Even though the ppl were already rescued, you did Great job making sure there was no one in danger. You sir are a good person. The world needs more of you.
Thank God you didn't catch them during shift change . I lived on my boat for 6 years and only had to talk to the coast guard a few times . Glad we have them but sure hard to get anything done on VHF . You never know what you will find floating out there . Never heard anything more on the boat ? I worked for a charter service in FL. to make a little cruising money for a few mounts . Guys would rent a sailboat to try and talk their wife into buying a boat they would go out and it would get a little rough and when they could get back to land the wife would get off with the kids and tell hubby where he could stick that sailboat and they would send me to get it and bring it back . It was a fun job didn't make a lot of money got some good tips a time or two . Got to sail some nice boats a bit , got to keep all the food and booze they left on them most of the time . You wouldn't believe how much booze people bring for a few days trip . I am slowly working on two boats now . I have a Westsail 32 and a Bristol 27 just restoring the Bristol 27 and started with a hull and deck with the Westsail it has never been in the water I still need sails but Butch at C&C sails is a good friend and has done a lot of sail work for me and friends in the Houston area . C&C does great work if you ever need sail work .
I was a Radioman in the Coast Guard. There are procedures that must be followed for every situation and important details must be confirmed, especially when lives are potentially at stake. Then also the information was being relayed, adding to the repetition and confusion. He couldn't just say, "abandoned vessel at such and such coordinates - okay, gotcha. Thanks." Just be happy you didn't have to tap it out in Morse code (my class was the last one that had to learn it - class of '92 - and I'm still pissed about it! lol).
Kevin, thank you for this video --- it was very helpful and informative. I'm retired and just started sailing this year, in the Gulf of Thailand. I knew that I wanted things like radar, AIS and SSB on a boat, once I buy my own, but the 14.300 frequency was some new info for me and will be very helpful if/when I'm in the area. I've always thought that the USCG rescued people, NOT boats, and think your actions were 'spot-on'. So much to learn and so little time --- thanks, again....
I think you did an excellent job with the video. Also taking time to report the location. After the boat was retrieved, it was offered at $36,000. It was sold, out of Kemah, Texas. Last year a coworker and myself viewed another video, and that person boarded the boat. I always wondered what could have happened. My coworker has since retired but I sent him this video and the comment from the guy that assisted the old couple. He also was happy to know the outcome as well. Scary. I'm amazed at guys like you that go that far out,.. and I was in the Navy,.. '77-81'
That was great, mystery and an explanation in the comments. I lived on a houseboat long ago and boat people never seem to change, most friendly and helpful. Your sailboat is beautiful and well outfitted, my dad lost his dream on a beach in Mexico because he skimped on electronics. He bought the ferrocement hull after watching it being built and did the rest himself, so you can imagine how hard that was. But he was grateful for the time he got.
Most people do not realize their are still pirates. The anti gun, why do you need a gun comments are just ignorant. Imagine for a second tying up to that boat and having several guys with guns come out to relieve you of your boat and feed you to the sharks? Their is good reason to approach situations like this with extreme caution, especially if you are alone.
David Rounds I'm pro-gun but boarding a ship while armed is fucking suicidally stupid. 1. You're the threat at that point and any occupants can/SHOULD shoot you. 2. It's unlikely you'd find a pirate on the boat still, why the fuck would he be hanging around? The boat wasn't sending a distress signal, they're not going to just wait till someone happens by.
Great video Kevin!! Thanks for being willing to help. I run net control 2 times a week on the Maritime Mobile Service Net. I usually confirm the information given over and over as we keep getting hit with fake calls that sound so darn real. The real calls will either stick with it OR peel me out for having to give it over and over. Here always for ya Cap!! Tim KB2RMC
Having retired from the Coast Guard they have a major flaw when you contact them. Generally you are at first talking to some 18 year old kid that may have only been in the service for two months, and as no idea how to communicate information that a salty captain is assuming the kid understands. Hopefully he will just get a piece of paper out and write things down while the officer of day makes his way to the radio to talk to you. The terrible radio situation can lead to people not getting the help they need in an efficient manor. Semper Paratus!
Glad there was a happy end to the story. It amazes me that people go sailing in such small craft when the ocean can be too much for much larger vessels. Thanks for sharing!
Great work. I wouldn't have gone aboard either because who knows what kinda situation could await. Being that far out at sea alone warrants a bit of caution. I think you did great and though 99% of the time the ham operators on 20 meters are just casually talking here is an instance when they were needed and they took care of this immediately. Very impressive. The sailing looks fascinating but to be out there alone on a small craft knowing that the only barrier between your arse and the unforgiving sea is the fact that there isn't a hole in the boat takes a brave soul. You have my vote and my respect ;-)
Very interesting video. Use of AIS, various marine radio attempts, and HAM radio operations. Showcased the value of HAM radio operators. Thanks for taking the time to post the video.
Must've been a tremendously eerie feeling to come across something like that! Reminds me of the movie "Dead Calm" with Nicole Kidman and Sam Neil. Same exact thing when they came across another sailboat and..... I like how you dealt with it, especially not being overly curious and getting close or even boarding it! Looks like you're a seasoned sailor. Good stuff and stay safe out there.
It's a dangerous situation. You can't board another boat without getting permission to come aboard. There could be some guy in there sleeping with a gun under his mattress and you could end up shot. He did the right thing.
This is yet another proof that ham radio works when everything else fails. You coild probably use a newer radio with DSP noise reduction. My Yaesu FTDX 3000 sounds like VHF FM when operating on HF bands. It practically has zero noise and sounds crystal clear. Good luck on your travels.
