/aol/en-us/text.htm?ncid=ao lcmp00050000000003> !
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