A summary: A Glacier Bay 26 foot Catamaran was found capsized after being missing for over 24 hours off MURRELLS INLET, S.C. The captain was still missing, but 6 passangers were rescued. It is felt that the captain had a cardiac event during the night and may have died. The boat was on a fishing charter, they were comming back in, with full fish coolers and in 4 foot seas. Apparently the boat hit a wave, the people and coolers shifted (breaking lashings) and the boat capsized. A search was started the day before they were found, and continued thru the night--the victums could see the flares and lights from the searchers.
There is a history of some cats being difficult to handle in certain beam sea conditions. If the skipper had a personal EPRIB and hand held submersiable VHF there is a chance they would have been rescued in short order. There was no life raft--one might have also saved them.
Apparently there is no requirement for a "six pac" boat to have a life raft or EPRIB (?).
This is a tragedy,
We have a different brand of cat this size on order,but we feel that its handling is better in beam seas. However we do carry on our persons, Personal locator beacons and submersiable VHF radios--plus some form of inflatable. There have been a number of incidences of loss of life noted on this forum during the last year, where a EPRIB and/or a submersable VHF would have made a difference or saved a life!
There is a history of some cats being difficult to handle in certain beam sea conditions. If the skipper had a personal EPRIB and hand held submersiable VHF there is a chance they would have been rescued in short order. There was no life raft--one might have also saved them.
Apparently there is no requirement for a "six pac" boat to have a life raft or EPRIB (?).
This is a tragedy,
We have a different brand of cat this size on order,but we feel that its handling is better in beam seas. However we do carry on our persons, Personal locator beacons and submersiable VHF radios--plus some form of inflatable. There have been a number of incidences of loss of life noted on this forum during the last year, where a EPRIB and/or a submersable VHF would have made a difference or saved a life!