For those wondering why the skipper didn't claim salvage and take the boat in tow, a Hunter Cherubini is not a terribly expensive boat ($28 - $39K) and this one was abandoned due to a failure unknown to the salvaging skipper thus reducing the value further. So, over 100 miles from land is a long way to do a single-handed tow, risking your own vessel and your safety, for such a small payout.Regardless of where you sail, it can get ugly out there pretty quickly. The skipper made the right decision and left the vessel adrift.
Who are the 362 douchebags who did'nt enjoy this so much that they HAD to thumbs down it. This man is sailing around the gulf, doing what most people only dream of. I sit in an office all day, and I don't have a boat. Kudos to you Kevin Kalden sir for living the dream.
" HEY KEVIN KAIDEN " most interesting thing ive seen in a long time makes me wish i were there instead of being stuck in kansas city missouri VERY HAPPY to get to view this THANKS-4-GOOD-VIDEO ( SIR ) !
Great video, thank you for sharing. It was quite an adventure for this landlubber. Good to know the couple survived. God bless you and your crew for rescuing them, Clay.
Hey Kev. I liked your video. Reminded me of my sailing days, and the adventure of a ghost ship is pretty awesome. Ignore the haters. Thanks for posting this.
You Sir are very brave. So many things can and do go wrong at sea. I watched the sailing team that found the drifting boat with the mumified man dead at his desk. I'm glad these folks made it home safely. Bravo
Interesting video. I can still remember seeing sailboats from time to time when I worked offshore GoM. Once our workboat found a Boston whaler floating upside down with the motor hanging by the control cables. Turned out it was being towed by a yacht and the seas got to rough so they cut it loose.
I'm a licensed master and general class ham (WX0USA); this is one of those few videos that I really liked - felt like a movie almost "What'll happen next" sort of thing. Things for uploading. That said, next time you find a boat adrift and the USCG has "cleared" it so-to-speak; salvage it and save it from drifting around the world and hitting something, plus you can make some nice money.
I would have been extremely tempted to go for salvage on that nice boat after calling it in. But I'll be the last person to doubt the decision of a guy single sailing actually on the scene. Handled yourself like a true sailor keeping the waterways safe for everyone.
My girlfriend and I are planning a trip to bring my recently purchased Cal33 from Biloxi to Baytown. Made one failed attempt already, long story. This next go will see us home. Really makes me wish I had the funds for a SSB before going. Well we do have cold water survival suits, life boat with motor and enough fuel to drive our selves home, PLB, radar, sonar, AIS GPSX4 most everything I could think of. She just today agreed to go with me :) So now I will have something to do.
Wow this is so true. The Coast Guard is such a pain in the ass to deal with it is unbelievable. I came to the aid of a sinking vessel it was unbelievable the shit they put me through on the radio. After they came to the scene they took the people from my vessel to thier cutter. Then another Coast Guard Cutter came on scene and gave me what they called a safety check. such bullshit I received two tickets 1 for having my registration numbers in the wrong place which was not correct. and another ticket for up to $10,000 for not having my VHS license with me. I had it I just could not locate it at that moment. this was the early 90's you needed that then. I called the commandant in Norfolk Virginia and explained to him what had just happened he told me send me the paperwork to him and don't worry about anything. it made me very reluctant to ever help anyone again. It left A very bad feeling for me that I will never get over. So much for being a good Samaritan.
KK, The Tug Kelly is a pushing interlocking Tug hauling Sulfur to Tampa, Fl. I worked on that Tug a couple times. The radios generally turned down low where you can still hear it or who ever was on Watch just wasn't paying attention. You guys on the Sail Boats show up pretty good with the reflectors. Happy Sailing to you!
Great video! Thanks for caring enough to stop and call it in. And THANKS for sharing the information on the radio channels and showing how inept our current system is. Happy sailing!
Interesting video. Amazing how many times people abandon sailboats and they are still floating weeks or months later. Would have been cool to salvage it, but as a sailor I probably wouldn't have tried either without more people available.
I'm glad to see you report that sailboat like that. I know some people wouldn't even bother, or even pay attention to it unfortunately. I have yet to come across anything like this, but I would certainly try to make contact, and then report it if there were no answer, if I ever do come across one. Nice job, and thanks for showing the video by the way.
This was very educational as to handle such a situation- granted I had a boat. I dont see me stumbling upon many abandoned boats adrift here in Wyoming.
awesome adventure and awesome of you to report the abandoned vessel,it could be a trash vessel that's been dumped and drifted,someone could have had medical issues.and been inside dying,or someone could have had a seizure and fell over board and that's what's left,so many reasons to just make sure
I was told many many years ago, to always pass side by side, not behind a drifter like that. Reason being, they can have crap behind them for hundreds of feet. What do you think? Great video and kind of spooky!
Cool adventure, post more and ignore the couch experts...go ahead and have an opinion I say, but keep the cool open water adventure videos coming. That was cool seeing your friend 160 miles out to sea - I envy you guys!
YOU KNOW YOU HAVE REALLY MADE MY DAY WITH SUCH A POSITIVE ATTITUDE, AND FOR LETTING SOMEONE KNOW THEY WERE WRONG WITH SUCH COMPASION, AND WITHOUT HATE OR NEGATIVITY! IT IS BECAUSE OF GOD, HIS SON JESUS CHRIST, AND BECAUSE OF THE HOPE I GET WHEN I SEE YOU AND PEOPLE LIKE YOU WALKING THAT PATH, BUT ALSO FOR ACTS OF KINDNESS LIKE THIS AND FOR PEOPLE LIKE YOU! FOR THIS I AM GREATFUL!!!
Kevin I like your video. I find this kinda thing fascinating and likely would have handled it the same way if i were in your shoes. Please make another video like this if you encounter other abandoned vessel. Be safe !
