What safety flares should I have for coastal sailing

[[163233]]

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.

Good idea if you can find a suitable container that is rapidly opened and weather tight. I wouldn't want to leave them exposed.

 

[Praxinoscope]

In over 50 years of sailing, coastal, offshore and ocean, I have never used a flare despite carrying a full RORC pack.
4 years ago after a very frustrating exercise of trying to dispose of a batch of out of date flares I decided not to replace them, and in future rely upon LED 'flares' (2 x Odeo), VHF, EPIRB and a couple of really powerful LED torches.

 

[Plum]

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.

I can confirm that is still the case. The so-called white para flares have an orange tinge to them and people will report them as a possible red one so the emergency services will respond. Please do not fire white flares for "practice"

Www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk

 

[ghostlymoron]

We carry a tar barrel and a small cannon. Neither of which have an expiry date.

 

[[70521]]

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

Really?

If you are that close to another vessel you have not been maintaining a proper watch! I transmit AIS but it's so the CG and family know here I am.

How does AIS alert others that you are about to be holed under the waterline by a nice bit of Cornish or Breton granite?

 

[Sharky34]

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.

Whites are 'collision avoidance' flares, obviously only of use at night.
You have to ask yourself, does any ship, have someone on watch & staring out of a window, or are they looking at a screen inside a cosy bridge?
Having been almost run down entering Falmouth some years ago, a near miss of about a 'cricket pitch' as some 'steamer' entered at speed past me, ignoring any white flare & torch shone onto sails, I doubt anyone is looking.

 

[Bobc]

Having been almost run down entering Falmouth some years ago, a near miss of about a 'cricket pitch' as some 'steamer' entered at speed past me, ignoring any white flare & torch shone onto sails, I doubt anyone is looking.

I've had that too. I ended up shining the torch into the windows of the bridge (I know you shouldn't do that, but it had the desired effect).

 

[Sharky34]

We carry a tar barrel and a small cannon. Neither of which have an expiry date.

When I had my first boat & had a tidal mooring in a strong tide area, I watched with amazement as some guys who had been fishing downtide, unable to start their engine, set a bucket of fuel ablaze as they drifted down toward a pier which had a paddlesteamer alongside. Quite a sight, iirc they managed to restart their engine, but in those days no radio or mobile. So don't dump the tar barrel yet.

 

[jwilson]

I agree with no need for white flares: carry really bright spotlight torches instead. If you do end up needing rescue/assistance red hand flares at night or smokes in daylight still have their uses for final 'homing in' purposes. I have actually used multiple flares, both parachutes and handhelds, in anger (without gloves) because of a severely injured crew member on a significantly damaged boat The two trawlers in clear sight (probably on autopilot) ignored them. Our electronics and engine were also dead. We finally sailed into a harbour 24 hours later.

 

[Sharky34]

I agree with no need for white flares: carry really bright spotlight torches instead. If you do end up needing rescue/assistance red hand flares at night or smokes in daylight still have their uses for final 'homing in' purposes. I have actually used multiple flares, both parachutes and handhelds, in anger (without gloves) because of a severely injured crew member on a significantly damaged boat The two trawlers in clear sight (probably on autopilot) ignored them. Our electronics and engine were also dead. We finally sailed into a harbour 24 hours later.

Then there is this to be aware of, even experts can get badly injured.
Man injured by exploding flare 'stable' - Practical Boat Owner

 

[Sharky34]

Then there is this to be aware of, even experts can get badly injured.
Man injured by exploding flare 'stable' - Practical Boat Owner

From memory, it seems the flare acted like a rocket, sending the handle + flare into the guy's body, where it lodged & burned at very high temperature.
He survived, but horrendous injuries. Flares are dangerous things, even when normal.

 

[Kukri]

I can confirm that is still the case. The so-called white para flares have an orange tinge to them and people will report them as a possible red one so the emergency services will respond. Please do not fire white flares for "practice"

Www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk

Why would you carry white para flares? Nobody has suggested that. They are not for collision avoidance and they are not even easy to come by. And a white hand held has no orange tinge to it - it’s magnesium.

 

[dunedin]

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 .

As implied by some other posters on here, I think the question needs to be given some extra context to give a good reply.

