Kind of a strange way to start a conversation, however, that’s just what happened the other day.<\/p>\n
It seems a club member was missing. \u00a0He had left the house the previous morning for a day sail. \u00a0He called in that afternoon indicating they were having some engine problems, his cellphone was almost dead, and he\u00a0would\u00a0be calling the Coast Guard. \u00a0That was the last she had heard and his phone was going straight to voice mail. \u00a0Needless to say, she was quite worried. \u00a0To compound the problem, she did not know who he was sailing with, where they were sailing from, the name of the boat, or their destination. \u00a0She had no idea where to even start so she called the Coast Guard and Tradewinds hoping we could tell her what was going on. \u00a0We couldn’t tell her (or the Coast Guard officer who called later), because he wasn’t on one of our boats.<\/p>\n
In this case, there was a happy ending. \u00a0He was sailing with a friend on a boat that isn’t part of the Tradewinds fleet. \u00a0The boat did have motor problems, however, they were able to make it to a marina where they spent the night. \u00a0The boat was repaired the following day and they make it back to their home marina. \u00a0Unfortunately, because his cell phone was dead he wasn’t able to contact her with an update.<\/p>\n
Much\u00a0of her concern would have been eliminated had he filed a float plan with her before leaving. \u00a0If you aren’t sure what information is required, there is a great example of a float plan on the Tradewinds website. \u00a0It can be completed online, saved as a PDF file, and left where a concerned person can find it.<\/p>\n
During the Advanced Coastal Cruising class, a float plan is required. \u00a0Anytime a Tradewinds boat goes outside the gate, a float plan is required. \u00a0Tradewinds does not require a float plan in any other circumstances, however,\u00a0common sense does. \u00a0Never leave the dock without filing a plan with your loved ones.<\/strong> \u00a0At a minimum, include the following information:<\/p>\n One more\u00a0thought. \u00a0I know where I am and that everything is OK … my loved ones don’t, so any time I leave the dock, I have in my possession a satellite based GPS tracking tool. I can use it to check in when out of cell phone range. \u00a0With it, I’m able to send a simple message to let my wife know I’m OK, and what my exact Latitude and Longitude are. \u00a0Using it has greatly reduced my wife’s\u00a0worry when I am out enjoying this great sport.<\/p>\n Note from Matt: Here is a link to a fillable .pdf float plan from the USCG\u00a0Auxiliary:\u00a0http:\/\/floatplancentral.cgaux.org – along with instructions! Fill it out,\u00a0download\u00a0the completed document, and email it to someone who will want to know your\u00a0whereabouts if you are late!<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Kind of a strange way to start a conversation, however, that’s just what happened the other day. It seems a club member was missing. \u00a0He had left the house the previous morning for a day sail. \u00a0He called in that … Continue reading \n