How many of us actually have MOB or locator beacons?

[Supertramp]

We can all get a bit obsessed with very rare and specific examples such as that of CR etc. fine if you are doing this type of sailing and are going to be days away from help and there is some risk of your keel falling off. For most of us the money might be better spent elsewhere and any such device might be a long way down the priority list if we actually prioritise the real risks rather than the fancy kit. Eg carbon monoxide sensors, gas sensors, getting rid of gas altogether, gybe preventers, crew specific first aid kit, fire suppression systems, electrical system review, etc etc. For most of us our boat will not sink suddenly and we will be within an hour or 2 of the RNLI. We need to not get into trouble in the first place, ie well found boat with all normal precautions to stop us getting injured or falling off, and a means of communication if we do get into trouble. I suspect many people have some expensive fancy gear which has been purchased well in advance of basics. Doesn’t mean there is no place for these things and obviously risk assessments are different for specific boats and crews.

That is all true and staying out of trouble is certainly the best way.

I have PLBs, EPIRB, liferaft, hand as well as fixed VHF but mainly because it stops my family worrying, and reassures them when they are aboard.

My reassurance comes from careful engine maintenance, and regular maintenance and replacement of all other moving parts, including gas regulator....

That said my AIS is something I would not like to be without.

 

[Bristolfashion]

2x PLB
1x EPIRB
1x handheld VHF with DSC
1x fixed VHF with DSC
AIS receive/transmit

 

[rogerthebodger]

Does anyone have the mobile app called tracking and ETA recording/alarm as developed by the Irish lifeboat institute.


Is it useful and reliable

 

[Boathook]

Does anyone have the mobile app called tracking and ETA recording/alarm as developed by the Irish lifeboat institute.


Is it useful and reliable

I thought that the Irish lifeboat was the RNLI. So a link to what you mention would be nice.

 

[dunedin]

Does anyone have the mobile app called tracking and ETA recording/alarm as developed by the Irish lifeboat institute.


Is it useful and reliable

If it is the same as RYA Safetrax then of very little use beyond inshore kayaks etc that don't have other safety gear (which I think was its target market, not bigger offshore capable yachts).
The tracking bit needs mobile phone signal- and worth reading the details of the user manual to see what - or how little- happens if overdue.

 

[geem]

PLBs and AIS transponders in each life jacket. Two EPIRBs on the boat. One for the grab bag, one for the boat. Two fixed vhfs, fully independant with their own antenna on separate masts, two handheld vhf. AIS transponder. Two Garmin inreach. One on expedition tariff one on safety tariff for ocean passages( they do fail).
I think we could sink under the weight of safety gear!
We always wear life jacket/harnesses at night. We only clip on if we need to go on deck. If the weather is very rough like it was recently crossing to Ireland from the Azores, we spend lots of time below. The onwatch crew will be in the nav station with chart plotter there repeating what is on the main chartplotter up top with the washboard in place. You just need to slide the main hatch back and stand on the top step to have a look about then back down below. When it's night, heavy rain, blowing hard and you are hundreds of miles from land, the need to be outside is vastly reduced.
A comfy chart table seat with all instruments repeated from up top becomes very convenient.

 

[Juan Twothree]

A PLB or waterproof mobile phone can also be useful in circumstances where you may not be wearing a lifejacket.

I'm aware of two instances in recent years where someone has fallen/slipped from the deck of their yacht on a drying mooring in the dark, and got stuck in the mud.

In one instance, a passer-by heard his cries for help after a couple of hours, and he was rescued before the tide covered him

The other, sadly, wasn't so fortunate.

Stricken sailor found in water after two hours

 

[LittleSister]

I've never had an EPIRB or PLB, just VHF plus handheld VHF, flares, and, more recently, a mobile phone.

Money is tight, but I'm considering getting a PLB following a scare a while back, when I was single-handed and too busy dealing with a challenging situation to make a VHF call.

