Actually firing a para rocket?

[Portofino]

If it's on fire you'll be seen from miles away without any flares.

What circumstance do you foresee setting off a parachute instead of a smoke?

Having learned from a friend that he's seen someone killed by a parachute flare I don't want anything to do with them.

A smoke canister set off in your life raft or inflatable tender ( when the mother ships sunk even from a fire = gone ) ….is potentially far more harmful than a parachute flare . Not just to peeps but the very thing that suppose to save you the LR / tender
Assuming an aircraft or other vessel you think is within eye ball range .

Also at night , a lousy Sod’s law dark night they won’t see smoke as quickly as a para flare .

A death at sea isn’t just one thing it’s a sum of tiny increments of wrong choices taken .Each a step closer .

You might want to check with Spanish rules seeing as your boats permanently in Spain .I don’t know what there position is ? I know what the FR is as mentioned.

Seatbelts in cars there are known incidents where the belt on was a major contributory factor ….kills peeps .
But the greater good net benefit of wearing by far outweighs those few regrettable deaths .

Sure I can see pyros ( inc household fireworks think 5 th Nov in the U.K. ) killing peeps plenty of cases .

IMHO at sea better off carrying them and that’s the considered view by rescue services and finable if not in French waters .Argue it in a Fr court .

 

[petem]

Adrift, trying to attract the attention of a passing ship?

You would use a red smoke for that (unless at night).

 

[petem]

A smoke canister set off in your life raft or inflatable tender ( when the mother ships sunk even from a fire = gone ) ….is potentially far more harmful than a parachute flare . Not just to peeps but the very thing that suppose to save you the LR / tender
Assuming an aircraft or other vessel you think is within eye ball range .

Also at night , a lousy Sod’s law dark night they won’t see smoke as quickly as a para flare .

A death at sea isn’t just one thing it’s a sum of tiny increments of wrong choices taken .Each a step closer .

You might want to check with Spanish rules seeing as your boats permanently in Spain .I don’t know what there position is ? I know what the FR is as mentioned.

Seatbelts in cars there are known incidents where the belt on was a major contributory factor ….kills peeps .
But the greater good net benefit of wearing by far outweighs those few regrettable deaths .

Sure I can see pyros ( inc household fireworks think 5 th Nov in the U.K. ) killing peeps plenty of cases .

IMHO at sea better off carrying them and that’s the considered view by rescue services and finable if not in French waters .Argue it in a Fr court .

I have a Spanish inshore pack which definitely doesn't include any parachute flares.

 

[Stingo]

Wear a pair of long, thick, leather gardening gloves. Yes, I had a pair in my grab bag.

 

[capnsensible]

You would use a red smoke for that (unless at night).

It may be worth recalling that orange smoke is primarily used, during daylight, to indicate your position to an aircraft or helicopter. It's range at sea level is very limited.

A red parachute flare can be very visible by day or night from 12 or more miles away by a vessel. A second fired shortly after the first assists in fixing the casualty position.

All pytos are, for me, well designed, manufactured and easily operated aids to survival. I'm not scared of them.....

 

[SC35]

Wear a pair of long, thick, leather gardening gloves. Yes, I had a pair in my grab bag.

A pair of gardening gloves are in the flare container

 

[capnsensible]

A pair of gardening gloves are in the flare container

Good move. Great protection.

 

[srm]

I have set off pyros, in anger, way back in the early 70's. The first para did not fire so was hastily dropped overboard. The second, fired down wind, swept up and turned the clouds above a lovely reddish colour. Some hours later I set off a red hand flare as it was night. This was so bright that with eyes closed and head turned away it was still uncomfortable. It also got so hot that I dropped it over the side while still burning and watched the flame slowly sink.

 

[Sandy]

You would use a red smoke for that (unless at night).

Do they manufacture red smoke?

Hold on I've found a company that does

Flare Fireworks

I'd love to see the face of the chap in the chandlery when you ask for some.

Pyrotechnics have their place, I am extremely pro their use given the proper training, sadly getting permission to fire them is very difficult we are told.

Hearing the co-pilot of RAF 22 SQN Sea King come up on our frequency one dark and stormy night when trying to keep a climber alive saying, 'we've spotted you, eta 5 mins' was rather reassuring.

 

[petem]

Do they manufacture red smoke?

Hold on I've found a company that does

Flare Fireworks

I'd love to see the face of the chap in the chandlery when you ask for some.

Pyrotechnics have their place, I am extremely pro their use given the proper training, sadly getting permission to fire them is very difficult we are told.

Hearing the co-pilot of RAF 22 SQN Sea King come up on our frequency one dark and stormy night when trying to keep a climber alive saying, 'we've spotted you, eta 5 mins' was rather reassuring.

Sorry, if you want to be pedantic I meant orange smokes!

 

[Farmer Piles]

I have set off pyros, in anger, way back in the early 70's. The first para did not fire so was hastily dropped overboard. The second, fired down wind, swept up and turned the clouds above a lovely reddish colour. Some hours later I set off a red hand flare as it was night. This was so bright that with eyes closed and head turned away it was still uncomfortable. It also got so hot that I dropped it over the side while still burning and watched the flame slowly sink.

Ha, exactly my experience with the handheld that time.

What happened that you were having to set off flares for real? How did it end?

 

[Sandy]

Sorry, if you want to be pedantic I meant orange smokes!

No worries. In my professional life I was paid to be pedantic, otherwise people died.

 

[srm]

What happened that you were having to set off flares for real? How did it end?

I'm here to tell the tale so all worked out well in the end. It was 1975 and only weather info was the shipping forecasts on BBC LW.

A smallish catamaran in F9 off Fair Isle. Running and streaming warps before a southerly with big seas. Boat was accelerating down the face of each wave. Four breaking wave strikes one after the other. Sheered both rudders on the line of the keels plus other damage. Got a semblance of control when wind eased by using outboard engine to steer with. Now between Fair Isle and Shetland mainland. Midnight thirty three shipping forecast gave westerly F8. Used hand flare to flag down the next vessel, an East German trawler. They gave us a tow to the entrance off Scalloway harbour and Coastguard organised a local boat to take us in. Tied up in Scalloway harbour just before westerly gale hit.

While taking my YM Offshore exam I was put in the situation of having a tow sheering around. My answer was to pay out more tow line with a weight to keep it underwater. Examiner was sceptical - "well it worked when we did it". The trawler had us on a nylon warp secured to a trawl wire. We were wildly sheering around without the lateral stability of the rudders so asked them to pay out more warp, which was wire. This stabilised the tow with the wire taking the nylon underwater.