+Comic Sans The towing vessel Paul A. Callais is towing the disabled sailing vessel into Port Fourchon. apparently they didn't do there job quite to standard
I liked your video too! it's comforting to know there's people out there looking out for others. good people, you and the amateur radio operator. I document the things I come across up here in Canada while sledding and dirtbiking. you'd be surprised the things I come across.
Quick follow-up. This was a boat the coast guards had to rescue an older couple from after their boat became disabled. The boat was later retrieved by a tow boat no doubt hired by the same couple. there's an article somewhere explaining this and a video taken off the rescue on the coast guards website. this lone sailor just happened to come across it between rescue and retrieval.
we had a 52" Bristol growing up "Halcyon" was her name...great vessel used to dock it in Charlotte Harbor ...i have many fond memories of cruising the Gulf When i was a teenager....
Kevin did the right thing. myself, i would not have boarded that boat for anything either. crime scene? piracy? drugs? and that's without anything going wrong while pulling up alongside & boarding it. also radio transmissions are not private. his notifying the coast guard could be listened in on by others with ill intent. i don't think most viewers understand the concept of being solo on a small vessel in the gulf.
In 2011 HMS Richmond was on her way home from the NAG through the Bay of Biscay and we came upon an abandoned freefall lifeboat, after investigation we found it had been lost by an Italian merchant ship however that investigation took place via VHF/HF with serial numbers given before we EVER sent out a highly trained boarding team to investigate for safety purposes. Boarding that vessel would have been dangerous and a violation of another's property. You did well Kevin, and in accordance with Maritime Custom.
Thank you for the video. Im shocked the CG didnt hear you on the VHF. I remember in the 90's a incident. I was deep in the woods with a 2 meter HT. I was talking to a friend accidentally on a CG allocated frequency. (The CG suddenly uses a new channel) Other than channel 16. My output was 1/2 a watt and I was 20 or so miles inland from the coast. My chatter was with another on a HT with same output about 1/4 mile away. About 2 minutes into my conversation.I hear what sounds like a 3rd party with a dead key. Then the sound you hear when a beam starts to position your way. My S meter topped to the end. Suddenly I hear the audio noise get loud. Then the coastguard with a female voice informed and warned me. (Mentioned the law I was breaking, etc etc) So weeks later I moved to what I knew as a open channel. You know what happened. I talked to someone in the CG and he explained how they can instantly zero in on a signal. Maybe they were having coffee or on break? Even though they know the signal is coming from the sea. Live streaming Satellites that can a ticks eyes on a fallen seagull in the ocean. Did you have a emergency beacon or do you? Again nice video!
It happens twice. I knew on the second trip he was in route from Florida and we got with in VHF range of each other. Also on that second trip I found another boat although it was a Cuban refugee raft. Some day I will put together a video on it. Thanks for watching
Why wouldn't you take the boat under tow, and claim it as salvage? My understanding of maritime law is that an abandoned boat can be claimed by the first person who boards it.
Thanks for sharing this rescue and I can attest how bad some of the people that run these emergency services can be. I had a rescue in a canyon while hiking with some of my team members and 911 had to call back 3 times to get GPS coords that we gave them over and over and over...if you get my drift. Good thing it wasn't a life or death situation.
onthebeaches1 I regret it if my video portrays the service as sorry. I just likened the layers of tape the USCG has to go through to what can be expected with national healthcare.
How do you know there aren't skin divers attached? They're supposed to set flags and anchors- supposed to keep one aboard, but it doesn't always work out that way. And who knows what kind of TRAPS might be set for drug dealers, etc? No, I think this was the right thing to do...
The couple was rescued by the coast guard due to broken rigging and sails. Here is a link. www.uscgnews.com/go/doc/4007/1764699/Coast-Guard-rescues-2-from-sailing-vessel-in-Gulf-of-Mexico
Interesting event Kevin, good job buddy for reporting it..... I can now see why Ham radio will be my first radio I buy for my sailboat to reach someone in an emergency circumstance....And no I will not go the hassle of getting a license to use it for only emergency situations to report on an emergency frequency....
Why would you not go onboard? I am curious I Am Canadian and on the great lakes if we seen something like this we would check to make sure no one was there and to weak to answer or perhaps tied up or in some sort of distress but on the great lakes cold could make a person unable to respond. Here's a link to the story of the 2 people being rescued off that boat named escaped pod. My dad and I got into trouble once on the great lakes we got pined in a storm on some rocks and we lost our anchor we called for help they did not help us get the boat loose they "rescued" us and left the boat there this seems to be common practice they just let the boat go off as litter and let them sink or whatever we went out the next day to try and find the boat and the plug had worn loose and she sank we were able to rescue her and being freshwater was easily fixed.
the gulf of mexico is far less friendlier, far less civilized place than great lakes. lakes are surrounded by two countries complete with modern coast guards & tranquil shorelines (except detroit/chicago). the gulf comes complete with the problems of mexico & cuba, not to mention anything, anyone that comes in from the atlantic/caribbean: refugees, piracy, drugs, crime scene on boat. Kevin was solo in semi-hostile open seas. he did the right thing: radioed coast guard and kept moving. as far as weather goes, sounds like you understand lakes the same way i do: always respect the great lakes, never turn your back on them, they can do everything that the pacific can: rip tides, storms, rogue waves, etc.
I immediately thought about the salvage too. That's a free boat essentially, if you care to tow it home. I guess it all depends on if you on a joy run or making a crossing. Your description says you were on a crossing, so may not be worth it to deal with. However, I would guess there's a couple of thousand dollars there at the least. Anyway, since you weren't interested in the salvage, good call on the report to Coast Guard. Guarantee there are no lights on that thing and it is a major hazard out there like that.
