December 6, 2003
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Mayday
Excerpt from An Ocean To Cross
Daring the Atlantic
Claiming a New Life
by Liz Fordred
(McGraw Hill)
“Mayday! Mayday!” I nearly sat up without using my arms. The VHF crackled with an unfolding horror story: another sailboat was in distress and calling for help. Both Xanadu Marina on Grand Bahama and the U.S. Coast Guard in Miami responded, but the yachtsman wasn’t receiving their transmissions. I jumped on the radio. “Vessel calling Mayday, what is your position?” I asked repeatedly, but he didn’t hear me either. He just kept calling out his Mayday. After a while he was silent, and all we heard was Xanadu still trying to reach him. Our hearts went out to that yachtsman, who taught us a valuable lesson: always give your position. Even if you can’t hear anyone, that doesn’t mean someone can’t hear you.”
