Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Mayday call off Mexico picked up in Hawaii

Sometimes being in the right place at the right time can make a huge impact. Randy was listening on the maritime net March 21st, and heard a mayday call. A boat in distress off the coast of Mexico, approximately 120 miles west of Ensenada was putting out a mayday call. Due to vessel problems his signal was very weak, and Randy - KH6RC - from his ham radio station here at Leilani Bed and Breakfast on the Big Island Hawaii, was the only person who was able to pick up the weak mayday call from the sailboat. Rex - KC5AGO , in Stonewall, Texas, was able to hear Randy's contact, and notified the US Coast Guard, with Randy acting as the relay for messages to and from the boat in distress. Here is a video of the man and dog rescue for those who want to see your Coast Guard in action.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/mar/21/coast-guard-rescues-man-dog/

The Coast Guard said that if Randy had not heard that call, the results could have been very tragic.