pen. Contigo is sound and carrying me safely around the Sea of Cortez, and the haul-out facilities in La Paz were excellent. Once I return to British Columbia, I hope to prepare a new and larger boat for a world cruise, so when I set out you may have me in another Ha-Ha. I'll try not to be so much trouble next time." Thanks for the very kind words, and you were no trouble at all. In fact, we can't recall anybody ever being in such a good humor while his boat was so consistently taking on water. We look forward to Ha-Ha-ing with you again. Last call! Did you hear the story of Alan Thompson, the 61-year-old Brit singlehander who fell and broke his pelvis while mid-Atlantic on his just-purchased Hunter Legend 37 Padolu? The poor bloke couldn't reach any rescue services by radio — he probably hadn't read our Idiot's Guide to SSB in our October '07 edition— so he used his satphone to call a number he remembered — that of his local pub in West Sussex. His call was answered by his friend Roger Pocock, who alerted the Falmouth Coast Guard, which worked out a rescue plan with
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While some sailors use their satphones primarily to chat with friends back home, they're also increasingly used to call in rescues.
the U.S. Coast Guard. Thompson was ultimately rescued by a diverted ship 600 miles off Bermuda, but had to abandon his boat. "It was very sad," says Pocock, "as sailing was his life."
By the way, what frequency would you use to call the Coast Guard if you got into trouble in the middle of the Atlantic or the middle of the Pacific? If you said 2182, your need to go back and read our Idiot's Guide To SSB Radio, because 2182 will almost certainly get you nothing. Thompson's story is also further evidence of the greater role satphones are playing in coastal and mid-ocean rescues. "We spent the holidays aboard our Morrelli & Melvin 52 cat Adagio on Bainbridge Island, Washington, where our daughter and her family live," report Dorothy and Steve Darden, former residents of Tiburon. "Tomorrow we fly to Hobart, Tasmania, for three months in the southern hemisphere summer. After launching our boat in New Zealand, we spent several very enjoyable seasons in Tasmania. But come May, we'll be taking our boat back to Alaska for several months of cruising pleasure. All is well with us! "We took time out for the last two months to rebuild our cruising kitty," re-