Archive for March, 2009
I want to continue providing valuable information before the launch of the boating and fishing season in Michigan. For those of you lucky enough to be in warmer weather, the lessons learned in this article are timeless.
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What was meant to be a recreational fishing trip for NFL player Marquis Cooper and three of his buddies turned into a nightmare for them and their families after the 21-foot boat they were in capsized in Florida waters. Was this vessel and her occupants doomed for tragedy from the beginning? Details have been slow to emerge, but some evidence indicates some key safety precautions were overlooked.
The story begins as a recreational fishing trip off the Florida Gulf Coast for four young, strong, athletic men on Saturday, February 28, 2009. Heading out around 6:30a.m., they enjoy a day of fishing in the ocean. Sometime around 5:30pm, the group has trouble with an anchor stuck in a coral reef; the boat capsizes. Approximately forty-six hours later, one man is found clinging to the boat, the rest of his friends having disappeared—one at a time—into the vast ocean, as time and hope elapsed.
Arguably, the men took some responsible precautions: they were out fishing in a group; life jackets were on board; everyone had their cell phones with them; weather reports were consulted. Unfortunately, the sea is unpredictable, and no matter how experienced you are with her mystique, she can always surprise you. Marquis Cooper was not inexperienced; he heeded weather warnings for Sunday. However, he was not as prepared for the unexpected as he might have been.
News articles report that Rebekah Cooper, wife of the boat owner Marquis Cooper, was not worried about her husband and his friends until he failed to call home late Saturday night. She was apparently unaware of an estimated return time for this boating expedition. Consequently, according to other reports, the Coast Guard was not notified until the next day and did not start their search for the vessel until 2:00p.m. Sunday afternoon—nearly twenty-one hours after the boat capsized. The time from Saturday evening to Sunday afternoon may have cost lives.
The Coast Guard also reports no SOS signal was ever received from Cooper’s vessel. A recent news article suggests that a friend had recommended the purchase of an emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) just days before Cooper’s final fishing trip. For only a few hundred dollars, this life-saving piece of equipment could have been purchased and placed on board, making the location of the boat and its passengers much easier to determine for rescue crews.
To date, EPIRBs are not required equipment for water vessels; it is left to the discretion of the boat owner or operator. A simple law requiring every water vessel to have a working EPIRB on board could save many lives. Additionally, requiring boats to register their trips before going out to sea could also aid in rescue efforts. These trip registers could include the names of those on board, expected time of return to dock, coordinates for approximate fishing locations (if applicable), and emergency contact numbers.
Unfortunately, this fishing tale had a tragic ending. A few simple and inexpensive changes in boating safety requirements could have meant the difference between life and death for Marquis and his two friends—and could save countless lives in the future.
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Filed under: Serving Our Seas, Survivor Stories | Coast Guard, EPIRB, Marquis Cooper, NFL boating accidents|No Comments
As the boating season is just around the corner (or the dock), I wish to raise awareness in boating safety.
Boating safety and the current credit crisis may seem unrelated, but recent indicators may predict a rise in boating accidents due to cut-backs forced by growing financial challenges. An article appearing in the January 29th, 2009 edition of Lloyd’s List reports that 71% of its readers expect the credit crisis to negatively affect recently improved shipping safety. Based on reactions to recessions in the past, it is expected that shipping companies will reduce crew and maintenance spending. These cuts mean less manpower, less training, and less repairs, which translate to increased safety risk.
Commercial shipping is not the only area the maritime world can expect to see affected. According to the United States Coast Guard’s (USTCG) Recreational Boating Statistics 2007, boating-related deaths dropped slightly from 2006 totals, but non-fatal injuries, accidents and damages increased. If expected trends in shipping safety translate equally into recreational boating, the current financial crisis could affect things such as boating repairs and lifejacket purchases. In 2007, 476 boating fatalities were due to drowning. Of these numbers, only 49 victims were reportedly wearing life jackets. If recreational boaters cut costs by failing to replace worn out or damaged lifejackets or increase the number of lifejackets needed on their vessels, certainly more injuries, if not fatalities, could result.
Another under-realized effect of the current economic crisis is possible increased alcohol consumption, which has the potential to affect both the commercial and recreational boating industries. It has long been known that recreational drinking and boating go hand-in-hand. With the current credit crisis putting additional financial stress on many families, it is certainly possible there will be an increase in the number of boat operators consuming alcohol and getting behind the wheel of their watercraft. This has long been a difficult challenge to police; county and state agencies have a minimal number of officers and boats, and a vast number of waterways, to patrol.
Clearly, as the credit crisis builds, the boating and shipping industries could see increased challenges to boating and shipping safety. Local, state, national, and international water safety experts, regulators, and organizations need to stress the importance of responsible water vessel maintenance and operation. Task forces need to be formed in order to undertake additional safety studies and develop legal safety recommendations, such as revoking a person’s right to operate any motor vehicle, including boats, if convicted of drunk driving. In the meantime, both recreational and commercial watercraft operators and passengers should be vigilant about water safety.
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Filed under: Serving Our Seas | boating safety and the credit crisis, Recreational boating safety, recreational boating statistics|No Comments
It was a windy and chilly Saturday on February 28, 2009. What else would keep shipwreck enthusiasts indoors but a shipwreck festival! Everyone who met at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Michigan, was there to share shipwreck sagas. Some were presenters, others vendors, but most of us just wanted to mingle and share in the mysteries of the deep.
The one-day event was presented by The Ford Seahorses Scuba Diving Club in cooperation with the Dossin Great Lakes Museum. They organized an interesting program, divided into three topics: Great Lakes, Dive the World, Information/Education. I attended four sessions in the first two categories, since I wasn’t there to gather information on the technicalities of diving.
· A Deadly Mistake….Sinking of the U-352: Jim and Pat Stayer did a great job inserting humor into this tragic event of World War II. It appears that the Captain of the German U-boat was trigger-happy (and incompetent in every way), mistaking the Coast Guard Cutter USS Icarus for a merchant ship and fired upon her off the shores of North Carolina.
· South Pacific Paradise- Solomon Islands: this striking photographic presentation by Rudy Whitworth was a relaxing break from the intensity of shipwreck stories. I took pleasure in the beauty beneath the waves: sea fans, corals, dolphins, sharks, turtles, and a saltwater crocodile were up-close and personal.
· The Gunilda: Marshall Allan shared stunning photographs of this wondrously preserved yacht at the bottom of Lake Superior. Like many shipwrecks, it was human error and folly that caused its demise.
· Phantoms of the Deep: the exciting part of this presentation, besides interesting content, was to know that the presenter, David Trotter, had made an amazing discovery: steamer Michigan resting in 270 feet of Lake Michigan’s cold, dark waters. Kudos to Mr. Trotter!
I also enjoyed making connections with dive shops, a woodcarver of the Edmond Fitzgerald, and obtaining contact information for two more Andrea Doria divers.
Never did I expect that I would become a shipwreck enthusiast. But I’m immersed!
www.FordSeahorses.org www.shipwreckfestival.org
Filed under: Andrea Doria, Serving Our Seas, Survivor Stories | Great Lakes Shipwreck Festival, Great Lakes shipwrecks, Shipwreck Festival, The Ford Seahorses, Washtenaw Community College|No Comments
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