What safety flares should I have for coastal sailing

[Adrian62]

When we eventually get in the water , I was wondering what safety flares people usually carry , The ones on my new to me boat were 10 years out of date so I was thinking of replacing them with either a new coastal set or are these electronic led ones any good such as the Odeo ones , The led one is more expensive but are safer and should last longer. It only for short coastal trips might do a channel crossing next year once I have some more experience .

 

[[70521]]

The choice is up to you. Personally, I carry an Offshore Pack, plus some extra white ones. Others think that pyrotechnics are the devils spawn.

If you are in French territorial waters your pyrotechnics must be in date otherwise you will find yourself in the Bastille.

 

[Kukri]

A chandler will sell you a ‘coastal pack’. I recommend buying a couple of extra white ones as you can use one for practice without having the RNLI and a chopper turn up.

Don’t buy them before you need to and be sure to check the dates.

 

[Norman_E]

How big is your boat? If under 13.7 metres LOA, which for this purpose is calculated by a formula which actually allows for a somewhat longer boat, then you are not required to carry any. If you really want to have them, then a coastal pack should do, but keep a pair of welders gauntlet gloves with them and wear them if you ever want to fire one. Personally I regard them as too dangerous to carry, and have an Odeo LED job. If I sailed in UK waters I would carry a couple of white handheld flares, but not any others, particularly the rocket type. I knew someone who was killed by one of those in Turkey.

Even for collision avoidance I regard an AIS transceiver as a better choice.

 

[Kukri]

The rocket type are not included in coastal packs afaik.
I don’t see how you can grip the ring pull wearing gauntlets. I’ve used a few white ones and on one occasion a red hand held with no ill effects.

 

[thinwater]

How big is your boat? If under 13.7 metres LOA, which for this purpose is calculated by a formula which actually allows for a somewhat longer boat, then you are not required to carry any. If you really want to have them, then a coastal pack should do, but keep a pair of welders gauntlet gloves with them and wear them if you ever want to fire one. Personally I regard them as too dangerous to carry, and have an Odeo LED job. If I sailed in UK waters I would carry a couple of white handheld flares, but not any others, particularly the rocket type. I knew someone who was killed by one of those in Turkey.

Even for collision avoidance I regard an AIS transceiver as a better choice.

Do the Odeo flares meet any regulatory carriage requirements? The USCG has a standard for elelctronic SOS devices, but they do not meet that (3 products do, about $80-250 USD). The USCG has not yet developed standards for a hand-held electronic flare. I am not familiar with UK and Euro requirements, so I was hoping someone would explain. The Odeo is interesting. I'm not a big fan of pyro.

Realistically, people summon help with EPIRB, radio, or a cell phone, and the flare is only for approach signalling. Realisticall, I doubt I would recognize a flare as a distress signal unless it was quite near. Otherwise, it's just a boat in the distance.

 

[Tintin]

Coastal pack plus 2 whites plus a floating orange marker.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

The rocket type are not included in coastal packs afaik.
I don’t see how you can grip the ring pull wearing gauntlets. I’ve used a few white ones and on one occasion a red hand held with no ill effects.

Use some light line to put lanyards on the rings, like you would have on a snapshackle.

 

[Norman_E]

Do the Odeo flares meet any regulatory carriage requirements? The USCG has a standard for elelctronic SOS devices, but they do not meet that (3 products do, about $80-250 USD). The USCG has not yet developed standards for a hand-held electronic flare. I am not familiar with UK and Euro requirements, so I was hoping someone would explain. The Odeo is interesting. I'm not a big fan of pyro.

Realistically, people summon help with EPIRB, radio, or a cell phone, and the flare is only for approach signalling. Realisticall, I doubt I would recognize a flare as a distress signal unless it was quite near. Otherwise, it's just a boat in the distance.

I don't know if the Odeo meets any US requirements. In the UK electronic flares are not recognised for the purposes of the legal requiement to carry flares on larger vessels.
As for pulling a pull ring wearing gauntlets, the flares I had before I got rid of them used a twist and pull firing mechanism and I would hate having pyrotechnics I could not use with gloves on. The only ones I have retained are a couple of orange smokes, which I think are safer to use than other types.

