...we're seeing more rescues/abandonments than ever before. I've been 'debating' this over on Sailnet recently, some want to see the "data" to support my opinion... (grin)

I can't produce any such data, of course. I have no idea where a year by year data bank collation of rescues and losses of recreational sailing vessels offshore exists, might take a Freedom of Information Act request from the CG to begin to research.

But I definitely think over the past year or two, we've seen a number of such incidents that is unprecedented over any prior equivalent time frame. Does this represent a Trend ? Who knows, way too soon to say... Certainly, the spate of recent incidents could simply be a spike, a blip, and things may suddenly go 'quiet' again for awhile... I certainly hope so...

More than anything, I'd suggest that the success of the AMVER program might have something to do with the rise in these numbers. It's very impressive how good the CG has gotten at coordinating these types of deep sea rescues, years ago these guys might have spent a LONG time in that liferaft... Nowadays, with EPIRBS and satphones, many of these missions go like clockwork, almost to the point of seeming routine... In any event, another amazing job by all involved...