Personal Safety devices

[AntarcticPilot]

I'm considering buying a safety device that I can wear on my lifejacket. As I sail single-handed, my first line of defense is not to go overboard, but if everything conspires against me and I end up in the water, I'd like to have a last-ditch system. My sailing is coastal, with the possibility of a trip across the North Sea to Holland or even Germany. However, it seems there are two different technologies available, at roughly similar prices, and I can't see which is more appropriate for my situation. I'm looking at the Ocean Rescue PLB1 and MOB1, but they seem to be representative of the two types

1. PLB; effectively a mini-EPIRB. with a "last mile" homing beacon and a strobe light. As far as I can see, NOT automatic deployment
2. MOB - effectively a DSC transmitter and AIS beacon; also a strobe light. Plus point is that it can be set up to deploy automatically.

On the face of it, the second appears to be more appropriate for my usual sailing; THe DSC transmission has a maximum range of 5 miles, but I will rarely be more than that from other vessels. But crossing the North Sea, I could well be further than that from other vessels.

I'd appreciate comments from those with experience of this type of device. The prices are almost identical.

 

[ctva]

PLB will be picked up by the CG and all ships in the area alerted. AIS requires ships within as you say 5 or so miles or someone onboard your boat to come and get you. But if you have a HH VHF, just call them.

PLB every time for me.

 

[Concerto]

I sail single handed and have a PLB. To me it increases massively the chance of being picked up if I went overboard.

 

[Sandy]

I'd go for the PLB, but there should be a PLB/AIS beacon made. I want to alert the CG that I've gone for a swim and send the lifeboat AND everybody locally as they doze at the wheel.

 

[jamie N]

PLB gives the best option for being rescued I reckon.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Thanks - so far it's unanimous! I guess the DSC/AIS one is really aimed at people with a crew so that they can find the MOB. Given that I could well be watching Capricious merrily sailing away into the sunset under auto-pilot, something with a longer range seems better. Is there a PLB that operates automatically? The DSC one uses a lanyard attached to the lifejacket, and that seems sensible - if I go overboard it will be as a result of something pretty major happening, and there must be a high chance of me not being able to operate a PLB.

 

[Boathook]

Personally I have a PLB on my lifejacket. If there was always other crew on the boat able to turn round and comeback for me, etc then I might consider the MOB AIS.

In an ideal world you might have both or a combined unit, but then it is bulkier / more to attach to a lifejacket.

 

[pandos]

For me a plb, a knife to cut the tether, a lifejacket with a hood, and a HH vhf.

I think I saw recently a plb that will self deploy and one that received an acknowledgement that the signal had been received by the CG

Recently read a story about an Australian who fell from his yacht, had to cut his tether, and was eventually saved by the PLB and from secondary drowning by the hood on the jacket.

New hammer life jacket, with hood is the next purchase...

 

[lustyd]

"Close" to land without crew it's PLB every time in my book. Relying on others to react to DSC would not make me feel safe. Away from land with a crew it's AIS every time since your rescuer is on your own boat. It's counterintuitive but I think more useful that way around.

 

[dunedin]

I'm considering buying a safety device that I can wear on my lifejacket. As I sail single-handed, my first line of defense is not to go overboard, but if everything conspires against me and I end up in the water, I'd like to have a last-ditch system. My sailing is coastal, with the possibility of a trip across the North Sea to Holland or even Germany. However, it seems there are two different technologies available, at roughly similar prices, and I can't see which is more appropriate for my situation. I'm looking at the Ocean Rescue PLB1 and MOB1, but they seem to be representative of the two types

1. PLB; effectively a mini-EPIRB. with a "last mile" homing beacon and a strobe light. As far as I can see, NOT automatic deployment
2. MOB - effectively a DSC transmitter and AIS beacon; also a strobe light. Plus point is that it can be set up to deploy automatically.

On the face of it, the second appears to be more appropriate for my usual sailing; THe DSC transmission has a maximum range of 5 miles, but I will rarely be more than that from other vessels. But crossing the North Sea, I could well be further than that from other vessels.

I'd appreciate comments from those with experience of this type of device. The prices are almost identical.

