mjcoon
Well-Known Member
Independent eyeballs sounds like one on the pot and the other up the chimney! ;-)
Mixed feelings about Flares
- Thread starter Barnacle Bill
- Start date
oldmanofthehills
Well-Known Member
I think its only red distress flares (handheld or parachute) that the CG can stop you letting off in your garden. No call out for white flares as they are not a 'distress flare', and you can practice with them to your hearts content, likewise yellow smoke.
Mind you if you are away from the sea, ordinary handheld red flares or red smoke are very unlikely to be noticed by CG or indeed anyone else.
Practicing with flares did cause a casualty once but compared to the numbers killed or maimed by fireworks yearly its a small risk, and better to practice on dry land than try out for the first time on a sinking vessel (burning vessels generate their own alarm call)
Mind you if you are away from the sea, ordinary handheld red flares or red smoke are very unlikely to be noticed by CG or indeed anyone else.
Practicing with flares did cause a casualty once but compared to the numbers killed or maimed by fireworks yearly its a small risk, and better to practice on dry land than try out for the first time on a sinking vessel (burning vessels generate their own alarm call)
Alicatt
Well-Known Member
Local coastguard station were only too happy to take my old flares back in the 1990's they were putting on a big training exercise and they used up a trailer load of old flares from the fishing boats in the local harbour.
I had a grand view of the exercise from my front window, there is a pinnacle of rock close to a disused quarry at the entrance to the bay and they were firing lines from the cliff top to the pinnacle and doing breaches buoy "rescues" from the top of the pinnacle to the cliff top. Lots of pyrotechnics used up that night
justanothersailboat
Well-Known Member
I think a lot of that kind of fun has been eroded over the years... also, setting stuff off inland rather requires you to be a resident of Sleepy Ruralshire. I'd probably attract the attention of a police helicopter.
(EDIT: this was in response to comments above about setting off handheld NOT PARACHUTE ones, apologies for ambiguity)
(EDIT: this was in response to comments above about setting off handheld NOT PARACHUTE ones, apologies for ambiguity)
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GEM43
Well-Known Member
It’s a pretty stupid thing to do in sleepy ruralshire too, flares can fall to the ground alight and could cause plenty of problems.
Roberto
Well-Known Member
Or just find the one is disagreeing with whatever is being done at political level at the given time
Mark-1
Well-Known Member
That's how I disposed of my last handhelds. I rigged up a jigg in my garden so I didn't have to touch them and let the coloured ones off in my garden in daylight (1.5km from the sea) and then let the smokes off at night on a beach. I can't imagine anyone would be dumb enough to let one off on a dry lawn
I spent over three months trying to dispose of mine by legitimate means (posted on there about it). If there was a chandler willing to take them for £££ nobody mentioned it on here. I certainly couldn't find one. The CG did offer to take them (near Daedalus) but they were so disorganized it never worked out and after 3 attempts I gave up.
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Mark-1
Well-Known Member
Or just find the one is disagreeing with whatever is being done at political level at the given time
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Or celebrate ending a race by letting them off. That's definitely acceptable, especially if a sponsor pays for the scorched boat.
oldmanofthehills
Well-Known Member
Unlike fireworks which cause acres of moorland to be destroyed plus numerous sheds and even kitchens?
No one i suggesting rocket flares should be tested inland, only handhelds and any child who has ever held a sparkler knows the basic drill for that.
At a risk of being banned I would suggest that the UK Govs down on flares is part of their process of cracking down on minor risks if they are low hanging fruit that affect few people
justanothersailboat
Well-Known Member
I was writing in response to comments above who specified non parachute ones, suggesting that posters who thought there might be a chance to try them privately might be a bit optimistic and/or living in rather enviable circumstances. I'm sorry I didn't provide a complete replication of pre existing context. I'm not in favour of doing it!
GEM43
Well-Known Member
Just like fireworks.
ylop
Well-Known Member
Your confidence in the baseline common sense of the population is higher than mine!