I'm conflicted about continuing to use flares. I believe they can be very useful, but the cost and the now severe problems of disposal (especially of the parachute ones) weigh on my mind.

I agree not falling overboard is super important (whether or not one has EPIRB/PLB), especially when single-handed, but in my experience it has been impossible to rig up jackstays, etc. on the small boats I've owned in way that enabled one to be both continually clipped on when going the length of the boat, and also prevented from going over the side. It's much easier to achieve on bigger boats. Jackstays I had on the side decks of some of my small boats would keep you attached to the boat but not prevent you going over the guard rails (and also make moving along the inevitably narrow and obstructed side decks more difficult). Jackstays on/near the centreline were either impossible to reach from the cockpit, or interfered with the rig or other gear, or both. So, the reality is that I have to accept a degree of risk, and be very careful moving about the boat between locations where I can clip on.

There are fewer places, too, on a small boat to mount additional handholds, and in my experience most cabin top etc. handrails on boats (especially smaller boats) are too thin and too close to the deck to get a good grip and not risk trapping or even breaking fingers if you fall in the wrong direction. (I'm not sure how strong and how well fixed some of them are, either.) One boat of mine had been fitted out by the first owner, and had excellently dimensioned (and also very aesthetically pleasing) custom-made teak handrails, which only reinforced how poor at their job, and made down to a price, the 'standard' ones usually are.

 

[wonkywinch]

EPIRB
1X PLB per crew member
DSC fixed radio
DSC handheld radio
Electronic flare
1x lifejacket per crew member, worn at all times
Clipped on at night/in poor weather
Jackstays
No going forward without 2nd person on deck
AIS transmit on boat

This is for coastal cruising up to crossing channel, Ireland, Shetland etc.

Of course, everyone makes their own decisions - interestingly, when we sailed on Australia, the safety equipment required was mandated by the state. I've attached the NSW list in case anyone was interested - slightly annoyingly, this list varied a bit by state.View attachment 179861

Australia rules state the horseshoe buoy must be secured to the boat (according to the charter company when I asked if I could undo it to make it more use to a person in the water if I had to throw it in).

 

[Buck Turgidson]

Had a plb when i didn’t own a boat. It was used in anger and worked. I have an epirb now and a garmin Inreach but neither are for MOB as I sail singlehanded my focus is always about staying on board.

 

[srm]

Australia rules state the horseshoe buoy must be secured to the boat (according to the charter company when I asked if I could undo it to make it more use to a person in the water if I had to throw it in).

I had two. One attached to boat with 30m floating line. Second attached to marker dahn buoy, and drogue again with 30m floating line. The idea being the line increased the chance of a person in the water getting hold of it.
No use whatever when I was single handing.

 

[Foster]

We use personal Ais devices, dsc radio and all that jazz but were quite lucky to get to test safety gear too. The most interesting thing I've seen in a while was from a new company called UseeMySOS. They started trading this year with a simple SOS flashing system that is wired into the ships nav lights. Simple, effective, cheap and somehow he got it patented.

 

[Laser310]

I have one of the MOB-1 AIS/DSC devices in my PFD.

I find that they are now required safety equipment for many offshore and coastal races.

One thing that bugs me about them is that the method of fitting to the PFD - with the ribbon - is terrible and probably prone to being installed incorrectly. It hasn't changed in the decade or more since they first came out, and I would have thought a better system could be devised.

the way it should be done, is that they should be integrated into the PFD from the start, with a wholly new system of activation.

another possibility would be for the PFD makers, and the MOB device makers to get together and design a standard fitting method that is built into both devices, so that people can buy a PFD, and then separately, if they wish, buy a MOB device, and just plug it in to a standard receptacle.

I see quite a few accidental activations of the MOB-1, especially in the harbour before a big race. It's a problem.., as people will start to ignore them.

In a race this summer, we had an accidental activation on the boat I was sailing, whist at sea. There were many boats within VHF range, so I did a Securite call.