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Satellite Technology Helps Avert Tragedy at Sea

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. – An avid sailor for 62 years, Brian Lewis takes nothing for granted. He equipped his 46-foot sailboat, Rochelle IV, with the latest communication and survival gear before embarking on a Nova Scotia to Bermuda voyage this fall.

About 330 miles northeast of Bermuda, they ran into gale force winds that built to storm force. They hove to for 15 hours until 6:30 a.m. when, in 55-knot winds, the boat was knocked down twice, rolling over 90 degrees in violent seas. His wife, Sheila, was seriously injured, the cabin was flooded, the engine was swamped, the main sail was ripped, the mast was damaged and a port was blown in. 

 Lewis and his crew of three turned the boat down wind and pumped it out. But with deteriorating conditions and Sheila being seriously injured, Brian knew it was time to ask for aid. At 7:21 a.m. on November 9th, Lewis manually activated his ACR Electronics’ RapidFix™ 406 MHz EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) that transmits to a system of worldwide satellites. “Once you trigger that beacon, you say to yourself, ‘now I’m calling for help,’” he said.

With an ineffective satellite phone, Lewis’ daughter, Katrina, called a Mayday, broadcasting on all emergency channels on their single-sideband radio. She called for two hours until she heard the voice of Herb Heilgenberg, a weatherman (South Bound II) from Ontario, Canada, who confirmed that their EPIRB satellite signal was relayed to a U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Search and Rescue Coordination Center (RCC), and that help was on the way.

At 1:30 p.m., a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) C-130 Hercules airplane from the Greenwood, Nova Scotia airbase arrived on scene to assess the situation. They requested assistance from a Good Samaritan, the 600-foot bulk carrier, Anthemis, which arrived at 3 p.m.

Lewis credits the USCG, the RCAF and the freighter crew for completing an arduous rescue under challenging conditions. The C-130 dropped survival immersion suits and stayed in contact overhead for five hours until it had to return to base. The Anthemis continually repositioned to shield the floundering sailboat from crashing waves. By 9 p.m., the seamen were able to pull all four sailors aboard. Lewis; his wife, his daughter and family friend, Dr. David Syer, were given care and continued on to the ship’s next port, Philadelphia.

“We’re totally delighted with the way everything went. The EPIRB worked phenomenally. We registered it properly and it did what it was supposed to do,” Lewis said. “Don’t leave home without one.”

Petty Officer Christopher Evanson, the USCG Public Affairs spokesman on duty that day, said the safety precautions, experience and knowledge of the sea paid off for these sailors. “Mariners should look at EPIRBs like safety belts or air bags in a car. They are essential gear for anyone who goes offshore,” Evanson emphasized.

An EPIRB is a satellite-signaling device of last resort, for use when all other means of self-rescue have been exhausted and where the situation is deemed to be grave and imminent, and the loss of life, limb, eyesight or valuable property will occur without assistance. All beacons must be registered following purchase. Simply go online to www.beaconregistration.noaa.gov.

ACR Electronics, Inc., a Cobham Company, designs and manufactures a complete line of safety and survival products including EPIRBs, P-ELTs/P-EPIRBs/PLBs, Bridge-based Information Systems, SARTs and safety accessories. The quality systems of this facility have been registered by UL to the ISO 9001:2000 Series Standards. Recognized as the world leader in safety and survival technologies, ACR has provided safety equipment to the aviation and marine industries as well as to the military since 1956.