We recently posted about the rescue of two sailors and a dog from a 30′ sailboat, Atrevida II, off Cape Hatteras by the tanker Silver Muna. While the initial Coast Guard report was accurate, it was also incomplete. The initial reports stated that the sailboat was out of fuel and power, rendering its radios and navigation equipment inoperable, but didn’t mention that the sailboat had also been dismasted and had been adrift for roughly 10 days. Apparently, the two sailors, Joe DiTomasso and Kevin Hyde, were out of water and short of food when they were rescued.
At a news conference on Wednesday, Mr. DiTomasso and Mr. Hyde said the mast snapped after their sailboat was caught in a fierce storm with 40-foot waves.
“I never heard winds so bad in my life,” Mr. DiTomasso said. “It sounded like the devil was out there.”
The Cost of Sailing Unprepared
Based on the news reports it appears that Mr. DiTomasso and Mr. Hyde did not have an EPIRB (emergency position indicating radio beacon) or other emergency communications gear aboard when they set off on the voyage from Cape May, NJ bound for Marathon, FL. Their families contacted the Coast Guard notifying them that the two sailors were missing after not being able to contact the boat by cell phone for more than a week.
Once the Coast Guard got word that the boat was overdue, they initiated a search over an area covering 21,164 square miles of water, spanning from northern Florida to the waters east of New Jersey. Lacking emergency communications equipment, Hyde and Ditomasso were fortunate enough to attract the attention of the Silver Muna crew by waving their arms and a flag.
The two sailors were lucky to have been spotted and picked up by the tanker. Their rescue came at a cost, however. To search for the missing sailboat, the Coast Guard dispatched two HC-130 Hercules airplanes, two MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters, one HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane, and two cutters. A Navy cruiser and numerous commercial and recreational vessels joined in the search.
How much did the search cost? It is difficult to say, but one source estimates that it costs about $1,600 to fuel a standard helicopter and a Coast Guard patrol boat costs $1,147 per hour to operate. If a search requires a C-130 turboprop plane, the fuel bill jumps to $7,600 an hour. Other sources suggest significantly higher costs per hour.
In comparison, an EPIRB costs roughly $500, depending on the model.
A multi-day search involving five aircraft, two cutters, and a navy cruiser cost a considerable sum for fuel alone. Of course, by statute, the Coast Guard does not bill the sailors rescued for expenses incurred. The Coast Guard rescues an average of 114 people a day at a cost of about $680 million annually.
As the Coast Guard News diplomatically put it, “We also want to highlight the importance of proper safety equipment and preparedness when going to sea. Having an emergency position indicating radio beacon, or ‘EPIRB’, allows mariners to immediately make contact with first responders in an emergency.”