A McMurdo Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) has saved the lives of four yachtsmen, who were successfully rescued when they activated the beacon following a problem onboard their sailing yacht in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

The US Coast Guard received the 406MHz distress signal from the McMurdo FastFind 210 PLB, which was registered to the French-flagged yacht, Recidive, en route from the Canary Islands to Martinique. The PLB’s distress alert also included exact GPS position data, enabling the Coast Guard to direct a Greek-flagged tanker, the Delta Kanaris, to the survivors’ precise location at 1,582 miles east of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Within 12 hours, all four crew members had been recovered by the crew of the merchant vessel, and were safely heading towards Philadelphia. A C-130 rescue crew from Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., which had also been scrambled by the Coast Guard, was subsequently stood down.

McMurdo’s Fast Find 210 PLB is recommended for use by safety-conscious individuals who spend time on the water, whether for leisure or work purposes. Compact, waterproof and lightweight, this pocket-sized device can be used to alert search and rescue authorities anywhere in the world. With a powerful 5 watt signal output that transmits for a minimum of 24 hours, the Fast Find 210 PLB ensures that a distress signal will get through, no matter how remote or extreme your location may be.