noticias et rescates

Bounty Expedition backed by McMurdo’s lifesaving PLBs

Detalles

Publicado el Martes, 20 Abril 2010 12:06

When the crew of the ‘Talisker Bounty Boat’ sets off on an epic sailing adventure to recreate the 4000 mile open boat journey of Captain William Bligh, they will each be carrying a Fast Find 211 Personal Location Beacon (PLB).

Originally, Australian Don McIntyre and his four man crew planned to take only the equipment that their predecessors carried in 1789. However the Fast Find 211 PLB has become a rare exception to this rule, to ensure that the team take sensible precautions to prepare for a safe trip. The Fast Find, manufactured by McMurdo Ltd in the UK, is a compact life saving beacon which, when activated, sends an emergency alert to search and rescue services.

The Talisker Bounty Boat Expedition will re-enact the exact historic journey across the Pacific from Tonga to Timor while raising funds for research into Motor Neurone Disease. The boat is a replica of the 25ft open Bounty boat and Don and his three-man crew will face the same deprivations as the original Bounty boat crew, with little food, no charts and only the limited navigation implements that were available to Bligh. They will start the adventure on April 28th, on the same day, at the same time, and in the same place 221 years after the original mutiny on board the HMS Bounty led by Fletcher Christian.

Australian citizen Don is however confident of their preparation. “It is of great value to us to each carry a Fast Find, knowing it’s right in our pockets if we get into trouble either as a team or individually”. He adds “But despite our great confidence in the Fast Find’s capabilities we hope, of course, that we will never have to actually use it!”

The Bounty Boat’s crew includes Mike Perham, who currently holds the record of being the youngest person to sail non-stop around the world, at aged 17.

The McMurdo Fast Find 211 PLB is buoyant and waterproof and sends a signal via the international COSPAS SARSAT search and rescue satellite system, the signal is picked up anywhere in the world before being relayed to local search and rescue services and acted upon fast.

For more information on the Talisker Bounty Boat Expedition visit www.taliskerbountyboat.com.