 

[thinwater]

I don't know if the Odeo meets any US requirements. In the UK electronic flares are not recognised for the purposes of the legal requiement to carry flares on larger vessels.
As for pulling a pull ring wearing gauntlets, the flares I had before I got rid of them used a twist and pull firing mechanism and I would hate having pyrotechnics I could not use with gloves on. The only ones I have retained are a couple of orange smokes, which I think are safer to use than other types.

No, the Odeo does not meet USCG standards, if for no other reason than there is no standard for the product catagory (hand-held electronic signal device).

Orion and Sirius Signal make approved SOS units.

I'm not going to argue whether they are effective. There are likers and haters. I think many of the likers are simply tired of replacing flares and disposal problems.

 

[pvb]

I don't think pyrotechnic flares are necessary these days for coastal sailing.

 

[Sharky34]

Why are so many of you buying "white's"?

 

[[70521]]

Do the Odeo flares meet any regulatory carriage requirements? The USCG has a standard for elelctronic SOS devices, but they do not meet that (3 products do, about $80-250 USD). The USCG has not yet developed standards for a hand-held electronic flare. I am not familiar with UK and Euro requirements, so I was hoping someone would explain. The Odeo is interesting. I'm not a big fan of pyro.

Realistically, people summon help with EPIRB, radio, or a cell phone, and the flare is only for approach signalling. Realisticall, I doubt I would recognize a flare as a distress signal unless it was quite near. Otherwise, it's just a boat in the distance.

In UK waters the USCG standards have no relevance.

Cell phones have limited range.

 

[Kukri]

Why are so many of you buying "white's"?

Two reasons:

First, if you want to try using a hand held flare without creating Alarm and Despondency, you can light off a white flare whenever you like.

Second, there are situations - not common ones - when you really do want to draw another vessel’s attention to your existence. I have done so coming into a commercial harbour with a light wind and no engine when I was not sure if a fishing boat had seen me. After using a white flare they certainly had, but of course having comprehensively lost my night vision I could not see them!?

 

[thinwater]

In UK waters the USCG standards have no relevance.

Cell phones have limited range.

USCG standards. Yes, obviously. That is why I asked about UK and Euro standards. One poster implied that the French were strict about expiration dates, so I was curious what the relevant standard was. What is the relavant standard?

Cell phones. Yes, obviously. I listed 3 methods of contacting help. Each has specific advantages.

 

[[163233]]

The MCA Small commercial vessel code would have a commercial vessel carry 4 para's 6 hand and 2 smokes.
I used to carry less than that myself, because they're expensive.

I'm not convinced I'd ever get to a white in time to actually use it in an effective way. Spending extra on a bloody powerful torch is a better pick.

 

[Kukri]

The MCA Small commercial vessel code would have a commercial vessel carry 4 para's 6 hand and 2 smokes.
I used to carry less than that myself, because they're expensive.

I'm not convinced I'd ever get to a white in time to actually use it in an effective way. Spending extra on a bloody powerful torch is a better pick.

It used to be standard practice to have couple of whites clipped on within easy reach of the helm - typically just inside the companionway. I still do this, and I noticed that a boat I bought from the MOD a couple of years ago came with exactly this arrangement.

 

[Boathook]

Two reasons:

First, if you want to try using a hand held flare without creating Alarm and Despondency, you can light off a white flare whenever you like.

A few years ago a coastguard person that I was chatting to said any colour flare let off at sea and visible from the coast would mean that they got calls. I suspect that the public today would be no different.

 

[Bobc]

I've all but given up with them. These days with VHF, AIS, EPIRB, and mobile phone, it's incredibly unlikely that you'll ever need them, and I don't like having pyros on the boat. So I now have an LED one in the grab bag, 2 red parachutes, and 2 floating orange smokes.

I can't see the point of whites, as a powerful torch is much more useful.

 

[Catalina36]

When I took the last of my out of date ones to Lee on Solent CG for disposal a couple of years ago there were several people in the queue and all agreed that they would not be replacing theirs on grounds of cost, danger and availability of better alternatives.