Where has Allypally been for the last decade or so ? All this claptrap about night hovering, nil wind, no references, fog etc - does he really think anyone does that sort thing these days !! Since the early eighties the contract Coastguard S61N's have been equipped with a rather cute SAR package, with - yes you guessed it - a four axis fully coupled all singing and hovering autopilot, and the computer does not care whether it's day or night. Anyone trying a manual hover at night over the ogin in poor conditions, seriously needs treatment !
The technology and the expertise is available to make this proposition work, my only doubt is where the Winchops/men are coming from ? as Aerospit has already noted.
Oh ! by the way, I was in a foggy, night, maritime hover when I wrote this - FULLY COUPLED of course.