PLB on every lifejacket

Hmmmm. Good for single handers? For full crew surely an ais beacon would be better? So can't be a general rule?
 
Not sure, it all starts to become a bit OTT.
 
Greetings, my McMurdo PLB lives permanently on my l-j belt, in a little pouch. Also attached by a lanyard.

I wish I could practice ripping the tab off and pulling out the aerial, (which must be held clear of the sea to reach a satellite, sounds awkward tbh if you are floating in your l-j with numb hands, waves breaking in your face, cold dark and scared...) but you can't practice without setting it off.

When I replace it with a new one, that will be slightly different so I won't get to practice triggering it either..
But I will practice on the old one, after disabling it with a hammer, better than nothing.
 
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5 LJs on board, 5 PLBs, one on each jacket. It's been that way since we bought the boat, on the basis that I don't reserve a safety standard for myself that I won't extend to others. Always brief crew on their use. If doing it today though, I would probably spec up small AIS beacons.
 
It seems to me that PLB is not ideal for a person falling out of a tender.
1) the guaranteed response time is too slow
2) the time for the GPS to fix may be too long.
3) it requires that you are conscious and probably wearing your lifejacket.
4) in harbour, there is a possibility of it being dismissed as a false alarm, particularly if the contact details are not up to date.
5) in some mooring areas, would you actually have satellite coverage?
 
Admittedly my use might be different to most as I work on a ship and spend over 100 nights a year living on it but I carry two PLBs, one in the pocket of my LJ and one in a grab box (waterproof sandwich box) by my bunk in my cabin just in case I need to abandon with one of the abandonment LJs rather than my own. For the money they cost it's peace of mind. I also have an AIS beacon in my LJ so my own ship could come back for me if I became an MOB.

Next time you're considering a bit of new Gucci kit for your boat consider spending the money on a PLB for yourself.
 
lw395 said:
4) in harbour, there is a possibility of it being dismissed as a false alarm, particularly if the contact details are not up to date.
Click to expand...
Is that really going to happen? I can't imagine HMC standing up in a coroners court trying to explain that.
 
Quiddle said:
Is that really going to happen? I can't imagine HMC standing up in a coroners court trying to explain that.
Click to expand...
In the US, the majority of 406 alerts do not result in any rescue action. Most are false alarms and checks are made before action.
I don't have figures to hand for the UK or elsewhere.
Read the report on the fishing boat that sank. A PLB is not 'beam me up Scotty', it's the start of a process intended for long range rescue.
The response times can easily be well beyond the time you want to be in the water.
Don't get me wrong, PLBs are good things and might save you, but they are not guaranteed to work miracles.
A tender is like a motorbike. You need to face the fact that if you fall off it, you might die.
Not getting in situations where you are likely to fall off is a better answer than any rescue gadget.
Being prepared to save yourself and/or your crew is another thing to think about.

In many places, maybe a 999 call would work better?
There's no substitute for actually telling someone what's going on.
 
This is all very admirable and yes some will adopt the practice.
However, the reality: So many sail without wearing any sort of life jacket let alone attaching a PLB!

If you can't convince someone to wear an LJ then having a PLB attached to it is useless, when you're over the side and your LJ with a PLB is onboard!
 
I am mostly singlehanded and wear a LJ and PLB. I have one of these https://marinestore.co.uk/Merchant2...TFHWu1NzHLp19fEvd5Ku4m_2rUdjNnsRoCM-QQAvD_BwE which is the smallest one i could find so it fits inside the cover of my LJ fixed with the supplied parts to the oral inflation tube of my LJ. This means that even if my LJ automatically inflates i will easily be able to locate and activate my PLB. With an inflated LJ in the water it may be very difficult to locate your PLB if it is in a pocket or belt pouch.

