PLB or flares

galadriel said:
However, you do need two orange smoke and two red HH flares for the SAR guys to home in on.
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In your pocket, when you've just fallen in and the boats drifting away :confused: On a nice summer day I might just about tolerate a small PLB affixed to me in some way but certainly not an entire flare pack. :) On board I would have at least two VHF's to talk to them on.

Vic
 
I'm going with:
DSC on the boat (cockpit mic)
PLB at the top of the companionway - on my LJ when solo.
In-date day/night flare on LJ.
/Slightly/ out-of-date coastal flare pack on the boat - maybe next year I'll replace that with an inshore pack.
 
BlowingOldBoots said:
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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If it's a helo he may be quite glad of a flare or smaoke to judge the local wind.

Equally how did he localise you without the smoke/flare.

Yes flares are potentially dangerous, but so is crossing the road yet many of us manage to do that every day. Almost everything has a risk attached to it, the balance here is between the risk of injury from the pyrotechnic and the risk of not being rescued.
 
maxi77 said:
If it's a helo he may be quite glad of a flare or smaoke to judge the local wind.

Equally how did he localise you without the smoke/flare.

Yes flares are potentially dangerous, but so is crossing the road yet many of us manage to do that every day. Almost everything has a risk attached to it, the balance here is between the risk of injury from the pyrotechnic and the risk of not being rescued.
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A friend of mine who flies for the CG says it is easy to judge the wind when you are flying.
He can, and prefers to localise on a PLB signal.
I have been in the water wearing a lifejacket a few times and can't imagine lighting a firework and keeping it out of the water.
Allan
 
Take two different scenarios.

First, you are single handed on your boat but have need to summon SAR assistance. Firing a flare may be seen, and once the flares are fired that is it, gone, done. Added to that, if one of the flares miss fires burning you, and you still have not raised the alarm, you have only made your situation worse.

Pressing the button on an EPIRB or PLB will be acknowledged and you are no worse off than before you pressed the button. You will of course already have sent s DSC alarm, unless of course, say your mast is down.

When the SAR boys come looking for you, and the helio is in sight and are trying to spot you, then, during the day an orange smoke or at night a red HH will tell the SAR exactly where you are. If then the flare malfunctions, rescue is on hand.

However, if you have a GPS PLB or EPIRB, then really you dont need the flares at all.

Second scenario, you are single handed and in the water, you better have a gps PLB, anything else is about as effective as a chocolate teapot.
 
galadriel said:
Take two different scenarios.

First, you are single handed on your boat but have need to summon SAR assistance. Firing a flare may be seen, and once the flares are fired that is it, gone, done. Added to that, if one of the flares miss fires burning you, and you still have not raised the alarm, you have only made your situation worse.

Pressing the button on an EPIRB or PLB will be acknowledged and you are no worse off than before you pressed the button. You will of course already have sent s DSC alarm, unless of course, say your mast is down.

When the SAR boys come looking for you, and the helio is in sight and are trying to spot you, then, during the day an orange smoke or at night a red HH will tell the SAR exactly where you are. If then the flare malfunctions, rescue is on hand.

However, if you have a GPS PLB or EPIRB, then really you dont need the flares at all.

Second scenario, you are single handed and in the water, you better have a gps PLB, anything else is about as effective as a chocolate teapot.
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Third scenario, boat is inshore, has struck a rock, is sinking rapidly. Flare is fired, nearby boats rush to your rescue, you step aboard without even getting your socks wet.
 
Csail said:
Get plb/epirb and a pack of mini flares.
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Totally agree.
If you are still in the boat you have your radio, PLB and out of date flares.
If you fall over the side, you are not going to have a big bag of flares in your pocket, but you should have your PLB and a pack of mini flares in one pocket and a HH VHF would be useful in t'other.
 
Thanks for all the advice, guys.

I've just bought a FastFind 210 PLB (with GPS). Hope I don't have to put your advice to the test ... or at least if I do I'll be able to report how well it worked :D
 
If you keep your flares/replace them, get yourself a pair of welders gauntlets and pack them in your flare pack. Then you can hang onto to the flaming thing and not get burnt.
 
What do you need?

Notwithstanding all of the hugely informed and experienced opinion that we always get on this site (and my tongue is NOT in my cheek!): What are we legally obliged to carry? As a frequent singlehander, my intellectual bent is towards a PLB (which I have had for 2 years), and dump the flares.
 
alisdair4 said:
Notwithstanding all of the hugely informed and experienced opinion that we always get on this site (and my tongue is NOT in my cheek!): What are we legally obliged to carry? As a frequent singlehander, my intellectual bent is towards a PLB (which I have had for 2 years), and dump the flares.
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If you are talking about UK - NOTHING. ....but you do seem to be in Germany:rolleyes:
 
Slackie said:
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.
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I had to make the same choice, for the same reasons. PLB.

If you go swimabout while single-handed, the PLB is the only thing that is going to stop your wife becoming a widow.

BTW, my PLB sits neatly inside the cover of my lifejacket, completely inconspicious. If the lifejacket inflates it will be bouncing around on my chest, attached by a lanyard, waiting for me to set it off.
 
Stupid question?

I have looked at the Marinestore website and a few others but none of them seem to offer the mini flare packs, the ones with the little plunger thingy for firing, as recommended by the RNLI Seacheck chappy.

Can anyone tell me where to find them please?

Thank you,
 
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