Ok, how many people watched this to the end? Toward the end e stated, after he got home and edited it, that there were people rescued from the boat previously. After finding that out he could have gone on his way! I like how the only person he could get a hold of was someone on a HAM radio! Glad the CG is helping us. And i agree with him, you can see how the health care system is going to work out.....your gonna die on the phone telling someone your symptoms, and then wait hours to be shuffled around to get an ambulance to your house!!!
Thanks for sharing. I always find the radio communications on boats interesting (perhaps because I don't yet have a boat, and am uncertain of how they usually play out.). Most people leave out the com chatter from their videos
If you've ever heard of it, i live where they have Hamvention. that's always quite a spectacle, and i love how efficient the ham radio system is compared to the systems that are supposed to be in place.
kewl, Ham Radio /M on 20 mtr. Just outside 14.250 of the Dutch Novice registration class band. HF is so cool. But the study is a pita. Very Nice vid sir.
What gets me is when he told them the name of the boat and its home port they couldn't just look it up and quickly tell him they they'd rescued two people from it and thank him for updating the coast guard on its location. Des the coast guard not have a database of rescues they can search when people call in about abandoned boats? He also got passed from one person to another several times, apparently without also any passing on of information the prior person had been told. It's just like e-mailing tech support at some companies where every time you get a different person who either hasn't been passed the previous communication(s) or who doesn't read it. Efficiency improvements obviously needed here. 1. Get the information from the person on the radio. Verify it and enter it into a networked computer accessible to all Coast Guard stations. 2. When handing off to another USCG person, tell that person the case number in the computer instead of "Hey, there's some guy on the radio about a boat, ask him all the same questions I just did." 3. Have in the computer network a case database of all rescues and the vessels the people were picked up from. When he got through to the coast guard, the exchange should have gone something like this. "That's the 'Escape Pod' out of Houston, Texas?" "Yes, 'Escape Pod' out of Houston, Texas." *database search* "We rescued two people from 'Escape Pod' on 5 May, 2013. Thank you for updating the United States Coast Guard on its position." The End. Short and fast and efficient, but apparently the USCG doesn't have the technology to do such things, or they just love to do things the way it went in this video.
Actually, the coast guard, and anyone with an internet browser does. The vessel Escape Pod, USCG Documentation number 633681, is/was a 1980 Hunter, registered to KAIR-CHUAN LIM from Houston TX... The problem is that none of the CG personnel that he contacted, showed the initiative, or had the brains, to look it up.
4:05 Very interesting...I did just over 8 years in the USCG(2002-2010), and I don't recall ever using a HF distress band, we certainly didn't monitor that channel at the 3 small boat SAR untis I was stationed at. Maybe that's why nobody responded lol.
I am a ham radio operator. This scenario is why I am. To help those in particular need is great.
Glad you were safe.
Even though the ppl were already rescued, you did Great job making sure there was no one in danger. You sir are a good person. The world needs more of you.
Thank God you didn't catch them during shift change . I lived on my boat for 6 years and only had to talk to the coast guard a few times . Glad we have them but sure hard to get anything done on VHF .
You never know what you will find floating out there . Never heard anything more on the boat ? I worked for a charter service in FL. to make a little cruising money for a few mounts . Guys would rent a sailboat to try and talk their wife into buying a boat they would go out and it would get a little rough and when they could get back to land the wife would get off with the kids and tell hubby where he could stick that sailboat and they would send me to get it and bring it back . It was a fun job didn't make a lot of money got some good tips a time or two . Got to sail some nice boats a bit , got to keep all the food and booze they left on them most of the time . You wouldn't believe how much booze people bring for a few days trip . I am slowly working on two boats now . I have a Westsail 32 and a Bristol 27 just restoring the Bristol 27 and started with a hull and deck with the Westsail it has never been in the water I still need sails but Butch at C&C sails is a good friend and has done a lot of sail work for me and friends in the Houston area . C&C does great work if you ever need sail work .
I was a Radioman in the Coast Guard. There are procedures that must be followed for every situation and important details must be confirmed, especially when lives are potentially at stake. Then also the information was being relayed, adding to the repetition and confusion. He couldn't just say, "abandoned vessel at such and such coordinates - okay, gotcha. Thanks." Just be happy you didn't have to tap it out in Morse code (my class was the last one that had to learn it - class of '92 - and I'm still pissed about it! lol).
I came around later and had to pass the 20 words per minute code requirement for the Extra Class license, N1MO
Kevin, thank you for this video --- it was very helpful and informative. I'm retired and just started sailing this year, in the Gulf of Thailand. I knew that I wanted things like radar, AIS and SSB on a boat, once I buy my own, but the 14.300 frequency was some new info for me and will be very helpful if/when I'm in the area. I've always thought that the USCG rescued people, NOT boats, and think your actions were 'spot-on'. So much to learn and so little time --- thanks, again....
I think you did an excellent job with the video. Also taking time to report the location. After the boat was retrieved, it was offered at $36,000. It was sold, out of Kemah, Texas. Last year a coworker and myself viewed another video, and that person boarded the boat. I always wondered what could have happened. My coworker has since retired but I sent him this video and the comment from the guy that assisted the old couple. He also was happy to know the outcome as well. Scary. I'm amazed at guys like you that go that far out,.. and I was in the Navy,.. '77-81'
Speakno12 thanks for watching.
That was great, mystery and an explanation in the comments. I lived on a houseboat long ago and boat people never seem to change, most friendly and helpful. Your sailboat is beautiful and well outfitted, my dad lost his dream on a beach in Mexico because he skimped on electronics. He bought the ferrocement hull after watching it being built and did the rest himself, so you can imagine how hard that was. But he was grateful for the time he got.
It must be a very strange experience to find a boat adrift like that and not knowing the reason why it's abandoned....great video...
Most people do not realize their are still pirates. The anti gun, why do you need a gun comments are just ignorant. Imagine for a second tying up to that boat and having several guys with guns come out to relieve you of your boat and feed you to the sharks? Their is good reason to approach situations like this with extreme caution, especially if you are alone.
