We were headed back from a morning of fishing offshore when disaster struck. The engine gave off a “no oil” alarm, and after turning it off in hopes of a reset, I tried to start it again, but the starter locked up. We were stranded about 16 miles offshore of Tampa Bay, far from help. I attempted to call for assistance using my onboard radio, but of course, that decided to quit working as well. It felt like everything that could go wrong, did.

With no other options left, we turned to our last means of rescue—my recently purchased ResQLink View RLS. At the time of activation, there was a lot of uncertainty among the four of us. We had exhausted all other options, and this was it. There was a strange quietness that settled over the group, no one really speaking much. I think we all had the same question in the back of our minds: “What if it doesn’t work?”

As we waited, the minutes felt like hours. But then, the mood began to shift. The quiet was broken when we saw a plane in the distance, headed our way. It was a surreal feeling of relief washing over all of us as we realized we were being rescued. The fear of the unknown faded, and in its place was the excitement of knowing we were going home soon. That moment, when help finally arrived, was an incredible sense of relief—one I won’t soon forget.