Tranona
Well-known member
I looked into this in detail a few years ago. There was an annual summary of all the EPIRB activations (probably still is), by location and type of activator. Leaving aside the large number of false alerts, the vast majority were in or around Australia, the Pacific and the coasts of N America - all areas with poor VHF coverage . The biggest source was from land based activations followed by light aircraft and way behind marine. Almost none of the marine activations came from European waters. This may of course changed a bit with increased number of yachts fitting them, but for the European coastal waters VHF is still dominant and the need for EPIRBs limited.I was told today by someone 'quite significant' in the HM Coastguard operations world that of the 600+ 406MhZ EPIRB alerts he's had to deal with, only 5 were valid emergencies.
No, this is exactly 'as reported'.....
It is obvious from the very low level of serious losses of yachts (or even ships) in European waters that the combination of VHF, mobiles and superb rescue services there is little need for additional means of contact when help is required.
Of course it is different offshore when these means get lost, but any responsible sailor knows this and uses the mechanisms that are more appropriate.
It is all about risk assessment and it is clear that many assess that the chances of getting into a situation where only pyrotechnic flares might be effective are very small and do not justify having them on board.