David Rounds
I'm pro-gun but boarding a ship while armed is fucking suicidally stupid.
1. You're the threat at that point and any occupants can/SHOULD shoot you.
2. It's unlikely you'd find a pirate on the boat still, why the fuck would he be hanging around? The boat wasn't sending a distress signal, they're not going to just wait till someone happens by.
Gun? Get a sword…pu$$y.
Between you and me,
You did everything anyone could expect of a good sailor.
Cheers!
Great video Kevin!! Thanks for being willing to help. I run net control 2 times a week on the Maritime Mobile Service Net. I usually confirm the information given over and over as we keep getting hit with fake calls that sound so darn real. The real calls will either stick with it OR peel me out for having to give it over and over. Here always for ya Cap!! Tim KB2RMC
Oh I know the need for repeating things. I check in regularly when traveling.
Having retired from the Coast Guard they have a major flaw when you contact them. Generally you are at first talking to some 18 year old kid that may have only been in the service for two months, and as no idea how to communicate information that a salty captain is assuming the kid understands. Hopefully he will just get a piece of paper out and write things down while the officer of day makes his way to the radio to talk to you. The terrible radio situation can lead to people not getting the help they need in an efficient manor. Semper Paratus!
Glad there was a happy end to the story. It amazes me that people go sailing in such small craft when the ocean can be too much for much larger vessels. Thanks for sharing!
Great work.
I wouldn't have gone aboard either because who knows what kinda situation could await. Being that far out at sea alone warrants a bit of caution. I think you did great and though 99% of the time the ham operators on 20 meters are just casually talking here is an instance when they were needed and they took care of this immediately. Very impressive.
The sailing looks fascinating but to be out there alone on a small craft knowing that the only barrier between your arse and the unforgiving sea is the fact that there isn't a hole in the boat takes a brave soul. You have my vote and my respect ;-)
Very interesting video. Use of AIS, various marine radio attempts, and HAM radio operations. Showcased the value of HAM radio operators. Thanks for taking the time to post the video.
Empty and abandoned...that means you could have towed it and claimed salvage.
Some $$$$ for future sailing....
Towing a sailboat with a sailboat similar in size is not easy.
I saw a couple of attempts and they all had to abandon the loot 😞
Amazing stories you find on RUclips and then to find comments from strangers who where involved in the rescue , makes it that much more amazing.
Now THIS is reality TV. I'm loving all of these abandoned buildings, boats, homes, videos.
You're in "that part of RUclips" again.
Must've been a tremendously eerie feeling to come across something like that!
Reminds me of the movie "Dead Calm" with Nicole Kidman and Sam Neil. Same exact thing when they came across another sailboat and.....
I like how you dealt with it, especially not being overly curious and getting close or even boarding it! Looks like you're a seasoned sailor. Good stuff and stay safe out there.
It's a dangerous situation. You can't board another boat without getting permission to come aboard. There could be some guy in there sleeping with a gun under his mattress and you could end up shot. He did the right thing.
I think that was pretty much the point of my post.
GoMiGman
or like Open Water 2
DVincentW Haven't seen that! Any good?
GoMiGman
Yes it is serious fierce situation when everyone on a boat dives in the ocean, none of them put the ladder down
This is yet another proof that ham radio works when everything else fails. You coild probably use a newer radio with DSP noise reduction. My Yaesu FTDX 3000 sounds like VHF FM when operating on HF bands. It practically has zero noise and sounds crystal clear.
Good luck on your travels.
Nice video, Great to see all the Hams and coastguard helping each other out to relay the messages.
Kevin, this was great. I like the titles about dealing with the government, they gave you quite a hard time. Fair winds!
For those wondering why the skipper didn't claim salvage and take the boat in tow, a Hunter Cherubini is not a terribly expensive boat ($28 - $39K) and this one was abandoned due to a failure unknown to the salvaging skipper thus reducing the value further. So, over 100 miles from land is a long way to do a single-handed tow, risking your own vessel and your safety, for such a small payout.Regardless of where you sail, it can get ugly out there pretty quickly. The skipper made the right decision and left the vessel adrift.
This is really cool. As a HAM radio operator it goes to show how much of a help the radio can be!
Who are the 362 douchebags who did'nt enjoy this so much that they HAD to thumbs down it. This man is sailing around the gulf, doing what most people only dream of. I sit in an office all day, and I don't have a boat. Kudos to you Kevin Kalden sir for living the dream.
Moral of the story is, don't name your sailboat "escape pod."
so brilliant during the radio transmission 😂😂
" HEY KEVIN KAIDEN " most interesting thing ive seen in a long time makes me wish i were there instead of being stuck in kansas city missouri VERY HAPPY to get to view this THANKS-4-GOOD-VIDEO ( SIR ) !
As an amateur radio operator, i enjoyed this video. 73's MM0SDK
This was to cool, I found myself extremely interested. Thanks for sharing your story.
Great Video. Oh, how I would Love to go to sea again. I was Tin Can sailor in the sixties, so it's been a long time. Hope for more of your Videos.
Great video, thank you for sharing. It was quite an adventure for this landlubber. Good to know the couple survived. God bless you and your crew for rescuing them, Clay.
Hey Kev. I liked your video. Reminded me of my sailing days, and the adventure of a ghost ship is pretty awesome. Ignore the haters. Thanks for posting this.
You Sir are very brave. So many things can and do go wrong at sea. I watched the sailing team that found the drifting boat with the mumified man dead at his desk. I'm glad these folks made it home safely. Bravo
Ham radio wins out again - well done to the operators involved with relaying the info to the CG :)
Really interesting video. You were very patient with then asking the same questions over and over!
