Sad

Seems to happen every year.      https://www.ktvu.com/news/1-dead-4-still-missing-after-boat-capsizes-off-bodega-bays-coast

Very sad. I've been following this all day. A family member made a Fresh&Salty post on FB this morning.

https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/3954677/coast-guard-partner-agencies-search-for-overdue-boaters-near-bodega-bay-calif/

Very sad. I've been following this all day. A family member made a Fresh&Salty post on FB this morning.

https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/3954677/coast-guard-partner-agencies-search-for-overdue-boaters-near-bodega-bay-calif/

Same.... saw the post late yesterday, and people were encouraging the guy to immediately contact coast guard.

Been checking thread ever since, so sad for the people and families involved. 

I don’t know how CG work at midnight, yesterday Saturday around 01:00am before I launch kayak in HMB, I use channel 16 saying “for testing” , i want to be secure in case something happens, but no one reply to me after i tried couple times, i gave up testing to continue launch. I bet I will be ok as long as i take careful. My radio work fine because i can hear someone talk in day time from channel 69

CG didn’t work at midnight?

So sorry to hear about this.  From Coastside:

Very sad, my thoughts are with the family. 

I don’t know how CG work at midnight, yesterday Saturday around 01:00am before I launch kayak in HMB, I use channel 16 saying “for testing” , i want to be secure in case something happens, but no one reply to me after i tried couple times, i gave up testing to continue launch. I bet I will be ok as long as i take careful. My radio work fine because i can hear someone talk in day time from channel 69

CG didn’t work at midnight?

CG works 24/7.  They don't typically respond to radio checks on 16 - keep the channel clear for emergencies. 

It’s sad and I feel for the families. 
But it’s become normal that this happens every year.  People misjudge the ocean or say they drove X hours and there’s no turning back now. 

A few years back, I arrived to Doran at 6am to howling winds.  It sucks to turn tail and drive back home but that’s how it is.  I witnessed two guys unloading a canoe to launch.  I told them the conditions looked bad but they replied “we drove from the Central Valley and we’re still going to try”.  That afternoon, they got airlifted from Bodega Rock, canoe sank and they were stranded for hours. 

Very sad, my thoughts are with the family. 

I don’t know how CG work at midnight, yesterday Saturday around 01:00am before I launch kayak in HMB, I use channel 16 saying “for testing” , i want to be secure in case something happens, but no one reply to me after i tried couple times, i gave up testing to continue launch. I bet I will be ok as long as i take careful. My radio work fine because i can hear someone talk in day time from channel 69

CG didn’t work at midnight?

CG works 24/7.  They don't typically respond to radio checks on 16 - keep the channel clear for emergencies.

From my experience I doubt that they always standby 7/24, like yesterday at  01:00am, should be very free and response to my test only take 0.01 second, why they didn’t do? i guess the duty guy maybe walk away for a while because they think at that time should be no one in ocean?


 I mean actually maybe the boaters called CG at midnight for help but got no answer? People in boat usually didn't wear wet or drysuit, so if sink in water cannot survive for more than one hour, will lost sense in 20 minutes, when the duty guy came back, the boater already lost ability to call again?

This is only my guess , otherwise why they didnt call CG  for help ? Why until someone reported to CG because the boat didn’t return on time? If they didnt bring PLB, but hard to believe they didn’t bring radios

Anyway, this is just my guess, maybe i am wrong, i didn’t mean good or bad

Coast Guard suspends search for missing boaters off Bodega Bay coast


https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/north-bay/several-missing-from-boat-in-bodega-bay/3698054/

From the article:

“… around 10:20 p.m. Saturday, the sheriff's office received a call about the missing boat.

The U.S. Coast Guard was informed of the situation around 11:40 p.m.”

Why would the sheriff wait an hour and 20 minutes to inform the CG? That makes no sense to me.

From the article:

“… around 10:20 p.m. Saturday, the sheriff's office received a call about the missing boat.

The U.S. Coast Guard was informed of the situation around 11:40 p.m.”

Why would the sheriff wait an hour and 20 minutes to inform the CG? That makes no sense to me.

Yes, I also feel it’s unbelievable. too many unbelievers things happened to this tragedy

I don’t know how CG work at midnight, yesterday Saturday around 01:00am before I launch kayak in HMB, I use channel 16 saying “for testing” , i want to be secure in case something happens, but no one reply to me after i tried couple times, i gave up testing to continue launch. I bet I will be ok as long as i take careful. My radio work fine because i can hear someone talk in day time from channel 69

CG didn’t work at midnight?

