Where is he? I recently asked my neighbor, Tina, this question.After telling her about the recent drowning of two solo fishermen on Lake Michigan, she understood where Iwas headed with the ‘where is he’ question. In both drownings, the fishermen failed to return home. The Coast Guard launched a search and found the boats but no the fishermen. Apparently they had fallen overboard. Both are still missing.

Tina’s ability to answer my questions regarding her husband’s fishing habits, his health, a description of his boat, his boat’s safety equipment, and when she expected him home, could well save his life. His return home time could be critical especially if he ends up in the water without a life jacket.

So how late does a person have to be before rescuers take action? This depends a great deal on the person reporting the overdue. If the reporting party knows the boating habits of the person, and in the past that person has consistently followed those habits and arrived home as scheduled then rescuers will certainly take note. In Tina’s case, if her husband did not arrive home around 3 p.m. as expected she would be concerned.

Years ago while assigned to Station Manistee, I receiving a call from a concerned father regarding his son and a friend who had paddled a make shift raft into Lake Michigan from Arcadia harbor. He called around 11 p.m. and the boys had not returned to port before dark as planned. It was a warm summer night, and Lake Michigan lay flat like a pond. The anxiety in the father’s voice caused me concern. I ordered the boat crew to immediate launch. Moments later a CG helicopter from Traverse Air was airborne. As it turned out sometime in the night the boys left the raft and tried to swim to shore. One made it, the other drowned. Some callers, however, can fool you. Years ago, a woman called my station urgently pleading that we contact her husband, a doctor, who was supposedly fishing on Lake Michigan. She claimed he was overdue. We called him on the marine radio; he responded. When he docked he found his wife waiting at the mooring. How the doctor explained to his wife the young lady aboard is material fit for a day time T.V. talk show.

Most legitimate overdue calls, however, can be expeditiously handled if the reporting source knows the following information. I suggest you post this information near a phone so that in the event you have to call the Coast Guard this information is readily available.

Boat Its name, type, length, make, propulsion, hull color, hull material and registration numbers.

Operator His/her home port, time departed, time due back, health and age, also whether the person wears life jackets and their boating experience.

Equipment Is there radar on aboard, a marine radio, depth finder, cell phone or pager (do you know the number), and Global Position System (GPS).

Survival gear Are there flares, life jackets, a dinghy, raft or anchor aboard.

Departure location In the case of trailer boats- the launch ramp, make of towing vehicle, model, year, color and license number, trailer number and license.

If you think this is a lot of information, then consider this: If you believe it’s important enough to call the Coast Guard, then it should be important enough for to you to know this information.

As for the overdue party, please, notify loved ones that you’re running late. If necessary, call the Coast Guard and advise them of your delay. We welcome such calls. Also, should you lose your radio due to battery failure, hail another boat and have them call the Coast Guard. Or better yet, call the Coast Guard before your battery dies.

In a recent overdue case involving a sailboat sailing from Muskegon to Milwaukee, the reporting party expressed concern that the boater had not arrived in Milwaukee as scheduled. The Coast Guard called a number of harbors regarding the boat’s whereabouts. Meanwhile they directed a helicopter to standby. Fortunately, the reporting party called that the sailboat had arrived in port before the Coast Guard launched assets. By the way, the overdue captain later called the Coast Guard and apologized for not responding to the Coast Guard’s radio calls over Channel 16. He was unable to respond to our calls because of seasickness. Surely, if the captain knew the effort the Coast Guard expends in an overdue case and the stress it places on loved ones, he would’ve answered our calls despite his discomfort. Wouldn’t you?

So, what would you report to the Coast Guard in the event of an overdue loved one? Hopefully, as with Tina, you will know where he is and when he’s due home. It’s your call, make it wisely.

Pier fatalities The Coast Guard urges people to use extreme caution around piers and breakwaters. A rash of fatalities this summer off local piers and breakwaters along Lake Michigan has Coast Guard Group Grand Haven and other emergency officials concerned. In all, four youths have drowned off piers at Frankfort, Holland, Michigan City and New Buffalo. The ages of the youths (males) were 12, 15, 15, and 19.

****

Boat Smart is now on the Internet: www.boatsmart.net (includes Lake Michigan water temperatures and local weather).

Use channel 16 for emergencies, and channel 9 for calling fellow boaters.