Smart decision of the skipper not to go aboard the abandoned boat....you never know if a crime had been committed....
Thanks for the video.....
Captain with compassion. Nice to see boaters that still care. Nice video Kevin.
Jake, The rudeness & ignorance of many boaters nowadays. A bit pessimistic perhaps, but am sure some will validate it.
Interesting video. I can still remember seeing sailboats from time to time when I worked offshore GoM. Once our workboat found a Boston whaler floating upside down with the motor hanging by the control cables. Turned out it was being towed by a yacht and the seas got to rough so they cut it loose.
Holy crap. With that kind of run around, be glad you weren't in trouble!
I'm a licensed master and general class ham (WX0USA); this is one of those few videos that I really liked - felt like a movie almost "What'll happen next" sort of thing. Things for uploading. That said, next time you find a boat adrift and the USCG has "cleared" it so-to-speak; salvage it and save it from drifting around the world and hitting something, plus you can make some nice money.
Would be hard to do by yourself plus you would be risking your boat to do so.
I would have been extremely tempted to go for salvage on that nice boat after calling it in. But I'll be the last person to doubt the decision of a guy single sailing actually on the scene. Handled yourself like a true sailor keeping the waterways safe for everyone.
who needs to buy a boat, just rent one, sail around the gulf for a bit, and you'll find one of your own!
gobbly1337 lol
My girlfriend and I are planning a trip to bring my recently purchased Cal33 from Biloxi to Baytown. Made one failed attempt already, long story. This next go will see us home. Really makes me wish I had the funds for a SSB before going. Well we do have cold water survival suits, life boat with motor and enough fuel to drive our selves home, PLB, radar, sonar, AIS GPSX4 most everything I could think of. She just today agreed to go with me :) So now I will have something to do.
Including a raymarine evolution autopilot, and I do have a backup actuator just in case.
You have the patience of a saint my friend.
Thank you for taking the time to post the video.👍🏻
Speakno12 thanks for watching it. Once I learn how to work you tube better I will post more videos.
Wow this is so true. The Coast Guard is such a pain in the ass to deal with it is unbelievable. I came to the aid of a sinking vessel it was unbelievable the shit they put me through on the radio. After they came to the scene they took the people from my vessel to thier cutter. Then another Coast Guard Cutter came on scene and gave me what they called a safety check. such bullshit I received two tickets 1 for having my registration numbers in the wrong place which was not correct. and another ticket for up to $10,000 for not having my VHS license with me. I had it I just could not locate it at that moment. this was the early 90's you needed that then. I called the commandant in Norfolk Virginia and explained to him what had just happened he told me send me the paperwork to him and don't worry about anything. it made me very reluctant to ever help anyone again. It left A very bad feeling for me that I will never get over. So much for being a good Samaritan.
Did u pay 10 BIG ONES?
KK, The Tug Kelly is a pushing interlocking Tug hauling Sulfur to Tampa, Fl. I worked on that Tug a couple times. The radios generally turned down low where you can still hear it or who ever was on Watch just wasn't paying attention. You guys on the Sail Boats show up pretty good with the reflectors. Happy Sailing to you!
1:00 "Im going to give him a blast of my air horn"
"beep"
lmao
It's way to late for me to be laughing like this
Zephyr Trident Don't wake up your neighbors ;)
+Andrew C I haven't laughed this hard, and long, since I heard a man say: "This is the second time that I've been FUCKED, by Dairy Queen".
Ian Thomas. Gotta love Tourette's Guy!
Amazing! Cool with the HAM radio operators relaying the info
Ham radio is awesome! I've met so many cool people through this hobby. 73's
Commentary is hilarious. Not a funny find, but your comments are funny. Fair winds, Captain.
Great video! Thanks for caring enough to stop and call it in. And THANKS for sharing the information on the radio channels and showing how inept our current system is. Happy sailing!
Interesting video. Amazing how many times people abandon sailboats and they are still floating weeks or months later. Would have been cool to salvage it, but as a sailor I probably wouldn't have tried either without more people available.
actually, I thought this video was rather interesting. learned some stuff today. thanks for posting!
I'm glad to see you report that sailboat like that. I know some people wouldn't even bother, or even pay attention to it unfortunately. I have yet to come across anything like this, but I would certainly try to make contact, and then report it if there were no answer, if I ever do come across one. Nice job, and thanks for showing the video by the way.
Rarely have I sat through a 15 minute youtube video. Great job!
Had to give this movie a thumbs up for the health care comment! Loved that.
This was very educational as to handle such a situation- granted I had a boat. I dont see me stumbling upon many abandoned boats adrift here in Wyoming.
awesome adventure and awesome of you to report the abandoned vessel,it could be a trash vessel that's been dumped and drifted,someone could have had medical issues.and been inside dying,or someone could have had a seizure and fell over board and that's what's left,so many reasons to just make sure
I was told many many years ago, to always pass side by side, not behind a drifter like that.
Reason being, they can have crap behind them for hundreds of feet.
What do you think?
Great video and kind of spooky!
i mean how many drifters are there around that therule would come up often and be shared 😅
Cool adventure, post more and ignore the couch experts...go ahead and have an opinion I say, but keep the cool open water adventure videos coming. That was cool seeing your friend 160 miles out to sea - I envy you guys!
YOU KNOW YOU HAVE REALLY MADE MY DAY WITH SUCH A POSITIVE ATTITUDE, AND FOR LETTING SOMEONE KNOW THEY WERE WRONG WITH SUCH COMPASION, AND WITHOUT HATE OR NEGATIVITY! IT IS BECAUSE OF GOD, HIS SON JESUS CHRIST, AND BECAUSE OF THE HOPE I GET WHEN I SEE YOU AND PEOPLE LIKE YOU WALKING THAT PATH, BUT ALSO FOR ACTS OF KINDNESS LIKE THIS AND FOR PEOPLE LIKE YOU! FOR THIS I AM GREATFUL!!!
