on it to keep it lit. He later found out that the
crew was able to see the light for a short time, but
quickly lost sight of it as they sailed away.
Unable to see any other boats in the
immediate area and realizing that it would be a
while before the Meridian X crew would be able
to douse the sails and begin their search, Wheeler
took inventory of his equipment. Besides a failing
safety light, he also had a knife, whistle and an
AIS personal MOB transmitter. This transmitter
would have been a huge help if only Meridian
X, or any other nearby vessel, would have been
equipped and monitoring their AIS receiver to
electronically lead them to his location.
By the time the crew on Meridian X was able
to get her sails down and turn around, they had
traveled more than two miles. The crew had lost
sight of Wheeler, who was left alone hoping
for rescue. After about 30 minutes, the wind
calmed down a bit but the seas were still very
choppy. With a water temp in the upper 60s,
Wheeler’s biggest concern became hypothermia.
About that time, he noticed Meridian X’s white
masthead light in the distance. His light had
completely stopped working at that point, so he
took to blowing the whistle about every minute.Occasionally it would fill with water, so he would
have to blow sharply to clear it; however, this
simple safety item proved to be his saving grace.
Wheeler noticed Meridian X’s masthead
light had gotten brighter and he knew they
were getting much closer. He started to blow
the whistle almost non-stop. Astutely, those
on-board Meridian X had the presence of mind to
occasionally stop the motor and quietly listen for
any indication of Wheeler’s whereabouts. About
15 minutes after hearing a first whistle, they
zeroed in on the sound and spotted him in the
water.Moments later, he was back onboard.Lucky to be alive
Hypothermic and shaken, Wheeler was taken
below and given dry clothes, blankets and
hot water to help him warm up. He had
been in the water for a total of one hour and
six minutes. Once he warmed up a bit they
realized he didn’t need any additional medical
assistance, so they retired from the race and
headed into Muskegon. Given the cool water,
darkness and the rough conditions, he was
extremely lucky to be found quickly and alive.
According to Eric Jones, skipper of nearby
boat Triumvirate, they heard the MOB
call just after completing a sail change and
immediately headed toward Wheeler’s
reported location. They never noticed an AIS
MOB signal and were not exactly sure how to
assist but figured they would head that way to
try to help. Once they heard that Wheeler was
recovered, they continued with the race.
“It would be helpful to have an established
procedure for all assisting vessels to follow
during a search,” Jones says.
After living through every boater’s worst
nightmare, Wheeler says: “I consider myself
a very lucky man. I will be forever grateful to
the crew and my good friends on Meridian X
for being able to recover from the squall and
get back to the same general area in which I
was lost. It certainly was not an easy task.” ★PHOTOS COURTESY OF SPINSHEETA man overboard incident at the 2017
Chicago Race to Mackinac teaches important boat
safety lessons. BY KEN QUANT
Lessons Learned
Many lessons can be learned from
Mark’s harrowing MOB incident,
including:For the boaters
❱ Always properly buckle your life vest
when on deck.
❱ One hand should be gripping the
boat at all times.
❱ Always leave your infl atable life vest
on auto infl ation.
❱ If in water, remain calm and preserve
your energy.
❱ Always keep a whistle and working
light attached to your life vest.
❱ A strobe light is much easier to see
than a steady light.
❱ Do not count on personal AIS
transmitters alone.For the boat
❱ If sailing, reduce your sail area
before an approaching squall hits.
❱ Immediately activate the DSC/
Distress function on your VHF
radio and designate someone to
coordinate communication with the
USCG and other nearby vessels.
❱ If you are going offshore, spend the
money and get an AIS receiver. A life
is worth the extra expense.
❱ Stop the motor from time to time
to just listen and look in an MOB
situation.
❱ Always monitor VHF 16 and make
sure it can be heard by someone.
❱ If equipped with an AIR receiver,
remember to monitor it if you hear a
MOB call because the person in the
water may have a transmitter.
❱ An offi cial search protocol for
assisting vessels should be
established and promoted.LAKELANDBOATING.COM | MAY 2018 MacRace_MAY18_2pageFINAL.indd 51 3/28/18 12:39 PM