There is an entire crew of watchstanders sitting in the Communications Center 24/7/365.  Additionally, each small boat station has a watchstander at the radios 24/7/365.  This doesn't ever change.  There is no instance where the radio does not have a watchstander, ever, period.  If I was the sole watchstander at the radio at the station in the middle of the night and I needed to walk away to use the bathroom, I needed to either wake someone up to come relieve the watch or I needed to contact the Comms Center above me in the chain of command to have them take my radio guard.  This is true for all watchstanders across the entire service.

The reason you didn't hear back on 16 for a radio check is because it's not legal for you to do radio checks on 16.  You really should brush up on your Marine VHF skills.  Every professional mariner and most recreational mariners at sea that night were hearing your radio check and not responding, too.  Why?  Because that's not what 16 is for.  16 is the International Hailing and Distress frequency.  You use it to call maydays, pan pans, securites, and to hail another vessel before immediately moving the conversation to another, more appropriate channel. 

Channel 09 is the proper channel for radio checks when 68 or 69 are not yielding good results.  That's the legal and proper way to do a radio check.  You should also brush up on local knowledge to know who your resources are.  You launched out of Pillar Point Harbor.  There's a Harbor Master there with an entire rescue force that consists of 2 boats and numerous jet skis.  They monitor VHF Channel 74 24/7.  You can do a radio check with them, too.  There are free publications called the Coast Pilot that outline all these details for all US coastlines and more.  As a distance sailor, you should be learning these things.

You often call my words harsh, but this is why.  You are proving that you are going out underprepared and riding a wave of luck.  Learn your shit and do better.

End rant and apologies for the threadjack.

From the article:

“… around 10:20 p.m. Saturday, the sheriff's office received a call about the missing boat.

The U.S. Coast Guard was informed of the situation around 11:40 p.m.”

Why would the sheriff wait an hour and 20 minutes to inform the CG? That makes no sense to me.

This was a constant struggle I experienced with local law enforcement agencies, too.  "We wanted to confirm there was a real emergency before alerting you" was usually the answer... which is bonkers.  Pair this with misinformation about CG response and it erodes the confidence in the SAR plan that isn't being exercised properly.  It drives me up the wall!  Especially where we live with so many USCG resources nearby.  C-130s from Sacto, H-65s from SFO, 47' MLBs right out of Bodega Bay... but none of them can respond if they don't know there's an emergency.

End rant and apologies for the threadjack.

I very much appreciate your rants. They are always informative.

There is an entire crew of watchstanders sitting in the Communications Center 24/7/365.  Additionally, each small boat station has a watchstander at the radios 24/7/365.  This doesn't ever change.  There is no instance where the radio does not have a watchstander, ever, period.  If I was the sole watchstander at the radio at the station in the middle of the night and I needed to walk away to use the bathroom, I needed to either wake someone up to come relieve the watch or I needed to contact the Comms Center above me in the chain of command to have them take my radio guard.  This is true for all watchstanders across the entire service.

The reason you didn't hear back on 16 for a radio check is because it's not legal for you to do radio checks on 16.  You really should brush up on your Marine VHF skills.  Every professional mariner and most recreational mariners at sea that night were hearing your radio check and not responding, too.  Why?  Because that's not what 16 is for.  16 is the International Hailing and Distress frequency.  You use it to call maydays, pan pans, securites, and to hail another vessel before immediately moving the conversation to another, more appropriate channel. 

Channel 09 is the proper channel for radio checks when 68 or 69 are not yielding good results.  That's the legal and proper way to do a radio check.  You should also brush up on local knowledge to know who your resources are.  You launched out of Pillar Point Harbor.  There's a Harbor Master there with an entire rescue force that consists of 2 boats and numerous jet skis.  They monitor VHF Channel 74 24/7.  You can do a radio check with them, too.  There are free publications called the Coast Pilot that outline all these details for all US coastlines and more.  As a distance sailor, you should be learning these things.

You often call my words harsh, but this is why.  You are proving that you are going out underprepared and riding a wave of luck.  Learn your shit and do better.

End rant and apologies for the threadjack.

Great info, and thanks for posting.