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The Cheeki Rafiki yachtsmen need to know someone is still searching The Cheeki Rafiki yachtsmen need to know someone is still searching
(35 minutes later)
When I heard the news of the missing crew of the Cheeki Rafiki last Sunday evening, it sent a shiver down my spine, as I would imagine it did with all ocean sailors. I have been lucky never to have needed to step into a life raft, apart from during safety training, but we came close a couple of times.When I heard the news of the missing crew of the Cheeki Rafiki last Sunday evening, it sent a shiver down my spine, as I would imagine it did with all ocean sailors. I have been lucky never to have needed to step into a life raft, apart from during safety training, but we came close a couple of times.
Until last weekend it was a given that if you needed help at sea it would be there, in the form of search and rescue or the coastguard, wherever you were in the world. The preservation of life at sea is etched into the soul of every sailor, be they yachtie, merchant seaman, trawler crew or navy.Until last weekend it was a given that if you needed help at sea it would be there, in the form of search and rescue or the coastguard, wherever you were in the world. The preservation of life at sea is etched into the soul of every sailor, be they yachtie, merchant seaman, trawler crew or navy.
Every country takes responsibility for its area of ocean, and full cooperation between nations has existed for hundreds of years. So when I heard that the search for the Cheeki Rafiki crew had been called off after 42 hours, I was shocked, then devastated, then very angry.Every country takes responsibility for its area of ocean, and full cooperation between nations has existed for hundreds of years. So when I heard that the search for the Cheeki Rafiki crew had been called off after 42 hours, I was shocked, then devastated, then very angry.
One report said the US Coast Guard had searched 4,000 sq miles in two days. This is impossible. The sea-state and visibility reports we were hearing from friends crossing the Atlantic on their way back from Antigua conflicted with reports from the US Coast Guard. The families didn't know what was going on, and the British public began a campaign.One report said the US Coast Guard had searched 4,000 sq miles in two days. This is impossible. The sea-state and visibility reports we were hearing from friends crossing the Atlantic on their way back from Antigua conflicted with reports from the US Coast Guard. The families didn't know what was going on, and the British public began a campaign.
As an ocean racer, I believe there is more chance they are alive than not. This is the most compelling reason for the US Coast Guard to resume the search, as it has done. I am not alone.As an ocean racer, I believe there is more chance they are alive than not. This is the most compelling reason for the US Coast Guard to resume the search, as it has done. I am not alone.
The Cheeki Rafiki did not just suddenly turn over. These are highly experienced sailors who knew they were in trouble. They calmly contacted the owner to let him know they were taking on water, and at the same time would have been preparing to abandon ship at a moment's notice. They would have made sure the life raft was ready, that they had provisions and equipment, and that they were wearing the correct survival gear; and none of them would have slept below decks in case they became trapped.The Cheeki Rafiki did not just suddenly turn over. These are highly experienced sailors who knew they were in trouble. They calmly contacted the owner to let him know they were taking on water, and at the same time would have been preparing to abandon ship at a moment's notice. They would have made sure the life raft was ready, that they had provisions and equipment, and that they were wearing the correct survival gear; and none of them would have slept below decks in case they became trapped.
They activated their PLBs (personal location beacons). These are not automatic – they would have had to be alive to activate them. They also activated a second, at the end of its battery life. This gave them 18 hours of continued signal. This indicates they were in the life raft, not on the boat. If they had been on the boat, they would have activated the main EPLRB (emergency position-locating radio beacon), with 48 hours of battery life.They activated their PLBs (personal location beacons). These are not automatic – they would have had to be alive to activate them. They also activated a second, at the end of its battery life. This gave them 18 hours of continued signal. This indicates they were in the life raft, not on the boat. If they had been on the boat, they would have activated the main EPLRB (emergency position-locating radio beacon), with 48 hours of battery life.
If they are alive, as we all hope and pray, in a 12-man life raft with all its modern survival equipment, and provided they are dry, they could survive for weeks.If they are alive, as we all hope and pray, in a 12-man life raft with all its modern survival equipment, and provided they are dry, they could survive for weeks.
I imagine the first action of the US Coast Guard will be to locate the upturned boat spotted by a cargo ship, cut through the hull, and check for the life raft. If it is there, sadly, they have little or no chance. But if it is gone, we must keep on searching. The families of these men need to know what happened, one way or the other.I imagine the first action of the US Coast Guard will be to locate the upturned boat spotted by a cargo ship, cut through the hull, and check for the life raft. If it is there, sadly, they have little or no chance. But if it is gone, we must keep on searching. The families of these men need to know what happened, one way or the other.
As the search continues, there will be the usual mutterings of "Why should the taxpayer foot the bill?" To which I say: these men and their families are also taxpayers, and that is what funds our search and rescue. Or it used to be, when we had one.As the search continues, there will be the usual mutterings of "Why should the taxpayer foot the bill?" To which I say: these men and their families are also taxpayers, and that is what funds our search and rescue. Or it used to be, when we had one.
The Cheeki Rafiki crew are well trained, experienced, sensible, professional yachtsmen who took every precaution to stay safe. They would have followed accepted procedure to contribute as much as possible to their survival. The Cheeki Rafiki crew are well trained, experienced, sensible, professional yachtsmen who took every precaution to stay safe. They would have followed accepted procedure to contribute as much as possible to their survival. The very least they should expect in return is that there was good reason for them to do so.
If search and rescue is going to be curtailed because of lack of resources, then the men and women who put to sea in boats need to be informed that that is the case beforehand, not at the moment of their peril on the sea, when they need to know someone is coming.If search and rescue is going to be curtailed because of lack of resources, then the men and women who put to sea in boats need to be informed that that is the case beforehand, not at the moment of their peril on the sea, when they need to know someone is coming.