Olivier Jehl, a French sailor, shows off his EPIRB at Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, N.J., Monday, May 16, 2016, after he was rescued by the Coast Guard. Jehl was attempting a solo voyage from New York to the United Kingdom when his 21-foot sailboat struck a submerged object and sank, causing him to use his rescue raft, emergency position-indicating radio beacon and flares. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Nick Ameen/released)

Calling for help: Do you have the right equipment?

Knowing how to reach the Coast Guard in an emergency is an important step in getting help quickly. Make sure you have the right equipment to make a distress call before hitting the water. Some reliable forms of communication include: VHF radio with digital selective calling, an emergency positioning indicating radio beacon and a person locator beacon.


Beacons of hope

With satellite-fed maps on every smart phone, getting lost seems like a problem of a past era. But what happens when your electronics short out, your boat starts taking on water or catches on fire and you have to abandon ship? Now you’re lost because your cell phone is an expensive brick because it just hit the water, and your GPS and radio are under water.