Conference unifix::sailing

    Yea, I read it a while back. The most interesting thing to me was
    the CLOSE encounters he had wit passing vessels(6) and was totally
    ignored by ALL of them!!
    
    Also I thought it was interesting how he was constantly being harassed
    by the fish(I can't remember what kind). Because the raft acted
    as an island of refuge for plankton and other micro-organisms, the
    fish would rush headlong into it to release them. The most common
    place they would hit was where his bottom was!! Of course the
    accummulation of fish attracted sharks as well.
    
    It was a beautiful book, recommended reading for young people and
    others who may need an example of overcoming adversity.
    
    How many days was he adrift?? I loaned the book out so its not readily
    available.
    
    Bob

>>> The most interesting thing to me was the CLOSE encounters he 
>>> had with passing vessels (6) and was totally ignored by ALL of them!!
    
This same phenomenon has been reported in many other cases. It is one of 
the reasons we carry a handheld VHF (with two sets of batteries) in our 
abandon ship bag. In theory, ships are supposed to monitor VHF channel 
16, so having a VHF should be an effective way of getting a ship's 
attention. In practice, I'm not too sure that ships monitor channel 16 
any more religiously than they keep a good visual lookout. Still, about 
three-quarters of the ships I've tried to contact on VHF have responded.

Alan

    I read the book and believe he was adrift for 76 days.  The record
    goes to Maurice and Marilyn Bailey who sepent 114 days adrift in
    the Pacific.  They too wrote a book, "Staying Alive," about the
    experience.  What amazed me in both accounts was how casual all
    of them were when they were finally rescued.  Callahan waited patiently
    while the fishermen harvested the fish around his raft.  The Baileys
    seemed like they didn't want to be rescued when the Korean boat
    finally showed up.  It had become a way of life.
    
    Don't care to test this on a personal basis.
    
    Adam

    One thing that should make it simpler to get help is that the U.S.
    and  U.S.S.R.  now have satellites that monitor the frequency that
    EPIRBs use, so EPIRB signals are likely to noticed within a couple
    of hours.

--David

    Funny you mention it..
    
    In a periodic browse in the Lexington, Mass. library, I came across
    another survival book _Survive the Savage Seas_ by D. Robertson.
     
    Like the Baileys, his schooner was rammed and sunk by whales while
    cruising near the Galapagoes.  Family members were his wife, 18+-
    yr. old daughter and 12 yr. old twins, plus a crew member.  They
    were left with an old, donated life raft and the dingy.  Managed
    38 days adrift tending towards Costa Rica by intent and currents.
    
    Eventually picked up by a Japanese trawler.
    
    Good book with survival equipment review.

Another interesting aspect of liferafts is that they have a limited 
life. Rafts should be inspected by a licensed inspector every year and 
outdated equipment (eg, flares) replaced. Inspection includes inflating 
the raft and measuring the pressure loss (due to leakage) over a period 
of days. As the raft ages, leakage will become sufficiently high that 
the raft must be replaced. Inspection also includes making sure that the 
compressed gas bottle has enough gas and that it will inflate the raft 
when needed. Corrosion of the gas bottle and valve is a major problem. 

Liferafts are expensive, and inspection is expensive. We bought our Avon
in England for about $1700 in 1983 (probably more like $2500 today).
Annual inspections are $150 to $250 depending on the equipment replaced.
The life expectancy of a raft is ten years or a little more. So our raft
costs us a minimum of $350 per year (inspection and depreciation plus
an additional insurance premium for theft coverage). 

The Robertsons (-.1) were given a liferaft that had passed the end of 
its life. Before the end of their ordeal the raft had to be abandoned. 
Fortunately, they also had a dinghy which enabled them to survive.

Alan

    I had a couple of questions:
    
     1) Callihan said that he was wasting away becuase of a vitamin
    deficiency - all he was eating was fish. I realize that there is
    limited amounts of room in a life raft, but wouldn't it have been
    wise to include a bottle of vitamins? I can buy a bottle that has
    365 pills with most of the vitamins. Sea fare being what it is,
    I think this might be useful.
    
    2) It seems to me that he left his boat before he had to, which
    is why he lost a lot of water and food. I thought that the rule
    was to step "UP" into your raft. 
    
    
    What do you think?
    
    
    			Gregg

As I recall, his boat (very small -- 20' maybe) sank very, very quickly 
and he simply didn't have time to gather any additional supplies.

    Hmmmm its been a long time since I read it, but I was under the
    impression that he hung around the wreck (lashed to it) for a long
    time. He was in the middle of the storm.
    
     I do admit, though, that I would be in constant fear of the wreck
    suddenly sinking, without notice. I would be hesitant to linger,
    though it might be worth it to get the supplies.
    

    
    David (.4) 
     This may be getting of the base topic, but ...  you might be
    interested in an article in Crusing World (Jan/Feb not sure) 
    on EPIRB's..   A more valuable asset is indicated as a "ham"
    license & radio.. Foret the article name, but it was about sailing
    alone in the Pacific.  coverage is not that good compared to the
    size of the ocean!  Not a bad article, think I'll think about it!!??
    
    `Charlie'

    It's been some time since I read ADRIFT also but I remember clearly
    thinking that Callahan had abandoned ship to quickly.  The boat
    submerged fairly quickly but remained just barely above the surface
    for several hours.  In facat, if I remember correctly he made a
    trip or two back to the boat and managed to get a few more supplies
    while he was tied to her.
    
    I thought this book an excellent book on making the best of a terribly
    situation.  I plan on keeping a copy in my overboard/survival bag.
    The only thing I think he should have done differently is "step
    up" to his life raft.  Still, in the panic of the situation I can
    understand why things happened the way they did.
    
    One other quickie...re .10 - On some of my offshore trips we have
    had a HAM radio on board and found it very useful.  There is a marine
    network that keeps track of a sailors route.  You check in every
    day or two and let them know your progress.  Not only is it nice
    to know that someone knows your position and will take appropriate
    action if you are not heard from after so many days but it's a good
    way to get weather, news and make friends all over the world.  We
    would talk to people as far away as Austrailia.  One other benefit
    is the ability to have phone patches.  I was able to talk to my SO
    from the middle of the Atlantic!