What began as a routine trip to Bimini to deliver furniture to refurnish a condo quickly became a life-threatening emergency.

About thirty minutes into the ride, we smelled smoke and heard unusual beeping. After shutting down the engines, we found smoke coming from the bilge. At first, we thought it was a minor electrical issue and tried hosing it down, but within minutes the fire grew out of control. The smell of burning plastic filled the air, and thick smoke made it clear this was a serious problem.

We quickly gathered essentials such as phones, passports, and electronics while my dad pulled out an older aviation life raft stored midship. It was corroded and difficult to deploy, even striking me and my cousins when it finally released. After cutting it open and inflating it, we threw it into the water along with our bags and emergency supplies.

Realizing the fire could not be contained, we climbed into the raft and paddled away as flames engulfed the boat. The heat was intense, and the current pushed us back toward the burning vessel as we kicked hard to create distance. We heard loud whistling sounds from the fire and covered our heads, unsure what might happen next.

From the raft, we activated our ACR ResQLink View RLS to call for help. A Good Samaritan arrived quickly and rescued us, allowing us to contact our families while we watched the boat continue to burn. The Coast Guard arrived within minutes, followed by the fire department. Although they prevented the boat from sinking, nothing could be saved.

In the end, acting quickly and having the right safety equipment made all the difference. Most importantly, we all made it home safely.