GEOS rescue services

webcraft

webcraft

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SPOT at under £100 provides cheap satellite tracking and one-way messaging, with SOS facility

Garmin InReach offers the same but with 2-way messaging and weather at sea.

Either would be nice to have, especially the InReach, and I am thinking of one or the other as an alternative to an EPIRB. The InReach in particular can be pre-programmed with a message to contacts with instructions to call MRCC, in addition to a message to GEOS

No way I can afford an InReach and an EPIRB.

My main question is, how good is the GEOS service? Would pressing the SOS button on an InReach or SPOT result in as rapid and accurate response as setting off an EPIRB ?

My gut feeling is that EPIRBs are connected into the GMDSS system and relying on a private organisation to do the right thing is a risk.

- W
 
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Good overview here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_emergency_notification_device (also including the Yellowbrick tracker, which is price-wise between Spot and InReach, with features closer to the InReach).

Before you decide, have a look at example weather reports from the InReach. I've found them to be very basic indeed! Each forecast (for which you are charged) only covers a single spot on the map, with very simple wind speed/direction and maximum wave height data.

If you have someone ashore to do weather routing for you and advise you in a single text message, it is extremely handy to be able to receive that though.

DeLorme_inReach_weather_feature_cPanbo-thumb-465xauto-13754.jpg


As for the response times, I think the GEOS service tries to reach you by phone at the registered contact number first, to ensure it wasn't triggered by accident. If unreachable by phone, they'll pass on the incident. I would guess this only adds a few minutes to response time. Both Garmin and InReach advertise with stories about successful rescues.
 
lpdsn said:
Although GMDSS too has its good days and bad days it seems. You'd hope things have improved since the incident reported on here.

https://www.gov.uk/maib-reports/sinking-of-vivier-creel-boat-louisa-with-loss-of-3-lives
Click to expand...

Yes, that was a shocker. However, the CG delay in requesting SAR was less than an hour, which in most offshore sailing emergencies would be less significant.

On a total sidetrack, for a passage to the Canaries for weather Navtex is probably going to be sufficient and I see there is a new Bluetooth-enabled unit for around £135 including aerial, with free app to display on your phone - looks very interesting.

Am currently thinking of re-registering the EPIRB on our other boat. Anyone got any experience of that?

Sorry - serious thread drift/rambing, but hopefully of some interest to some others.

- W
 
There was a guy rescued in the Lakes recently on a mountain with one of these devices. Made local TV news because the rescue was initiated via a call centre in Houston...

Do they (non-GMDSS ones) all infact use the same call handling centre?

Your EPIRB goes to Portugal usually before Falmouth. Falmouth then phone your shore contacts.

My only concern would be they could close down their service, or add service charges in the future. You would be safe assumign your EPIRB is free to use for the next 6 years minimum,
 
The major difference between an EPIRB or PLB and the InReach or Spot is that once initiated the EPRIB/PLB will continue to transmit the signal and an updated position and will do so for a minimum of 48 hrs for EPIRB or 24 hrs for PLB. I know that the InReach transmits a position fix every so often if you've set up that option but because it isn't tied into the GMDSS system it isn't reliant on someone telling the SAR people what your new position is. In addition, the battery life of the InReach when its set up to transmit position updates isn't that good.
For the costs involved I'd be looking at either a PLB or an EPIRB as my distress signalling kit using any other bits of satellite comms kit as a back up and means of sending additional information. The OP already has an EPIRB on his other boat, so I'd move that registration and the EPIRB to the long distance boat. Easy enough to do and Falmouth will help out if it's not obvious how to do it online.
 
webcraft said:
On a total sidetrack, for a passage to the Canaries for weather Navtex is probably going to be sufficient and I see there is a new Bluetooth-enabled unit for around £135 including aerial, with free app to display on your phone - looks very interesting.
Click to expand...

For a Canaries trip I'd put a SSB reciever like a degen 1103 much higher up the list to get weatherfax.
 
Couple of things.

Had a SPOT device on a delivery trip across the Pacific last year. After a while it totally stopped working. Fortunately I had IridiumGo to reassure our followers that we werent dead yet.

A few weeks ago I delivered a yacht from the Canaries to the Med. Navtext hardly worked for the whole way.

Dont you love these gadgets? :)
 
Just about every boat I've sailed long distance has got an EPIRB. I trust them.

Perhaps a pit stop somewhere south Portugal should make getting a 5 to 6 day forecast straightforward?
 
capnsensible said:
Just about every boat I've sailed long distance has got an EPIRB. I trust them.

Perhaps a pit stop somewhere south Portugal should make getting a 5 to 6 day forecast straightforward?
Click to expand...

Have transferred the EPIRB from the other boat, so that issue is solved.

Re. Navtex, my previous experience was that it worked across Biscay but was not a lot of use on passage from Iberia to the Canaries.

- W
 
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