Life raft do you carry one

[Nigelpickin]

Satsleeve uses Thuraya, not Iridium.

That's all spot on, Thuraya will only cover Europe and Africa so we will have to get another when we cross to the BVI but it really works well, five bars all the way across from Falmouth to Portimao. The card I think is a €20 jobby that they sell on amazon and I need to buy new every 18 months iirc.
It's not viable for regular voice of data as the cost would be prohibitive but for the kind of boating that we like to do, it's great.
Sends SMS easily if one wants to check in with shore support, if say you are crossing the channel or from Antibes to Mallorca.

 

[Orange]

We have one and two ERIPB ,s -- came with the boat ,was IT reg as MapishM says .

What is IT reg please?

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

What is IT reg please?

On the Italian (=IT) register.

 

[Nigelpickin]

I also had a look on the internet. Couldn't get a handle on cost though.

Time was priced in "units" without much explanation.

Would love a breakdown on cost of hardware / buy as you go time / how long until it expires etc.

In an emergency how great to be able to call Falmouth directly and know they got your message. For my cruising at the moment VHF does the job but go further afield and support dwindles.

Henry

The units cost is not an issue as you won't be using it for regular coms and it's a cheap €20 on amazon for about 20 min call.
It has to have line of sight to the sky, doesn't work with Grp over head, but fine on the FB or through my sun roof.

Even has a hot button that has a preset number of you choice, so if you don't have your phone docked you just press the red button and it makes the call and logs your last/long.

I think that we paid £450 for ours but it's a little less expensive now. Really good customer service as well.

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

Really good customer service as well.

Out of interest, from who - manufacturer (Thuraya?), reseller, or airtime provider?

 

[Orange]

On the Italian (=IT) register.

Ahh, thank you.

 

[Nigelpickin]

Out of interest, from who - manufacturer (Thuraya?), reseller, or airtime provider?

Just had to check my old emails.

Global tele sat.

I needed a quick turn around as we were crossing the channel three days after I ordered it and they expedited the whole affair.

 

[Bouba]

Just had to check my old emails.

Global tele sat.

I needed a quick turn around as we were crossing the channel three days after I ordered it and they expedited the whole affair.

Unless you are crossing the Atlantic, is it better than vhf? In an emergency I mean, not for contacting loved ones

 

[Nigelpickin]

Unless you are crossing the Atlantic, is it better than vhf? In an emergency I mean, not for contacting loved ones

I think that it straddles VHF in the sense that I would use mine is I felt there was a potential problem that was becoming likely but where I would not like to raise a PanPan.
Then VHF for the real deal - because of course 16 is an open channel and assistance might be close at hand.
Followed by a call to my shore support; son/friend to ensure that they are kept up to date

Of course there are plenty of times that VHF is not viable and I would struggle to communicate with Spanish/French/Portuguese speakers who come back on 16.

It's got the benefit of having built in triangulation so that you are able to send lat and long should say, you be sitting in your life raft or kayak behind a plume of black smoke!

 

[Portofino]

Unless you are crossing the Atlantic, is it better than vhf? In an emergency I mean, not for contacting loved ones

Yes I,am trying to think of a easy to fall into scenario in the Med whereby I would need a sat phone ? Sorry the boat conscious persons aboard are better with a sat phone ?

 

[admillington]

So every body carries radio ,flares chart etc how many peeps have a life raft ,ps on the boat not in the garage

I do and hope I never have to use it.

 

[Orange]

Doesn't VHF only reach about 24 miles, or am I mistaken?

 

[Portofino]

It's got the benefit of having built in triangulation so that you are able to send lat and long should say, you be sitting in your life raft or kayak behind a plume of black smoke!

But your ERIPB would fire off and hopefully a copter will along soon ?
Next of kin ,Falmouth have a list -of numbers ,so if he got a call to comfirm --- before they go on a wild goose chase --they do double ck -- he will know somthings up ---and --realise they are after dad .

 

[Nigelpickin]

But your ERIPB would fire off and hopefully a copter will along soon ?
Next of kin ,Falmouth have a list -of numbers ,so if he got a call to comfirm --- before they go on a wild goose chase --they do double ck -- he will know somthings up ---and --realise they are after dad .

Hey, I'm not selling them PF so not really bothered!

For me EPRIB is the nuclear solution and very much the last resort; why not layer in one more failsafe?