Safety gear should be considered as a wider set, not just in isolation. Particularly when deciding what are the priorities for spend.

In my view (and with input from an MCA conversation) the first priorities would be
- VHF radios - ships and hand held
- GPS emergency beacon(s) - PLB and/or EPIRB
- AIS transceiver
- liferaft - which will generally come with some pyrotechnic flares whether we like it or not
- mobile phone in waterproof case
- LED flare
Only after having ticked all of them would I invest in any more pyrotechnics over what is in the raft.

I used to carry one current Coastal pack of flares, plus the most recently past dated as backup (not in French waters). But doubt will replace the current pack, keep for a few years lost date then dispose.

 

[Kukri]

Flares threads are a hardy perennial here and belong in the same category as anchor threads.

 

[prv]

Why would you carry white para flares? Nobody has suggested that. They are not even easy to come by. And a white hand held has no orange tinge to it - it’s magnesium.

I see more use for white para flares than white handheld. The para illume might help you spot someone who'd managed to go overboard at night without a working lifejacket light; once located you can keep a spotlight beam on them after the flare burns out. I don't carry any, but it seems a valid use.

White handhelds made sense back when torches were feeble and yacht electrical systems were weak and unreliable - a flare was a dependable way to generate a lot of white light in a hurry. Nowadays you can use halogen or LED light to the same effect, and because it just means flipping a switch rather than making the - for most people rather dramatic - decision to let off a flare, it's more likely to be used in good time. Under way at night I always have the portable spotlight plugged in and ready in the coaming locker, in case it's needed in a hurry for MOB or anti-collision.

Fortunately I haven't used it for either - so far my deck lights have sufficed rather than needing to blast a searchlight into their bridge windows. They're a pair of LED car headlights under the spreaders, and they light up the whole boat brilliantly from stem to stern making it very clear that "hey dumbass, there's a yacht here!" So far both times I've flicked them on have resulted in an immediate course change from the large mobo heading straight for our nav lights

Pete

 

[MoodySabre]

You don't need flares. Get a DSC radio, a good torch and a PLB. Most of the time you are in phone signal range.

Odeo and the like are not flares - they are electronic signalling devices and not instantly recognisable by people on land or sea as a distress signal.

 

[[70521]]

You don't need flares. Get a DSC radio, a good torch and a PLB. Most of the time you are in phone signal range.

Odeo and the like are not flares - they are electronic signalling devices and not instantly recognisable by people on land or sea as a distress signal.

IT really depends on the type of sailing you do. A mobile phone is not going to work 10 nm offshore, Nor will you have the telephone number for the ship you are avoiding.

 

[Stemar]

There will always be yes, but what if... arguments to say why you're going to die if you don't do it his way - No! That'll kill you, do it her way. No, My way!

Do a risk assessment for the type of sailing you're expecting to do and make a rational decision. A good DSC VHF seems to me to be to be the first thing. That'll get you heard far further out than a flare will be seen, especially during the day, and gives your position with an accuracy and precision that could only have been dreamt of by the inventors of flares. You're coastal sailing. How often will you be out at night? How often will you be out of mobile phone range? A 999 call will get through well beyond data range, which is as well, because I've struggled with data in the Solent on occasion.

I mostly potter around the Solent, and my risk assessment is that, in the event of an emergency, I'm likely to be a bit busy to be standing there with a flare in my hand, and I don't want an incendiary device in Milady's panicked hand. Hell, I don't want it in my hand if we've abandoned to the flubber! As a result, I've ditched the fireworks and got an LED "flare". It'll probably last me until I'm done with sailing. If not, I can just put new batteries in, it lasts for a couple of hours, instead of the firework's couple of minutes, and I can give it to Milady without danger to her or the boat.

 

[MoodySabre]

IT really depends on the type of sailing you do. A mobile phone is not going to work 10 nm offshore, Nor will you have the telephone number for the ship you are avoiding.

The OP was about coastal sailing. I should have said a DSC radio with AIS as contacting a ship is easy.

 

[Graham376]

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?

In Portugal where we're based, flares are mandatory. Electronic ones not recognised.

Even if not mandatory, I would continue carrying flares, best chance to be seen from shore or nearby boats.