Survivors are retrieved after using their radio that floated to the surface after their boat sank.

Luck, but I guess you could say having the radio that floats could be making luck happen. Just another data point as to why we should keep a PLB on person all the time. 15 seconds from doing well to the bow sticking up on it's way down??? I'd love to know what the H happened during those 15 seconds.

BTW, my ACR ResQLink arrived, waiting on the floating pouch -- just sayin' ...

I suspect things were not going well, long before the 15 second interval when they observed the boat to be sinking. Luckily, they had calm seas.....

"With time to only grab lifejackets and a video camera..."
http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local...tha-s-vineyard/

I guess grabbing the radio didn't come to mind. Dumb luck to the rescue one more time.

Saturday's incident was the 338th search and rescue case in southern Massachusetts and Rhode Island this year, the Coast Guard said.

Sue

Izzy,

I am not a land lubber, and I DO keep my radio (and now my PLB) on me at all times. Many times the radio will get you help in a lot less time than the PLB which can make all the difference. In many places I would take the radio over the PLB if I had to go overboard with only one. Even before the PLB I carried a small EPIRB (boat unit) with me. Before that was available, neither were reasonably portable radios.

Respectfully,

Jerry

I also found that interesting. Fortunately in this case the radio that could float, did, and they were pulled out of the water by a nearby boat listening to presumably Ch. 16 -- wow. All this leads me to thinking an ICOM VHF radio may be a good companion to my ACR ResQLink for use off-shore. IIRC, Coast Guard helo's are Marine VHF capable.

Russ,

Yes, the CG (around the world) are equipped with marine band and monitor 16. If you are floating in a life vest, you can direct them to your exact location after the PLB gets them to the area.

Not to hijack the thread, but a two way radio is a superb compliment to a PLB. Marine band on the coastline or anywhere else a CG might respond and an aircraft band on land. I have carried an aircraft band in a lot of places around the world (pre PLB and still) and there aren't a lot where I could not hear (or have talked to) an airliner. Knowing the Center (enroute air traffic control) frequency for where you are helps a lot.

Respectfully,

Jerry

p.s. My Marine band is an ICOM M2. Smaller ones are available now.

Why wait until you're in the water to call for help? Why no video of the boat actually sinking? Why was that guy smiling or laughing once in the water? I'm just asking...

I'll admit I haven't watched this particular video, but in the right circumstances some boats will sink shockingly fast. It is easy to second guess why somebody did or didn't do something but all kinds of circumstances can go from normal to Charlie Foxtrot before you have time to implement procedures.