I guess if you can't see a benefit in having one; you don't need one.

 

[oldgit]

Local journies only inflated inflatable, anything offshore especially out of sight of land, liferaft is also onboard and handy.
In the UK its always the water temp that will do for you most of the year.Esp the little ones.
You probably need to ask somebody who has done one of those oil rig ditching courses about any misconceptions about everyone swimming out of trouble fully clothed .
If you are in a liferaft you can at least offer some sort of assistance to others ?

 

[Portofino]

Remember we are talking easy access life raft (ours is a big one 10 P designed to self float off ) and ERIPB.,s too.

Reminds me of a documentary I saw of the Costa Concordia capsizing .
The Italian (IT) coast guard initially did not get the magnitude of the disaster .
Ships ERIPB,s fired off ,they just routinely responded sent a copter. I think 40 mins arrived. On the scene
1st pilot to arrive had apparently no idea it was a cruise ship on its side .( confusing disbelieving info back @ Hq --just set off as an other "shout " )

His vioce recordings ----a lot of F words in it

could have been you or I in our liferaft .

 

[ash2020]

I have a liferaft in the shed. It should have had a service last year but that would cost about £250 and would be its last service within its estimated lifetime. Here's the dilemma (bearing in mind I'm not going for the service). Is it best to leave it in the shed or put it on the boat where it may or may not work? If its in the shed, the chances of it saving you are 0%, if its on the boat, the chance goes up to maybe 80%. Have I just answered my own question? Do they publish data on reliability of non-serviced liferafts?

I made the decision a couple of years ago not to carry large fireworks onboard. I don't think its a good idea to have too much burning magnesium around you in an emergency! I have an LED type flare which is fantastic - never used yet.

My previous boat, a Jaguar 23, sank on her mooring in Poole Harbour. The EPIRB went off. However, as it was underwater, still attached to its bracket, no-one knew anything about it, (signal doesn't go through water!) So, if I do get another one, I will make sure I get an automatic release bracket for it.
Andrew


I

 

[MapisM]

I guess if you can't see a benefit in having one; you don't need one.

Mmm... Not sure that's the sort of freedom I like or wish to have.
As I said, it's mandatory for IT registered boats cruising 50+ Nm offshore, and that's fine with me.
But I know some folks, who spent 6 digit figures for their boats, who complained about the cost of the thing when they were told that they had to buy it.
Now, obviously they didn't see the benefit in having one.
Otoh, I'd rather be in the middle of the sea on a boat whose owner doesn't see the benefit but his arm was twisted by the regulation to fit one, rather than on a boat whose owner doesn't see the benefit, so heyho! And pretty much the same goes for liferaft.
It's all stuff that none of us would ever want to use of course, but by the same token we don't want to use the boat insurances, either.
Now, we all ove our pride and joy...
...But even more than our own life, and the life of anyone else onboard? Seriously?

 

[Nigelpickin]

Mmm... Not sure that's the sort of freedom I like or wish to have.
As I said, it's mandatory for IT registered boats cruising 50+ Nm offshore, and that's fine with me.
But I know some folks, who spent 6 digit figures for their boats, who complained about the cost of the thing when they were told that they had to buy it.
Now, obviously they didn't see the benefit in having one.
Otoh, I'd rather be in the middle of the sea on a boat whose owner doesn't see the benefit but his arm was twisted by the regulation to fit one, rather than on a boat whose owner doesn't see the benefit, so heyho! And pretty much the same goes for liferaft.
It's all stuff that none of us would ever want to use of course, but by the same token we don't want to use the boat insurances, either.
Now, we all ove our pride and joy...
...But even more than our own life, and the life of anyone else onboard? Seriously?

??
I was talking about sat phones...

 

[MapisM]

Do they publish data on reliability of non-serviced liferafts?

I don't think anyone ever bothered to make a statistic on a scenario which is supposed to never happen (if you want or must keep a liferaft, there's not much point in not having it serviced).
That said, I once spoke with an engineer of a liferaft producer, and he explained me that the #1 reason behind the prescribed service intervals is that the water rations inside have a relatively short shelf life.
There are of course other things that get checked or replaced as necessary, but I'm saying this because in your boots I'd rather keep a non-serviced liferaft onboard than in the shed.
After all, before dying of thirst, you still have a chance of getting some rain...