We were coming down from Newport on Labor Day weekend back to Annapolis. It was for us a rough passage in the sense of wind on the nose - 4' - 7' short, mixed seas, and 18-25 knot true winds (before figuring in our 8-9+ knots into it). The VHF was amazing. We were getting signals from the Newport Area to Boston for some reason.

There were at least four or five calls with people in the water (boat sunk), a woman whose husband was overboard and drifting away without a PFD, a medical emergency with possible heart issues, etc. That's on top of the boat overturned near inlets, wind surfers, etc. I know that the people who were in the water as their boat sank were rescued, I don't know about the outcome of the rest.

I ageee with Gail that having an EPRIRB on a vessel has some utility, but really isn't the answer for many conditions. A digital VHF is great to let someone know that YOU NEED HELP. But I've only seen three of those in fourteen years we've had an Digital VHF on board -- all of them were either erroneous alarms or indeterminant. They sure do wake you up, though :^))) I think an EPIRB should be required for offshore or serious coastal saling (10-20 miles or more offshore). I don't know where the "bright line" should be.

A personal AIS is really a good idea for people going offshore -- if you can get them to work properly on displays, which is still a work in progress.