Flares and Spain

[Tomahawk]

On the subject of ferries..
Many years ago, before all the terrorist and other nonsence, I was askewd to do a delivery from France to UK.. Not knowing the provanance of the boat, I took my own GPS, chart, Nav kitEtc.. I also packed a couple of flares...

For the first time ever, we were searched at Dover... the chap looked at the parachute flare and started to open it.. I screamed at him.."don't touch that ..... they are bloody dangerous!!"... he put it back in the bag and I got on the ferry.....

 

[Tomahawk]

The only way that I have found other than on a yacht, is to take a P&O ferry cross channel and drive South having obtained clearance from P&O well in advance; email to and from customer services seems to work. No other cross channel ferry company seems to allow this. Upon checking in at the ferry terminal your "cargo" will result in you being separated from the normal traffic and made to park on board in a special place among HGVs etc etc. There was no extra charge for this just a lot of repeated explanations to/from Jobsworths on the dockside. Whether or not the drive South through France, Spain etc in a private car is strictly legal is something of a grey area! All the above assumes that we are talking about a standard, yacht sized, polybottle, Offshore type kit of flares and not a vast load of the things.
Personally, I don't think it is worth the hassle.
Fair winds.

Which leads me to ponder....

if flares are dangerous items...
Does that mean there are no flares on board the ferry?
Or that all flares are kept on the aft vehicle deck where they can be dealt with in the event of spontanious combustion?.... but are no use to the liferafts and lifeboats?

 

[LadyInBed]

I would be incredibly surprised if you could buy flares in Spain cheaper than you can get them in the UK.

Looks like you can
Spain: http://www.latiendadelnavegante.com/productos.asp?c=0701110101
UK: http://www.gaelforcemarine.co.uk/c/5303/Safety-Flares.html
and: http://www.jimmygreen.co.uk/item/637/pains-wessex-offshore-flares-pack

 

[lovezoo]

When I towed my RIB down to Lagos, from Portsmouth - Santander, was asked before I drove on the ferry if I had any flares onboard... "Nope" .... are you sure? "definatly" ok go on you go.........

They never even asked me when I towed my boat down - and it never occurred to me I wasn't allowed to have them on board. Oops.

 

[lovezoo]

Looks like you can
Spain: http://www.latiendadelnavegante.com/productos.asp?c=0701110101
UK: http://www.gaelforcemarine.co.uk/c/5303/Safety-Flares.html
and: http://www.jimmygreen.co.uk/item/637/pains-wessex-offshore-flares-pack

Very good, but I can't be bothered to look at a few cherry picked websites. The fact still remains that rip-off Britain is a figment of the tabloid editors imagination.

 

[LadyInBed]

Very good, but I can't be bothered to look at a few cherry picked websites.

Isn't that what searching for the best deal is all about?
That you can't be bothered suggests that you have more money to dispose of than me, well done.

The fact still remains that rip-off Britain is a figment of the tabloid editors imagination.

I agree that in a lot of cases that is true, but not always

But this is all off subject to my original enquiry.