James Baker was a young man, sailing on a shoe string with no engine. Yet he was an extremely experienced sailor and he and his family had no doubt about his capabilities. James was reluctant to carry an EPIRB or PLB on board: he could not imagine having to put so many people to such trouble if they had to come and rescue him. However, the last thing his father gave him as he left on his trip was the McMurdo FastFind PLB which he thrust into his hand on the dockside.

James’s father Jeremy told McMurdo “I went to ask Falmouth Coastguard for their advice and they told me that in their view the lack of an engine, of a ham radio and of most other modern electronics was of little importance, as long as an EPIRB or PLB was on board.

“We were extremely glad that we had gone to the expense of buying a distress beacon, as there is some doubt that he would have survived otherwise”, he added.

Like many others who have lived through the experience of the gruelling hours of uncertainty between receiving the distress signal and his son being located, Mr Baker senior is keen to get the message across about the importance of carrying an EPIRB or PLB. “I can reassure you that your equipment does exactly what it says on the box, most efficiently and most reliably. In the light of my son’s experience with his VHF and flares (which were un-usable), that is a rare and valuable attribute, and one which should be more widely known.”