Discussing this with a civilian SAR union colleague, he said that he'd love "top cover" ...but had never taken part in a rescue in which it played a part.
So you would rather take the opinion of someone else who hasn't done a long range job in the Atlantic (North or South) against the advice of those of us who have done both.
Modern comms aren't anything like as good as you seem to believe and an accurately updated position from a top-cover asset can save a lot of time when fuel is at a premium.