Ham Radio Instrumental in Pacific Maritime Rescue

Gunnar Hansen aboard the Sailabout. The couple had to abandon their sailboat at sea.
Grethe Haraldsen and Gunnar Hansen in happier times aboard the s/v Sailabout.
NEWINGTON, CT, May 11, 2007 -- Amateur Radio played a critical role May 4 and 5 in rescuing two people from a foundering sailboat that had been en route to Colombia. Members of the Maritime Mobile Service Net (MMSN) and Intercontinental Net on 14.300 MHz were involved in getting the man and woman aboard the 35-foot s/v Sailabout to safety after they ran into trouble some 700 nautical miles southwest of the Galapagos Islands in the South Pacific.
The couple, identified as Gunnar Hansen and Grethe Haraldsen, both Norwegian nationals and neither an amateur licensee, put out a Mayday call on the Intercon/MMSN 14.300 MHz frequency the morning of May 4 after Sailabout sustained damage to its bow -- possibly as a result of losing a forestay, which helps to keep the mast upright -- and started taking on water. Thanks to its efficient pumps, the sailboat remained afloat.
The main concern was for the mast, which supported the antenna for the vessel's HF radio. Fortunately, it remained standing. The conversation on the MMSN reportedly was widely monitored by others in the sailing and cruising communities. The Sailabout had only recently been equipped with an HF SSB transceiver.
According to an account Assistant MMSN Manager Tom Job, VE3II, posted on the net’s Web site, handling the incident involved multiple stations and relays to contend with problematic propagation. Sonny Sides, N5OTB, on s/v Valentina, and Doug Reinthal, W7DUG, relayed the Sailabout’s Mayday on 14.300 MHz to Intercon Net Control Station Wes Mullenax, KI0A, in Texas. Because of poor propagation, however, KI0A had rough copy on the vessel’s signal, so he turned the frequency over to Fletcher Henderson, KA4BPR, in Alabama. Another report credits MMSN Net Controller Rooney Polack, 6Y5RP, in Jamaica with intercepting the Mayday and assisting via intermittent radio contacts and relays during the first few hours of the event to get information to the Coast Guard. (Polack is the Amateur Radio Emergency Coordinator for Jamaica and works closely with both emergency management and the weather service there.)
Amateur Radio relays alerted the US Coast Guard at Alameda, California, to the Sailabout's predicament. At the Coast Guard's request, relayed via ham radio, Hansen set off the vessel's Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB). Job says Henderson -- assisted by several other stations -- passed critical information to the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard contacted and attempted to divert two vessels to the Sailabout's assistance, although only one, m/v Belnor -- a Norwegian freighter -- eventually reached the distressed vessel.
Another private vessel, s/v Damarri, reported some 50 miles distant, learned of the situation. MMSN says Sailabout was able to get under way and changed its course toward Damarri, which was sailing into the weather, in an effort to rendezvous with Sailabout. Once on scene, the Damarri's crew kept watch through the night from a safe distance to avoid collision in the rough seas but did not attempt to take Hansen and Haraldsen aboard. At that point, outside radio contact was essentially impossible because the band had closed, and the MMSN secured operation for the night.
MMSN said the Coast Guard had planned to dispatch a P-3 Orion aircraft to drop survival gear and a life raft to the couple, but, for a variety of reasons, that did not occur. At the time, the distressed vessel was contending with 14-foot seas and 25-knot winds.
The m/v Belnor arrived the next morning and took the couple aboard, while Damarri's crew confirmed the rescue via radio. The couple was reported to be in good health and spirits but had to abandon their vessel. The Belnor is believed headed for Panama.
Throughout the ordeal, various Amateur Radio stations were instrumental in updating the Coast Guard, which never had direct contact with Sailabout. MMSN says KB1DEC on s/v Shamal kept the family of Sailabout's crew advised via telephone, while Gene Brown, KI4EYF, on s/v Queen Mary in Honduras, who had good copy on all vessels and net controllers, relayed critical information to the net, which sent it on to the US Coast Guard.
"Without Gene's assistance, this situation would have been much more difficult to deal with under the poor radio conditions," Job said in his report. "Well done, Gene!"
SOURCES: MMSN/Intercon Net; Jack Richards, W4QVA; SailboatOwners.com, Aftenposten; s/v Sailabout Web site; John Emery, KG4RQO