wrote in message
ups.com...
Office of Public Affairs
U.S. Coast Guard Thirteenth District



Press Release Date: July 20, 2005
Contact: PA3 Adam Eggers

(206) 220-7237


COAST GUARD HELPS 5 PEOPLE WITH FLOODING VESSEL

SEATTLE - The Coast Guard responded to a distress call from a 40-foot
pleasure craft that was in danger of sinking with five people onboard,
3.5 nautical miles northwest of Smith Island, Wash., at 6:39 a.m.
today.




Coast Guard Group/Air Station Port Angeles, Wash., received the call
via VHF channel 16 from the Mercades, stating that they were taking on
water and in need of assistance.




Group/Air Station Port Angeles launched an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter and
a 25-foot response boat, Coast Guard Station Bellingham, Wash.,
launched a 27-foot utility boat and Vessel Assist also responded.




Two dewatering pumps were passed to the vessel in the hope that the
flooding could be contained. The pumps were able to keep up with the
flooding and the Mercades was escorted to Anacortes, Wash., by the
response boat from Station Port Angeles.




The Coast Guard would like to inform recreational boaters of a few
simple preparations that can greatly increase safety and survivability
while on the water.




Personal Floatation Devices: Life jackets - bring one for each person.
History has shown that the chances of survival greatly increase if an
individual is wearing a personal floatation device. In 2002, 524 people
drowned in the United States. Four-hundred forty-two of those people
were not wearing life jackets. That year a total of 750 people died in
boating accidents with only 159 of those people wearing life jackets.
For more information on life jacket requirements visit the following
link. http://www.uscgboating.org/safety/fed_reqs/equ_pfd.htm




Marine Radio: Investing in a good Very High Frequency FM (VHF FM) radio
is a smart purchase. Cell phones should not be used as a primary means
of emergency communication on the water where reception may be poor or
unavailable. A VHF radio has certain advantages such as:


· Good quality transmission.


· Strong signal.


· Channels reserved for distress calls. (VHF channel 16)


· Continuously monitored frequencies.


For more in-depth information about radios and terminology visit the
link below. http://www.uscgboating.org/safety/metlife/radio.htm




Get Your Boat Checked before heading out: The Coast Guard Auxiliary and
United States Power Squadron offer a free Vessel Safety Check (VSC).
Some of the common problems found on recreational vessels which could
cause it to fail an inspection are no personal floatation devices, no
visual distress signals or inoperable navigational lights. For a
complete list of what boaters should check prior to heading out, or to
schedule a free vessel safety check, visit the following link.
www.vesselsafetycheck.org




ADDITIONAL LINKS


Boating safety http://www.uscgboating.org/


USCG District 13 Auxiliary http://www.uscgaux.org/~130/



For additional boating safety information or to conduct an interview
concerning boating safety, contact the 13th Coast Guard District Public
Affairs Office at (206) 220-7237.




###

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.
========================



You better watch out....Krause should soon be asking you what this has to do
with boating, as he did on 7/15 with a CG "state of the fleet" post of mine.