PLB or flares

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Slackie

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I have a new-to-me boat which has an out-of-date (2006) offshore flarepack. For coastal cruising (Solent - Weymouth) I need a reliable suppliment to fixed VHF for emergencies. Much of my sailing is single-handed.

My choices are a PLB or replacing the flarepack. It seems to me that a PLB is more likely to be useful for single-handed sailing, as I could carry it on my lifejacket & at least have some chance of summoning help if I went overboard. But replacement flares are conventional wisdom, and if one doesn't work, then at least the rest probably will.

In a few months I'll both replace flares & get a PLB, but with limited finances my question is which to prioritise...?

I'd welcome your thoughts.

Thanks,

Nige
 
PLB. Flares are potentially dangerous, they can't be launched from the sea except in perfect conditions but if you fall are MOB you can activate your PLB. The PLB gives a continuous fix but the flares require lots of guesswork. Maybe supplement with a small handheld VHF.
 
PLB and keep your existing flarepack. Get a coastal flarepack when budget allows. It is easy to keep your PLB in a pocket, so you can use it if you go overboard or if you stay on board. Flares serve a different purpose and are still useful. To me it is not an "either / or" question, but how many flares do you need to supplement your other safety devices.

I am not recommending that anyone set off out of date flares, but over the course of last summer I set off about 20 out of date hand flares. Most worked fine. Failure rate was about 10-15% from memory (2 or 3 just didn't fire).

I checked first to make sure they weren't the defective ones that caused the accident a few years ago.
 
Flares.

They alert the bloke in the boat half a mile away who can be alongside in minutes, not a CG in a control room in the middle of Milton Keynes, who is going to check out who the PLB is registered to, call the registered contact to establish if it's a false alarm, and only then task rescue assets who'll take time to launch a boat or a helo, and longer to get to you, where they might find you, still alive.

Between the Solent and Weymouth the chance of flares being spotted is very high.
 
Just wondering what the insurance implications are of not having up to date flares? I haven't checked but I'm guessing it's probably a requirement

Then again - if you are strapped for cash - may be you haven't got insurance ;-)
 
Slackie said:
I have a new-to-me boat which has an out-of-date (2006) offshore flarepack. For coastal cruising (Solent - Weymouth) I need a reliable suppliment to fixed VHF for emergencies. Much of my sailing is single-handed.

My choices are a PLB or replacing the flarepack. It seems to me that a PLB is more likely to be useful for single-handed sailing, as I could carry it on my lifejacket & at least have some chance of summoning help if I went overboard. But replacement flares are conventional wisdom, and if one doesn't work, then at least the rest probably will.

In a few months I'll both replace flares & get a PLB, but with limited finances my question is which to prioritise...?

I'd welcome your thoughts.

Thanks,

Nige
Click to expand...

For coastal cruising -
1. Flares & smoke . Can be seen from shore as well as other boats. Many lifeboat shouts are activated by public ashore.
2. DSC radio. Coastguard and other local boats know your problem and location.
3. Epirb. I've just spoken to Falmouth CG EPIRB dept. to get my facts straight. With a GPS EPIRB, you are looking at 5-15 minutes before alert is sent out BUT, with a non GPS EPIRB, it can be between 1 and 2 hours, depending on the position of the sats to get a good position fix, in which case, in UK waters with no life raft it may well become a body search.
 
Since we're only talking about a few months before he does both, I would have thought the answer is obvious - PLB now and rely on the out-of-date flares until you get new ones in a few months. The only question he has now is priority.
That way he immediately adds something to his inventory that he doesn't currently have.
 
bbg said:
Since we're only talking about a few months before he does both, I would have thought the answer is obvious - PLB now and rely on the out-of-date flares until you get new ones in a few months. The only question he has now is priority.
That way he immediately adds something to his inventory that he doesn't currently have.
Click to expand...

I'd agree with that.
 
I have both a Fastfind 210 PLB and flares. When I bought mine the CG website said the delay, with a GPS feed could be up to 45 minutes. The delay without a fix could be over an hour. Even with such a small time difference, the small price difference between the 200 and 210 made it a no brainer for me. One thing I would say is that my PLB stays in the inside pocket of my jacket with a floating cover and a lanyard around my neck. I worry about cold hands if I were to be in the water.
If I had a serious problem on the boat, DSC/VHF would be my first thought, then probably Flares if I knew there was someone to see it. If not, then PLB.
Another plus for PLB is that I sail on other boat (deliveries) which I transfer my PLB onto for the duration of the trip. I don't like the idea of carrying flares on trains etc. and you can't always be sure what is on the boat when you get there.
Allan
 
If you need a HHVHF as well,maybe a Standard Horizon HX851E,which has inbuilt GPS/DSC,is the way to go.Apart from a shortish battery life,and a bit bulky,it ticks all my boxes for single handed sailing.It lives in one of my BA pockets,across from the Miniflares.
Cheers
 
Of course the 'ideal' answer is both. But I get really annoyed with the argument that goes along the lines 'what's £100 (or whatever) when it comes to safety'. Most of us only have so many £100s to go around, and ultimately one has to make a choice with everything, even though it may not be ideal and may incur some degree of risk.

As a mainly single-hander I've made my choice and it's a PLB from now on for me. Just HOW long it is safer to carry well out of date flares rather than ditch them is an interesting question.

As to 'insurance implications' .... as one who actually reads every word of the small print on such documents I can say that mine certainly has no specific requirements in this area.

Vic
 
Caiman, HH VHF with DSC/GPS are not cheap. Read the OP.
Around here I must carry 3 red flares, they have just run out. Replacing them is not much of a dent in the (small) sailing budget. I carry a water proof HH VHF, but not always clipped to my manual l/J.
PLBs sound good, if it worries you. Personaly I will rely on my own resources to get out of trouble, so far, so good.
 
One presumes you are talking about a PLB which has a 406MHz capability rather than a simple 121.5/243 (which are more or less obsolete). A PLB on it's own is not the full solution. You need to make sure that the aerial gets sufficient height without you having to hold it above your head with one hand whilst paddling with the other. I wear a lifejacket every day at work with a PLB with external aerial which runs up the stole and a day/night flare in the pocket. To me the PLB gets the 999 call out so to speak. Once the lifeboat/SAR helicopter arrives on scene, they could still take a while to home in on your PLB. However a smoke/flare will get you found more quickly.

So to answer, get a decent PLB and a day night flare to go in a lifejacket pocket.

Or even better, don't fall in!
 
People say that a flare will be seen, I'd say maybe, and once the flares are fired, then what? The PLB will continue transmitting for a good many hours.

IMHO flares are old dangerous technology, for a single hander, who looks after you if the flare missfires?

However, you do need two orange smoke and two red HH flares for the SAR guys to home in on.

bbg offers very sound advice. But dont use the flares unless you absolutely have to.
 
galadriel said:
..... flares are old dangerous technology, for a single hander, who looks after you if the flare missfires?

However, you do need two orange smoke and two red HH flares for the SAR guys to home in on ...
Click to expand...

On one hand they are dangerous and old technology, on the other "you do need" flares. A bit confusing galadriel.

Fact - you dont need any pyrotechnic if the SAR has made visual contact with you.
 
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