Bad Sailing and Hoaxes Cost Authorities Millions

'Distress signals misused cost rescue authorities millions' .

How much of the public's money and how many lives of valiant rescuers are risked every week for nothing? In the USA this week, Coastguard crews are pleading to the public to help trace the source of hoax distress calls, while over in the Mediterranean, in waters off Malta, a very curious rescue has just taken place.

Hoax Distress Calls:
In Portland Maine, Coast Guard crews are asking the public for help today to trace the source of several probable hoax distress calls received in Maine and Massachusetts in the past few weeks.

A radio distress call came into the Coast Guard command center in Boston at 1:25 p.m., today from a man who said he was aboard a boat that hit the rocks near the Hampton Bridge in New Hampshire. The caller said the boat was sinking and people were in the water.

Workers at the bridge heard the distress call and reported to the Coast Guard by radio that there were no signs of any vessels in distress near the bridge. The Coast Guard, however, responds to all distress calls as though they are actual emergencies.

Two boat crews launched from Coast Guard Station Merrimack River in Newburyport, Mass., and one boat crew launched from Coast Guard Station Portsmouth Harbor, N.H., and found no signs of distress at the scene.

In a previous situation, on Sept. 26, a call came in to Coast Guard Sector Northern New England around 9:30 a.m., from a man reporting he was on a boat that struck a bridge and was sinking.

Two boat crews from Coast Guard Station Merrimack River, two boat crews from Coast Guard Station Gloucester, and a boat crew from Coast Guard Station Portsmouth Harbor responded to the call but found no signs of a vessel in trouble.

Several local agencies also heard the call and helped in the search, but found nothing.

In another instance on Sept. 14, a call came in to Coast Guard Sector Northern New England that prompted a search by two boat crews from Coast Guard Station Merrimack River, a boat crew from Coast Guard Station Portsmouth Harbor, and a rescue helicopter crew from Air Station Cape Cod. No signs of distress were found and the search cost more than $54,000.

'False distress calls made to the Coast Guard needlessly place the lives of our crews and the lives of the boating public in danger and waste hundreds of thousands in tax dollars,' said Chief Petty Officer Christopher Wheeler, a command duty officer at Coast Guard Sector Northern New England. 'We are reaching out to the community in hopes that someone will recognize the callers' voice, and contact us.'

Hoax distress calls placed to the Coast Guard are classified as a felony punishable by up to six years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

Anyone with information that can help authorities identify the caller is encouraged to call Sector Northern New England's command center at 207-767-0303.

AB212 helicopter - scrambled for rescue off Malta - .. .

Curious Rescue off Malta

The Malta Independent reported today that four foreign cruising sailors were yesterday rescued by Armed Forces of Malta personnel after their yacht called a distress. Well, we're all glad to know that the armed forces are there when they are needed.

The crew of the French-registered sailing yacht La Foraine were rescued after a distress signal was intercepted via satellite by the AFM's Rescue Co-ordination Centre at Luqa Barracks, the AFM said.

The distress signal from the drifting yacht was received at 8.20am from a position 26 nautical miles east of the Grand Harbour. The four-man crew was made up of three French men and a US national.

The Italian Air Force's AB212 helicopter of the Italian Military Mission was scrambled into the air to locate the yacht and assess the crew's state of health.

Now is when the story starts to get curious. The 16-metre yacht's crew had reported that they had been adrift with no electrical power or water supplies, requesting a tow to harbour.

It has no electrical power, so presumably it therefore has no engine. But this is a sailing boat. It has sails. It is 26 nautical miles from Harbour. So it is becalmed for a while. Why can't it wait for a wind? - the answer could be because they have no water and they are thirsty. Why are they on a sailing boat without water? OK, they can't get the water because the tap works on an electric pump. Why don't they have a hand pump? Why have they set to sea without emergency supplies of water in bottles anyway?

Oh, now I see - they had appointments on land, and their flight was leaving. Maybe. So the helicopter has located the yacht and found the crew to be in good health. What they need is a tow please. Maybe for an appointment - a dinner engagement perhaps...

Two patrol craft from Maritime Squadron set out to the yacht's location. Protector-class cutter P-52 was first on the scene and initiated a tow towards shore, which was later taken over by the Bremse-class patrolboat P-32. Of course they did - that's what rescue training is all about.

The yacht was expected to reach shore yesterday evening.

What do YOU think?

by Des Ryan