Saw this rescue report from the UK this morning. Scary situation but one where it all came together for a good outcome, thanks to a competent guide, multiple PLBs and expert first responders:
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I think more details are needed from the group itself (hopefully, these are forthcoming). At least three folks in the water (or was it 7 since four more boats were recovered after the first three). The sure detail is that 3 PLBs went off and multiple coast guard resources were deployed.
So far, we know PLBs succeeded in summoning help. Likewise, multiple people were rescued from White Mountains this fall because of cell phone calls for help. But, this was not an indication of whether the rescuees were prepared or not beyond having good technological resources.
-sing
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All rescued successfully - that is always good.
Looking at the picture in the article showing them rafted, I can’t tell if they are all in their kayaks, or all are out of their kayaks.
They were in a place sheltered from the wind, so I lean toward believing they were all in their kayaks (not swimming, in which case they likely couldn’t have moved to a sheltered place) and just the conditions had deteriorated so they felt couldn’t make it safely back. The fact that just one person was treated for cold seems to support this. It looks like it is some 6-10 miles from the RNLI site to the reported location, an they tried VHF and cell calls before triggering PLBs, the PLBs have a delay between when you trigger and when a call is actually made, they had to be out there for more than an hour before help arrived. That much time in the water, even in dry suits, would been an issue.
Without a doubt, good they called for help rather than going out and possibly getting in to more trouble.
“Struggling to make progress in building winds, with dark approaching” sounds like they paddled downwind first and had to paddle upwind to get home.
A cardinal sin of high wind paddling is going downwind first. 1 mile downwind may take only 8 minutes at a leisurely pace but upwind that may be 40 at race-pace.
High winds strong currents demand the utmost respect when you have to paddle against them.
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Good outcome. I wonder what the weather forecast for that day was and whether it was accurate.
Although it looks pretty benign where they rafted up, I think they needed to paddle North around the headland to reach Fishguard, and it was probably very rough with exposed winds. I have been near there on the Pembrokeshire coast of Wales and much of the coastline is steep sheer rock so not a lot of good places to land to call for help or transport.
The Royal National Lifeboat teams are very impressive and dedicated. Lots of the National Lifeboat companies have tours of their facilities and many of them have small “museums” where they have histories of local rescues. These folks train to go out in horrendous conditions. I got to watch a practice session of the National Lifeboat team at Sennen Cove near Lands End in England in very high seas. They can launch their boats in just a few minutes and take on very nasty storm waters.
What is PLBs?
Personal Locator Beacon
Yes, “personal locator beacon”. In the outdoor adventure communities, there are concerns that PLBs (and cell phone network expansion) and “external rescues” are sometimes depended on to offset less than sound judgement, planning, skills development and physical conditioning.
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A personal locator beacon is useful if you are in an area where you do not have VHF or cell coverage. I have never had to use my VHF to summon help for myself, but have used it on a few occasions to summon help for others on the water needing assistance that I could not provide myself.
The areas that I paddle generally have excellent VHF coverage, so I have not invested in a PLB.
Most PLBs can only send a distress signal with your location. They generally do not need a subscription, but they require registration, which is usually free. Another option is a satellite messaging device. These allow voice and sometime texting communication plus the features of a PLB. They also usually allow others to follow your GPS track. These do require a monthly or annual subscription. Satellite based devices generally work everywhere, unlike cell of VHF.
Some people elect to carry more than one communications device.