DreadShips
Well-Known Member
I'm not sure any amount of regulation can counter the sort of mind that sets their own kitchen on fire with fireworks. Like, sooner or later you're still inevitably going to turn around and find them merrily trying to distil petrol on an open stove or something.
boomerangben
Well-Known Member
I would suggest that if you are practicing using flares in an environment that won’t trigger prosecution or a wasted call out that you have a big bucket of water to dump the flare in, just in case things don’t got to plan (and when the flare is spent but still hot). The huge bonus of doing it on a boat is that you are surrounded by the biggest fire extinguisher on planet earth and of course should provide some comfort to nervous users in real situations that if it becomes scary, just drop it over board. It won’t stop burning, but at least it won’t burn you.
RunAgroundHard
Well-Known Member
Practicing setting off a flare, handheld or rocket, is a stupid idea. The risk of an incident at a practice session, compared to the risk of an incident at sea requiring pyrotechnics is greater. Flares have different methods of activation between manufacturers such as striking like a match, pulling a string trigger in the base, or pulling a string trigger at the live end, twist and strike with palm of hand triggers.
In my view, reading the instructions on the flare body, consulting the manufactures data, watching YouTube, attending sea survival courses, sailing course all can provide the data you need to fire a pyrotechnic safely without needing to put yourself at risk, for an emergency you will likely never experience.
Some of the YouTube videos that I have watched, show the rocket being launched in front of the body, or the hand held being ignited in front of the of the body. They should be triggered to the side of the body in case the cartridge separates from the handle or blows back, and be triggered over the side, stern to reduce risk of being dropped in the boat. The instructions don’t make the body position clear. I keep a set of leather gauntlets and safety glasses in my flare box.
If you own pyrotechnics, just read the instructions, think about how they could be triggered on your boat, and you will have done everything you need to use them safely.
In my view, reading the instructions on the flare body, consulting the manufactures data, watching YouTube, attending sea survival courses, sailing course all can provide the data you need to fire a pyrotechnic safely without needing to put yourself at risk, for an emergency you will likely never experience.
Some of the YouTube videos that I have watched, show the rocket being launched in front of the body, or the hand held being ignited in front of the of the body. They should be triggered to the side of the body in case the cartridge separates from the handle or blows back, and be triggered over the side, stern to reduce risk of being dropped in the boat. The instructions don’t make the body position clear. I keep a set of leather gauntlets and safety glasses in my flare box.
If you own pyrotechnics, just read the instructions, think about how they could be triggered on your boat, and you will have done everything you need to use them safely.
oldmanofthehills
Well-Known Member
That’s a bit like fighter pilots never firing their canon or missiles in practice just because they might never need to fight them in anger
No one on a sinking or boat will have time to fully recall or read the instructions
No one on a sinking or boat will have time to fully recall or read the instructions
GEM43
Well-Known Member
I can’t help thinking that this entire conversation is archaic and in the modern world largely irrelevant. The RNLI have ceased using maroons for a reason, the pagers are better. Likewise I can’t imagine why one would mess about, other than as a last resort, firing parachute rockets when one’s time would be better used triggering the EPIRB/PLB/DSC and making voice comms with VHF/Satcomms/Mobile phone. I can see that white handheld flares might be relevant to illuminate the boat to a sleepy OOW and maybe smokes for helo ID. But there are more modern better options for these functions also? Maybe pyro should go the way of maroons?
penberth3
Well-Known Member
Oh come on, it really isn't that difficult.
Capt Popeye
Well-Known Member
Humm well quite so , but anything that Electronics requires someone else with similar , thats turned ON plus being monitored , at that time , surely ? Flares only require good eyesight to WORK , plus someone looking it that direction ; Non boating peoples can , will , do report Flares , wheras Electronis alarms will only work with similar alarms , surely
NormanS
Well-Known Member
As has already been pointed out, different pyrotechnics have different operating methods. OK, they're outmoded, but it would have been so much better if all makes had had the same system of firing. Offhand, I can't think of any other lawful and sensible activity where you are discouraged from practice, so that in an emergency you don't know what to do.
