This is a blast from the past from 2015. The loss of these mountain climbers on Mount Rainier got me to pull this out of my archives.
Melbourne, FL – August 1, 2015 - Last night at sunset, after a week long search, the Coast Guard suspended the search for the two 14 year old Jupiter, Florida teens whose 19 foot fishing boat was found capsized upside down 170 miles north of the Jupiter Inlet. The Coast Guard searched over 50,000 square nautical miles all the way from Jupiter inlet to Cape Hatteras, NC without finding the two teens.
This is such a sad situation when anyone is lost at sea. But this situation brings to light how important it is to be prepared when venturing out into the great outdoors, especially off shore into the ocean. With horizon being about 8 miles off shore, it does not take long before a boater is all alone. The ocean can be a calm and peaceful place to have fun, but it can be one of nature’s greatest nightmares.
When heading out on your next off shore trip, be prepared and always check the weather. This is so important because during the summer, severe thunderstorms can popup quickly and catches boaters off guard.
The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) has a web page dedicated to boating safety. Click HERE to visit the ASA boating safety web page.
Since the dawn of technology and the many GPS satellites in orbit around the earth, Emergency GPS beacons have been readily available for sale since the 1980s. Today, the price of an Emergency GPS Beacon costs less than half to price of the smart phone many of us carry with them every day. Taking an Emergency GPS Beacon along on an offshore fishing trip close to shore may seem unnecessary but it may be worth every penny you paid for it.
One of the many companies that designs, manufactures and sells Emergency GPS Beacons is Spot. Using a device like Spot, you can send your exact location and a request for help to friends and family or even send a 911 message to get emergency help right away. According to Margaret Taylor, Spot Public Relations Account Executive for Peter Mayer Advertising in New Orleans, LA, “over the past seven years, more than 3,000 rescues have been initiated due to SPOT products.”
Spot is the leader in satellite messaging and emergency notification technologies. Boaters, hunters, recreational pilots, hikers, off-road travelers and outdoor enthusiasts of all types have come to depend on the lifesaving capabilities of SPOT. SPOT products offer users peace of mind by allowing them to track their assets, utilize location-based messaging and emergency notification technology and to make calls beyond the boundaries of cellular. SPOT products work around the world, including virtually all of the continental United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe and Australia, portions of South America, Northern Africa, North-Eastern Asia and thousands of miles offshore of these areas.”
If you are looking to upgrade your onboard marine safety equipment check out a Spot communication and alert device just may do the trick. You can find them for sale online at West Marine, REI, Bass Pro Shop, Cabelas, and Gander Mountain. You can also find the entire Spot product lineup on Amazon.
Until next time, be safe in the sun and a have a great day in the great outdoors.
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