From the beginning, those who have gone to sea have assumed risk. Far from land, they are at the mercy of the elements.
Simple equipment malfunctions can become catastrophes and a fire can force the crew to abandon ship. Seventy-five years ago, that meant scrambling into wooden lifeboats and trying to row away from the troubled vessel.
“Back then it would likely have been an open lifeboat, and in cold weather like we have here in winter, you would have a light coating of ice on everything,” said Rear Adm. John Tanner, superintendent of the Great Lakes Maritime Academy and an expert on survival.
Today, the sailor, whether on a commercial craft or weekend recreational boat has much better odds thanks to space-age equipment, technology and training.
Commercial vessels carry improved lifeboats and personal survival equipment including an immersion suit. The one-piece suit costs about $350 and many professional as well as amateur sailors are making the investment.
The immersion suit, often called the Gumby suit because the wearer resembles the cartoon character, offers a great deal of protection from the cold.
“They have had people live for three days in the Gulf of Alaska in those suits,” Tanner said. “They are fantastic.”
The single-piece suit is a combination of a diver’s wet suit and a one-man life raft. It is made of neoprene, a waterproof synthetic rubber that acts like a thick protective skin.
“When you jump off the vessel, you keep your hands in front of you, and the force of the water will push all the air out through your face mask,” said Scott Crossland, of West Marine’s Chicago store. “It holds all your body temperature in, and it is actually warm. It floats so you don’t burn up your energy. In hypothermia training, we went in the water with it and then without it. It is a difference of night and day.”
Also popular is the anti-exposure coverall and worksuit, which costs about $300 and looks like a snowmobile outfit. In addition to protecting the wearer from cold, the pliable foam material in its lining provides buoyancy.
Both suits are a bright red/orange to make it easier for searchers to see.
Personal flotation devices are the primary lifesavers, said Petty Officer 1st Class Joe Prijatel of Coast Guard Station Calumet Harbor.
“We recommend that children, in particular, wear the life jacket all the time. Kids do not pay as much attention, and if they slip off the boat, it could be a tragedy,” Prijatel said.
There are many types of personal flotation devices, the most effective being the one that’s worn. The more comfortable the life jacket, the more likely that will happen.
The Coast Guard requires its personnel to wear a flotation device when a boat is under way. Many others require everyone to wear one at night or in bad weather though the law requires only that flotation devices be on the boat and accessible.
“It is nice to be prepared for those squalls. If you are wearing a (life) jacket and have a chance to think about what you are doing, it gives you a little peace of mind so you can go ahead and work with the vessel, rather than being overly concerned that someone will fall in,” Crossland said.
Children’s jackets have extra buoyancy to keep the child’s head above water and a pickup strap to make retrieval easier.
Veteran sailors attach a whistle to the life jacket. That allows you to alert others to where you are if you slip off the boat. Special reflective tape can be added to jackets to make them easier to spot at night.
“Today’s larger boats, such as lake freighters, carry a motorized lifeboat. It has a cover. You get the crew inside, close the hatch, turn the engine on and away you go,” Tanner said. “You are sheltered and get heat both from the crew and the engine.”
Even little recreational boats can have an inflatable life raft.
“There are excellent, compact coastal life rafts that weigh under 50 pounds. They inflate to hold six people, they have a cover and cost about $3,000,” said Randy Draftz, of the Chicago Yachting/Boaters World store.
In an emergency the best way to get assistance quickly is the radio.
“We recommend a marine radio and a hand-held backup,” said Chief Petty Officer Terry Mac Dougall, in charge of Station Calumet Harbor.
Basic marine radios can cost as little as $130 with hand-held units starting at about $250, Crossland said. Many radios have automatic weather alerts. If the National Weather Service issues a severe weather statement or warning, the radio sounds a tone.
“We have a new precise direction-finding equipment on our 41-foot boat,” Mac Dougall said. “We can use the signal you broadcast to find your location. In fact we recommend if you have to leave the vessel in an emergency that you put a rubber band around the radio microphone (to hold the button in the `transmit’ position) so that we can zero in on the signal.”
While directional finding equipment can be used with marine radios, it cannot home in on a cellular phone. If a cell-phone user can give a precise latitude and longitude, it will speed the rescue, said Mac Dougall.
Thanks to 24 satellites circling the earth and a hand-held receiver called a GPS, finding that location is easier than ever.
The Global Positioning System receiver, which costs as little as $250, receives signals from several of the satellites, computes your location and displays the latitude and longitude on a digital readout.
“GPS accuracy within 100 feet is not uncommon,” Tanner said. “I recommend if you get one, go out and use it, play around with it, and you will know how to use it in an emergency.”
Another device that can bring help is the Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon, a battery-operated radio transmitter.
There are two types, one broadcasts a distress signal on frequencies monitored by aircraft and Coast Guard.
The second type, used mainly on the ocean, sends a unique coded signal to satellites, which relay the information to a rescue facility. The beacon is a last resort, announcing that you are in dire need of help without being able to detail the emergency.
Once rescue personnel are en route, you can help them find you with various signals. At night, a small strobe light attached to your life jacket can be seen for miles by a rescue helicopter.
The law requires that every recreational boat carry a certain number of signal flares depending on the size of the craft.
Though as few as three flares are required for small boats, it is wise to carry more. In recent years a new group of flares were developed at the Safety of Life at Sea convention. These extraordinarily bright SOLAS flares exceed Coast Guard requirements.
Flares come in different types: hand-held, hand-held smoke flares, meteor flares that shoot into the air and parachute flares that shoot up 1,000 feet and float down.
But safety at sea is often a matter of training and good sense, Coast Guard officials say.
“People should know the area that they are transiting. We have a lot of trouble each year with the breakwalls,” Prijatel said. “Every year someone hits one. They go out without a chart or they don’t know what the red and green lights mean. They can learn those things in the boating class.
“Not knowing what course of action to take in a crossing situation (where two craft meet on the open water) can turn into a fatal accident,” Prijatel said. “It is wise to take that boating safety class.”
Boating safety classes are available through the Coast Guard Auxiliary 312-701-3805 and the U.S. Power Squadron 1-800-336-BOAT (2628).
