Ahoy! Internet, Social Help in Search for Lost Ships at Sea

As baby-boomers retire, many will spend their golden years living on a trawler or a sailboat. This new crop of adventurers uses their knowledge of the internet, social media and high tech communications devices to keep themselves safe and informed. It is the use or non-use of these systems which will make a life or death difference for some. The first major innovation in sea rescue descended from the aviation Electronic Location Transmitter (ELT). The most recent marine adaptation is called an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (E.P.I.R.B.). TheEPIRB is monitored by an international satellite system called Cospas-Sarsat. It spits out a code with the name of the boat, phone numbers to call, and in some cases the exact G.P.S. location of a missing yacht. EPIRB's are activated by hand or automatically via sea switch when they get wet.  

Grain de Soeil, Cruisers Forum Photo

The EPIRB on a French yacht, the Grain de Soleil, went off April 24th, 2013, about 500 miles Southwest of the Azores. The unit was manually activated 4 times. The activation of an EPIRB guarantees a search will be launched, unlike the mere reporting of an overdue yacht. Rescue crews found part of a splintered boat with colors similar to the Grain de Soleil, though people who know the yacht don't believe the wreckage matches. There is no sign of the three missing crew members, including skipper Guillaume Mousette, and crew Eseulle Etienne and Frank Cousin. 

Hull Wreckage Cruisers Forum

 A second yacht, the Lady Domina, was scheduled to pass within a few miles of the route of theGrain de Soleil at the same time. Unfortunately, the yacht's owner elected not to carry an EPIRB or a short wave radio. Some people go sailing precisely to get away from government intrusion.

Meanwhile, with the government search called off for the Grain de Soleil, worried relatives are using social media to alert ships and boats across the globe to watch for both the Grain de Soleil and the Lady Domina. Relatives have set up a face book page for the Grain de Soleil.   Though the page is in French, modern translation tools like Google Translate impart the basics of conversations.  The disappearance of Lady Domina is making it's way onto web pages and into sailing forums.  Still missing are captain Ovyin Slettvold, Aners Mosteid, Stian Abrahamsen, Brian Fritner and Kati Audry Lee

Everyone hopes the exhausted crews of both yachts return to port, perhaps unaware a search has been launched.  If so, their fellow "yachties" may be the first to advise the skippers about the millions spent in search efforts, the fund raising parties for private searches, and the frantic families.

Crews were not always as informed about missing yachts through the internet just a few years ago.  It was difficult to log onto the net while at anchor. Wireless internet signals are line of sight signals, traveling in most cases only a few hundred yards. However, with the improvement of high tech range extenders, crew are able to stay connected, sometimes three miles away from hot spots.  The Ubiquity Bullet is one of the most popular units on the market.  The initial set-up can be difficult, but you can find companies to do that part for you.

It was through a range extender, the Cantenna, author Bill Dietrich, Retire Onto A Sailboat,uploaded the only known picture of Lady Domina because he found the home made, 75 foot boat, interesting. With the yacht overdue, Norwegian newspapers contacted Dietrich after a sophisticated internet search revealed the photo. Dietrich's photo became famous, even though better photographs have been located since then. 

Bill Dietrich Photo Lady Domina

Neither the Grain de Soleil nor the Lady Domina carried the most useful and high tech tool available to a sailor. A few years ago, a satellite telephone was prohibitive in price. Today, a satellite phone can be purchased for under $1,000. 

While satellite phones are not cheap, they are lifesavers. When used in conjunction with a G.P.S., the sailor adrift can provide rescuers an exact description of location and nature of his emergency. Unlike cell phones, which use towers, sat phones connect directly to low-flying satellites. You don't need to duck. They are not that low! Since there are not many cell towers in remote regions of the ocean, cell phones are useless.  Although the price of satellite telephones are within the reach of nearly every sailor, the data and voice plans for these phones remain prohibitive. You can spend $7.00 per gigabyte and well over a buck a minute for voice calls. With few competitors, internet access through satellite modems may only be for the rich, and the odd sailor willing to pay any price to get out of a life raft floating around the ocean. 

Yellow Brick Tracker uses the Iridium Satellite Network, one of a few major direct link Satellite networks.   

There is one other high tech option which sailors use to summon help or alert family about delays. By using a satellite phone or satellite connection, a tracking device can be placed on a boat so family and fans can watch the adventurer bob slowly across the ocean. These devices are automatic, updating every hour.  However, unless the crew remembers to grab the unit from it's mounting place during an abandon ship, at best the unit will alert for no contact, providing search crews a place to start looking. Tracking devices are popular in races. For example, thePacific Cup Race from San Francisco to Oahu, Hawaii, the Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race from Sydney, Australia to Hobart, Tasmania and the Transpac Race from Las Angeles, California to Honolulu, Hawaii. The latter two races resulted in the tragic loss of yachts and lives that might have been saved using modern technology not available to racers years ago.