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COAST GUARD SEARCHING FOR 24-FOOT RECREATIONAL BOAT DISORIENTED IN FOG
SEATTLE - The Coast Guard continues to search for a 24-foot recreational
boat with five people on board lost in the fog near the entrance of the
Quillayute River, Wash., Saturday evening.
The master of the boat contacted a Clallam
County 911 dispatcher reporting he was disoriented in the fog and in
need of assistance. The 911 dispatcher then contacted the
Coast Guard.
Coast Guard Station Quillayute River launched a 47-foot motor lifeboat
and Coast Guard Group/Air Station Port
Angeles launched a Dolphin helicopter to search Saturday night. The
crews could not locate the vessel because of the dense fog. The
Coast Guard sent urgent marine information broadcasts to
mariners throughout the night and into this morning about the
missing boat.
The Coast Guard continues to search with two 47-foot motor
life boats from Station Quillayute River, the Coast Guard Cutter
Osprey, an 87-foot patrol boat stationed in Port Townsend, Wash., and a
C-130 Hercules airplane from Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento, Calif. The
recreational boat did not have a VHF radio on board. If you have
information regarding this case please call the Coast Guard at
206-220-7001.
The Coast Guard would like to remind boaters to equip there vessels for
safe operations in a quickly changing marine environment. The
summer months along the Oregon and Washington coast are known for quick
moving dense fog.
The Coast Guard recommends vessels operating offshore should
have low visibility navigation equipment. At a minimum they
should
have a global positioning system and a VHF marine band radio.
Radar and global positioning systems, while moderately expensive, can
guide boaters safely to shore during thick fog. A VHF marine band
radio is essential for contacting the Coast Guard
during an emergency. The Coast Guard can track a VHF
marine band
radio broadcast to its source which can speed rescuers to your
location. Also
when a boater broadcasts a call for help on channel 16, they are heard
by everyone around them that is also monitoring the radio.
Compare this to a cell phone which only enables you to contact one
person and cannot currently be tracked.
Additional boating information can be found at http://www.uscgboating.org/index. ### The U.S. Coast Guard is a military, maritime, multi-mission service within the
Department of Homeland Security dedicated to protecting the safety and security of America. | 
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