Pretty cool video. I enjoyed listening to the amateur radio conversation.
Liam, sorry you did not like the movie. Feel free to go to the ticket booth and ask for a refund.
Kevin I like your video. I find this kinda thing fascinating and likely would have handled it the same way if i were in your shoes. Please make another video like this if you encounter other abandoned vessel. Be safe !
+Kevin Kalden I watched that all the way through ,, AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN BOARD IT??? SERIOUSLY??????
+L Ofaday i would've could have been a distressed soul on board unable to communicate
+Comic Sans The towing vessel Paul A. Callais is towing the disabled sailing vessel into Port Fourchon. apparently they didn't do there job quite to standard
I liked your video too! it's comforting to know there's people out there looking out for others. good people, you and the amateur radio operator. I document the things I come across up here in Canada while sledding and dirtbiking. you'd be surprised the things I come across.
Quick follow-up. This was a boat the coast guards had to rescue an older couple from after their boat became disabled. The boat was later retrieved by a tow boat no doubt hired by the same couple. there's an article somewhere explaining this and a video taken off the rescue on the coast guards website. this lone sailor just happened to come across it between rescue and retrieval.
I couldn't have resisted the urge to board her.
+PotatoGunsRule That's how you get AIDS.
+drServitis he's not wrong.
AlexGoPow™ Well, he can get AIDS if he wants to, I guess. Not sure why he would want to get AIDS though.
exactly, don't forget to add the 2!
+PotatoGunsRule awww jeez. so many wonderful replies to this gone unsaid.
we had a 52" Bristol growing up "Halcyon" was her name...great vessel used to dock it in Charlotte Harbor ...i have many fond memories of cruising the Gulf When i was a teenager....
Kevin did the right thing. myself, i would not have boarded that boat for anything either. crime scene? piracy? drugs? and that's without anything going wrong while pulling up alongside & boarding it. also radio transmissions are not private. his notifying the coast guard could be listened in on by others with ill intent. i don't think most viewers understand the concept of being solo on a small vessel in the gulf.
Great video. You've restored my interest in RUclips. I'm in St. Pete Beach FL. Your boat sounded familiar.
In 2011 HMS Richmond was on her way home from the NAG through the Bay of Biscay and we came upon an abandoned freefall lifeboat, after investigation we found it had been lost by an Italian merchant ship however that investigation took place via VHF/HF with serial numbers given before we EVER sent out a highly trained boarding team to investigate for safety purposes. Boarding that vessel would have been dangerous and a violation of another's property. You did well Kevin, and in accordance with Maritime Custom.
Thank you for the video. Im shocked the CG didnt hear you on the VHF. I remember in the 90's a incident. I was deep in the woods with a 2 meter HT. I was talking to a friend accidentally on a CG allocated frequency. (The CG suddenly uses a new channel) Other than channel 16. My output was 1/2 a watt and I was 20 or so miles inland from the coast. My chatter was with another on a HT with same output about 1/4 mile away. About 2 minutes into my conversation.I hear what sounds like a 3rd party with a dead key. Then the sound you hear when a beam starts to position your way. My S meter topped to the end. Suddenly I hear the audio noise get loud. Then the coastguard with a female voice informed and warned me. (Mentioned the law I was breaking, etc etc) So weeks later I moved to what I knew as a open channel. You know what happened. I talked to someone in the CG and he explained how they can instantly zero in on a signal. Maybe they were having coffee or on break? Even though they know the signal is coming from the sea. Live streaming Satellites that can a ticks eyes on a fallen seagull in the ocean. Did you have a emergency beacon or do you? Again nice video!
This kept getting better and better !
Wow, thats awesome to hear! Glad to know there's more young people getting into the hobby
Great job for not giving up trying to get in contact with someone
No giant squid? No skeleton gripping the wheel? No half naked women? why the hell did I watch this?
@14:00 just too funny you run across someone you know sailing by. What are the odds! Love it. Thx for sharing.
It happens twice. I knew on the second trip he was in route from Florida and we got with in VHF range of each other. Also on that second trip I found another boat although it was a Cuban refugee raft. Some day I will put together a video on it. Thanks for watching
Why wouldn't you take the boat under tow, and claim it as salvage? My understanding of maritime law is that an abandoned boat can be claimed by the first person who boards it.
Thanks for sharing this rescue and I can attest how bad some of the people that run these emergency services can be. I had a rescue in a canyon while hiking with some of my team members and 911 had to call back 3 times to get GPS coords that we gave them over and over and over...if you get my drift. Good thing it wasn't a life or death situation.
onthebeaches1 I regret it if my video portrays the service as sorry. I just likened the layers of tape the USCG has to go through to what can be expected with national healthcare.
How do you know there aren't skin divers attached? They're supposed to set flags and anchors- supposed to keep one aboard, but it doesn't always work out that way. And who knows what kind of TRAPS might be set for drug dealers, etc?
No, I think this was the right thing to do...
Very impressed by the radio operators relaying a message for you, very nice of them if that wasn't that persons job.
they were on frequency 14.300 a net that listens for vessels in distress. They are really good people.
Good on them, sounds like swell guys from the video how helpful they were for you.
The couple was rescued by the coast guard due to broken rigging and sails. Here is a link. www.uscgnews.com/go/doc/4007/1764699/Coast-Guard-rescues-2-from-sailing-vessel-in-Gulf-of-Mexico
i dont guess that tow it talks about happened
Well that was spooky. Good catch and thanks for posting. Fine example of community cooperation.
Excellent seaman. Knows the rules and how to handle himself. Good guy.
