FORT LAUDERDALE, FL -- On Saturday, January 2, 2010, solo sailor Dennis
Clements was thrown into the Atlantic Ocean after his 35-foot sailboat
rolled over in a fierce winter storm. He surfaced to find himself
swimming alone in 25-foot seas in the dark with no life raft, EPIRB,
radio, immersion suit or boat in sight -- 250 miles off North Carolina.
Three days later, the Missouri man was safely back at home with his
family in Blue Springs.
Miraculously, Clements, 55, was able to tell the tale because he had an
ACR Electronics SATELLITE 2 406™ EPIRB on board, which was triggered by
the tremendous amount of water inside the boat.
“I knew I was at a dead end. I was deluged with water through the top
hatch and pretty much upside down and under water by then, when I looked
over and saw the EPIRB was on,” Clements said. “I got dragged down with
the boat and lost everything. When I came to the surface, I had no
knowledge of direction and was alone in the dark.”
Clements was travelling from New Jersey to the U.S. Virgin Islands when
he ran into bad weather. After his boat, Gloria A Dios (Spanish for
Praise be God) was knocked-over and 100 gallons of water poured in, he
steered for the mainland. The weather grew worse. Rain, waves and water
sloshing inside the boat automatically set off the EPIRB, and sent a
satellite distress signal to authorities.
At 5:07 p.m., the U.S. Coast Guard Fifth District received the alert and
launched an Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C. HC Hercules aircraft crew
to search for the sailboat. They also issued an AMVER alert to seek
assistance from other vessels in the area.
Following the LAT/LON coordinates provided by the SATELLITE 2 406™
EPIRB, the Hercules at 6:30 p.m. flew to the location of the crippled
sailboat. Using his VHF radio, Clements told the crew that he was taking
on water and needed rescue.
The C-130 dropped two life rafts for the mariner, then witnessed a “huge
wave knock the boat down on its portside and dismast it,” according to
Clements. As he tried to use the small mainsail to steer toward the
rafts, another wave smashed into the disabled boat and rolled it 360
degrees. That’s when Clements was dragged down with the boat. He tore
free and surfaced wearing only a life vest and the clothes on his back.
He floated aimlessly in the cold, dark Atlantic for what seemed like
almost an hour. He prayed and held onto hope. Incredibly, Clements
bumped into one of the Coast Guard rafts and heaved himself aboard, not
believing his good fortune.
About 10:30 p.m., a Search and Rescue (SAR) team from the aircraft
carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, which was diverted from flight
operations to assist the USCG in the rescue, was able to locate
Clements. The Navy team extracted the sailor from 18 to 21-foot-seas and
winds peaking at 45 knots. They flew more than 100 miles back to the
carrier with the Hercules flying overhead, according to a Coast Guard
news release.
Clements was given a medical review aboard the Eisenhower, and a USCG
Jayhawk helicopter crew flew him safely back to Elizabeth City. He was
back on solid ground on Sunday at 3:45 a.m.
Interviewed at home three days after his rescue, Clements recounted all
the factors contributing to his amazing rescue. “I’m a completely
satisfied customer of ACR Electronics. Your beacon played a significant
part in saving me and being alive today,” he said. “I consider your
instrument [EPIRB] was instrumental in the rescue of my life.”
An EPIRB is a satellite-signaling device of last resort, for use when
all other means of self-rescue have been exhausted and where the
situation is deemed to be grave and imminent, and the loss of life,
limb, eyesight or valuable property will occur without assistance. All
beacons must be registered following purchase. Simply go online to
www.beaconregistration.noaa.gov. There are no monthly service fees.
About Cobham Life Support-ACR Products
Cobham Life Support -ACR Products
www.acrelectronics.com, designs and
manufactures a complete line of safety and survival products including
EPIRBs, PLBs, AIS, SARTs, Strobe Lights, Life Jacket Lights, Search
Lights and safety accessories. The quality systems of this facility have
been registered by UL to the ISO 9001:2008 Series Standards. Recognized
as the world leader in safety and survival technologies, ACR has
provided safety equipment to the aviation and marine industries as well
as to the military since 1956. The company is headquartered in Fort
Lauderdale, Florida and employs 200 at its manufacturing facility.
View an interview with Clements on youtube!
Contact:
Leslie Sheffield
Public Relations Specialist /ACR Electronics, Inc.
Tel: +954 970 3394
E-Mail:
prseitz2@bellsouth.net