Www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk
 
At least it makes us reflect on our own practices, which must be a good thing. I have to admit I am less consistent than I would wish
Currently I have one PLB on board, which is carried by whoever is on watch at night, when lifejacket and lifeline is also standard practice. We usually sail two up, so no problems of several people on watch at the same time. During the day, lifejackets are only worn when the weather is bad and the danger of falling overboard is more than hypothetical. When we wear a lifejacket we will always clip on. Not going overboard is top priority.
When sailing solo I always carry my lifejacket, though not always clipped on, and the PLB is often though not consistently in my pocket.
I recently did a transatlantic trip on a friend's boat and my PLB was in the pocket of my foul weather jacket, which I did not have to wear very often.
I am sure I am not alone in such a checkered behaviour. I have to add in my defense that when the kids were young they always wore a lifejacket and were always clipped on on deck.
I think I am going to buy a second PLB so that both our lifejackets can be permanently fitted with one. I should really have done that when I bought two new state of the art lifejackets at the start of the season.
 
Plum said:
I am mostly singlehanded and wear a LJ and PLB. I have one of these https://marinestore.co.uk/Merchant2...TFHWu1NzHLp19fEvd5Ku4m_2rUdjNnsRoCM-QQAvD_BwE which is the smallest one i could find so it fits inside the cover of my LJ fixed with the supplied parts to the oral inflation tube of my LJ. This means that even if my LJ automatically inflates i will easily be able to locate and activate my PLB. With an inflated LJ in the water it may be very difficult to locate your PLB if it is in a pocket or belt pouch.

Www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk
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+1 for inside the LJ cover and attached by lanyard.
 
Its interesting that Ocean Signal sell a PLB that can fit in a lifejacket cover attached to an inflation tube and an AIS MOB beacon that also fit to the same inflation tube. The current problem is which to fit as there is only one inflation tube which is only long enough for one device. How many more years do we have to wait for the certification authorities (whoever they are) to allow both functions to be fitted into the same device?
 
Adonnante said:
Its interesting that Ocean Signal sell a PLB that can fit in a lifejacket cover attached to an inflation tube and an AIS MOB beacon that also fit to the same inflation tube. The current problem is which to fit as there is only one inflation tube
Click to expand...
I've spent some time thinking over the options. This winter there will be two of us on board and we intend to sail through the winter months. I expect we will encounter low light, reduced vis, significant weather changes and sea states. If one of us goes overboard the odds of the other keeping the MOB in sight whilst carrying out the necessary actions are slim to zero. Taken the decision to have two of the AIS MOB fitted to our lifejackets which we always wear. Boat has full AIS so chances are increased that we could at least get back to the MOB quickly. 406 type PLB really isn't going to help self rescue which I think is the best chance of surviving a MOB in winter weather. Yes we do also clip on when it's rough or we go on deck but things can happen and having other options once the worst has happened makes sense to me.
 
lw395 said:
In the US, the majority of 406 alerts do not result in any rescue action. Most are false alarms and checks are made before action.
I don't have figures to hand for the UK or elsewhere.
Read the report on the fishing boat that sank. A PLB is not 'beam me up Scotty', it's the start of a process intended for long range rescue.
The response times can easily be well beyond the time you want to be in the water.
Don't get me wrong, PLBs are good things and might save you, but they are not guaranteed to work miracles.
A tender is like a motorbike. You need to face the fact that if you fall off it, you might die.
Not getting in situations where you are likely to fall off is a better answer than any rescue gadget.
Being prepared to save yourself and/or your crew is another thing to think about.

In many places, maybe a 999 call would work better?
There's no substitute for actually telling someone what's going on.
Click to expand...

All of which is no doubt true but doesn't equate to the UK Coastguard dismissing a PLB alert, which is the bit that caught my eye.
 
Plum said:
I am mostly singlehanded and wear a LJ and PLB. I have one of these https://marinestore.co.uk/Merchant2...TFHWu1NzHLp19fEvd5Ku4m_2rUdjNnsRoCM-QQAvD_BwE which is the smallest one i could find so it fits inside the cover of my LJ fixed with the supplied parts to the oral inflation tube of my LJ. This means that even if my LJ automatically inflates i will easily be able to locate and activate my PLB. With an inflated LJ in the water it may be very difficult to locate your PLB if it is in a pocket or belt pouch.

Www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk
Click to expand...

Greetings that's a good point about reaching a PLB on the belt, undoing a pouch zip one-handed, etc.
I might copy you when I get a new PLB..especially as they are getting so tiny these days, thanks for the tip.
 
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