Interesting event Kevin, good job buddy for reporting it..... I can now see why Ham radio will be my first radio I buy for my sailboat to reach someone in an emergency circumstance....And no I will not go the hassle of getting a license to use it for only emergency situations to report on an emergency frequency....
Why would you not go onboard? I am curious I Am Canadian and on the great lakes if we seen something like this we would check to make sure no one was there and to weak to answer or perhaps tied up or in some sort of distress but on the great lakes cold could make a person unable to respond.
Here's a link to the story of the 2 people being rescued off that boat named escaped pod.
My dad and I got into trouble once on the great lakes we got pined in a storm on some rocks and we lost our anchor we called for help they did not help us get the boat loose they "rescued" us and left the boat there this seems to be common practice they just let the boat go off as litter and let them sink or whatever we went out the next day to try and find the boat and the plug had worn loose and she sank we were able to rescue her and being freshwater was easily fixed.
the gulf of mexico is far less friendlier, far less civilized place than great lakes. lakes are surrounded by two countries complete with modern coast guards & tranquil shorelines (except detroit/chicago). the gulf comes complete with the problems of mexico & cuba, not to mention anything, anyone that comes in from the atlantic/caribbean: refugees, piracy, drugs, crime scene on boat. Kevin was solo in semi-hostile open seas. he did the right thing: radioed coast guard and kept moving.
as far as weather goes, sounds like you understand lakes the same way i do: always respect the great lakes, never turn your back on them, they can do everything that the pacific can: rip tides, storms, rogue waves, etc.
Numantino312
This. Who knows if he would have walked in on some crime scene? Good job on his part for being smart.
I immediately thought about the salvage too. That's a free boat essentially, if you care to tow it home. I guess it all depends on if you on a joy run or making a crossing. Your description says you were on a crossing, so may not be worth it to deal with. However, I would guess there's a couple of thousand dollars there at the least.
Anyway, since you weren't interested in the salvage, good call on the report to Coast Guard. Guarantee there are no lights on that thing and it is a major hazard out there like that.
I doubt the person is diving while the sails are in tatters.
Ok, how many people watched this to the end? Toward the end e stated, after he got home and edited it, that there were people rescued from the boat previously. After finding that out he could have gone on his way!
I like how the only person he could get a hold of was someone on a HAM radio! Glad the CG is helping us.
And i agree with him, you can see how the health care system is going to work out.....your gonna die on the phone telling someone your symptoms, and then wait hours to be shuffled around to get an ambulance to your house!!!
Thanks for sharing. I always find the radio communications on boats interesting (perhaps because I don't yet have a boat, and am uncertain of how they usually play out.). Most people leave out the com chatter from their videos
If you've ever heard of it, i live where they have Hamvention. that's always quite a spectacle, and i love how efficient the ham radio system is compared to the systems that are supposed to be in place.
Couldn't you claim a salvage on that boat?
Yes, but it's a very lengthy process.
Pomona Chicano Time will pass anyway won't it? I'd claim for sure.
gluefrog78 i believe this goes under the finders keepers law of America.
Chet Manly Actually it's international law that anyone can claim abandoned vessels at sea.
SmokeRingsPipeDreams you can claim it now keeping it or selling is a whole 'nother problem
to make it clear for anyone else who was looking up abandoned ship explorations, the abandoned boat is never boarded or investigated.
Nice job Kevin, you did it the right way for your safety and theirs.
Very interesting, I had no idea you'd come across abandoned vessels.
kewl, Ham Radio /M on 20 mtr. Just outside 14.250 of the Dutch Novice registration class band. HF is so cool. But the study is a pita. Very Nice vid sir.
African Twin thanks. I became a ham before I started offshore sailing.
Well done! I would be mucho frustrated. You were most patient. The red paint portside has me curious. We'll never know! Sail softly and thanx!
Awesome video, job well done on reporting the vessel in question Sir. ~~John
What gets me is when he told them the name of the boat and its home port they couldn't just look it up and quickly tell him they they'd rescued two people from it and thank him for updating the coast guard on its location.
Des the coast guard not have a database of rescues they can search when people call in about abandoned boats?
He also got passed from one person to another several times, apparently without also any passing on of information the prior person had been told. It's just like e-mailing tech support at some companies where every time you get a different person who either hasn't been passed the previous communication(s) or who doesn't read it.
Efficiency improvements obviously needed here. 1. Get the information from the person on the radio. Verify it and enter it into a networked computer accessible to all Coast Guard stations. 2. When handing off to another USCG person, tell that person the case number in the computer instead of "Hey, there's some guy on the radio about a boat, ask him all the same questions I just did."
3. Have in the computer network a case database of all rescues and the vessels the people were picked up from.
When he got through to the coast guard, the exchange should have gone something like this.
"That's the 'Escape Pod' out of Houston, Texas?"
"Yes, 'Escape Pod' out of Houston, Texas."
*database search*
"We rescued two people from 'Escape Pod' on 5 May, 2013. Thank you for updating the United States Coast Guard on its position."
The End.
Short and fast and efficient, but apparently the USCG doesn't have the technology to do such things, or they just love to do things the way it went in this video.
Actually, the coast guard, and anyone with an internet browser does.
The vessel Escape Pod, USCG Documentation number 633681, is/was a 1980 Hunter, registered to KAIR-CHUAN LIM from Houston TX...
The problem is that none of the CG personnel that he contacted, showed the initiative, or had the brains, to look it up.
Wow you are living an adventure that most of us can only dream of. Great video man.
No way would I want to do that…….too many sharks and monstrous waves.😫
4:05 Very interesting...I did just over 8 years in the USCG(2002-2010), and I don't recall ever using a HF distress band, we certainly didn't monitor that channel at the 3 small boat SAR untis I was stationed at.
Maybe that's why nobody responded lol.
Very interesting video and I loved your comments concerning dealing with the government. How true.