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SATELLITE2  406™ EPIRB Saves Solo Navigator 500 Miles Off Chile

“I had the things that were critical including the one thing that you should not go offshore without – an EPIRB [an ACR SATELLITE₂™ 406]. You always prepare for the worst-case scenario. Everything else is gravy,” said sailor Ken Barnes.

Solo navigator Ken Barnes's demasted 44¹ steel ketch, Privateer.

Two months into his dream voyage sailing solo around the world, Ken Barnes found that he had to put his EPIRB to the test when his steel-hulled, 44-foot ketch rolled 360 degrees during a severe storm off the southern tip of Chile. Both masts had broken off, the electrical system was dead and three feet of water was in the cabin. With the deck hatch gone, Barnes saw that the water would continue to pour in as the storm raged. Facing a grave situation, Barnes activated his EPIRB.

He followed up with a satellite phone call to his girlfriend in California. Because his beacon was properly registered with NOAA, rescue authorities were able confirm with Barnes’s loved ones that he was on a solo expedition. During the satellite phone call, his girlfriend told him that the U.S. Coast Guard had contacted her to verify his circumstances. He felt immense relief knowing that help was on the way.

Thus began a three-day rescue effort that involved aircraft, several ships and the collaboration of two countries. Throughout the saga, the world was riveted by round-the-clock news coverage of the solo sailor adrift in a severe storm.  Nearly 24 hours after the rollover, the weather conditions cleared enough that a Chilean navy aircraft was able to locate Barnes. He had been discovered. On January 5 after two and a half days of drifting, Barnes was picked up by a commercial fishing trawler and taken to Chile for a flight home to California.

Barnes said preparation is the key to surviving safety issues at sea. “When you’re in breaking seas and storms, you have to have everything in place. You’re holding on for dear life,” Barnes cautioned. “Having safety equipment on board and making sure it’s useable is crucial. It has to be up to date and serviced before you go out. You need to help out the people who are helping you out.”

ACR Electronics, Inc., (www.acrelectronics.com) part of Cobham’s Avionics and Surveillance Division headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, designs and manufactures a complete line of safety and survival products including EPIRBs, PLBs, AIS, 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.