I must be pessimistic, as when solo I tend to try to carry all three of
- handheld VHF attached to life jacket waist strap
- MOB1 AIS carried inside life jacket - of most use when got crew on board
- PLB in pocket
VHF perhaps most likely to be of use, if other boats in the vicinity. The chandlery that sold me it cheerfully told me the PLB helps find the body if fall into cold waters

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I'm interested in the number of people suggesting hand-held VHF. I hadn't considered that, mainly because a) it is a relatively bulky piece of equipment and b) of little use if I'm not conscious and capable. I also suspect that the range of a hand-held VHF from a person in the water would be very small, because of the shielding effect of waves, and would also be very intermittent as the MOB goes into the trough of the waves. A DSC set would allow the transmission of a MAYDAY signal, which would be digital and hence more likely to get through under adverse conditions, but I'd suspect that the practical range of a VHF from a person at sea-level would be tiny, and that voice communications might well be impractical in the sort of conditions where I'd be likely to be overboard.
I'm considering equipment that all being well will never be used in anger! I clip on when out of the cockpit, and also in the cockpit in rough weather. From a very early age, I learnt the maxim "one hand for the ship and one for yourself". As I will mainly be sailing single-handed, I can't rely on a rescue from my own boat, and on the East Coast it would be quite easy to be more than 5 miles from another vessel.

 

[lustyd]

A DSC set would allow the transmission

Only if you have it on you, and the DSC hand helds are MASSIVE so realistically you never will have it on you.

 

[dunedin]

I'm interested in the number of people suggesting hand-held VHF. I hadn't considered that, mainly because a) it is a relatively bulky piece of equipment and b) of little use if I'm not conscious and capable.

A VHF isn’t very bulky - eg I carry this Standard Horizon HX300E - Handheld VHF
Sure it won’t help if already unconscious - and has limited range. But I would be sodding annoyed to be OB and conscious with the boat sailing away on autopilot, other boats in the area, but unable to contact anybody.
Clearly sometimes in remote locations few other boats around then the PLB may be better In theory, but cold may get you before rescue does. I was first responder to a Mayday this year, relatively close to civilisation - but still took fast lifeboat over 45 minutes to arrive after launching. Fortunately casualty had dry suit on and managed to get out of the water long before lifeboat arrived - though it was still welcome as casualty was stuck on foreshore with no way up cliff behind, and I could not get close due to rocks and lee shore.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I've been researching PLB's and it seems that all of them require manual activation. If I'm wrong, please let me know! But to my mind that makes them far less useful - ideally, I'd like the thing to activate if my lifejacket inflates (the Ocean Signal MOB1 does this). I am working on the basis that an event sufficiently catastrophic to get me overboard is also likely to render me unconscious or otherwise incapable (broken bones etc); as I noted before this is very much a last line of defense.

 

[bedouin]

I'm interested in the number of people suggesting hand-held VHF. I hadn't considered that, mainly because a) it is a relatively bulky piece of equipment and b) of little use if I'm not conscious and capable. I also suspect that the range of a hand-held VHF from a person in the water would be very small, because of the shielding effect of waves, and would also be very intermittent as the MOB goes into the trough of the waves.

But AIS is just a VHF so has the same problems with range as the HH VHF. That is enough IMHO to rule it out for a single-hander.

 

[lustyd]

But AIS is just a VHF so has the same problems with range as the HH VHF. That is enough IMHO to rule it out for a single-hander.

An AIS emergency is a very small transmission and is digital. It repeats continuously too, and only one message needs to get through. Not the same proposition at all, espcially given that it's designed to contact the boat you just fell off of which you're very close to.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

An AIS emergency is a very small transmission and is digital. It repeats continuously too, and only one message needs to get through. Not the same proposition at all, espcially given that it's designed to contact the boat you just fell off of which you're very close to.

But the boat I just fell off is now unmanned.....

 

[Elemental]

I have both. Truthfully the McMurdo PLB is seldom with me (at night I sometime put it in my pocket) but the MOB AIS unit is in my life-jacket which is ALWAYS with me. The North Sea is a fairly populated place - one way or another and CG antenna are very high up, and very sensitive. I prefer to take my chances with something that is definitely with me. Ideally both, but on a budget and for primarily coastal sailing with occasional forays offshore I'd plump for the MOB AIS.
Just my opinion...

 

[ashtead]

I wonder if a PLB once set off is likely to be taken more seriously by recipient than an AIS which has limited range given the unmanned boat is unlikely to be a responder.

 

[William_H]

Here in Oz (west) situation is I think some what different in that to my understanding DSC and AIS are not so commonly used. Perhaps because larger area and less boats/ships. However the 406mhz EPIRB is a legal requirement to have beyond 3Nm from shore. To complicate the issue a PLB is not seen as meeting the requirements due to shorter battery life. But obviously a PLB will work. Having a beacon with GPS is likely to become mandatory soon. Currently it seems like every few weeks the news covers a rescue where EPIRB saved the day and rescue authorities are well organised to rescue quickly. (and cheaply if GPS coordinates are given)
However it does take time to get the message through and organise a helicopter. Perhaps too long for cold water survival. Having a PLB might conversely encourage you to take risks which you would not without PLB. Staying on board is only survival technique. ol'will