White Flares

[jimi]

Must confess I've got the red h/h & red parachutes and orange smoke but I have'nt bothered with white ones, hoping to rely on my 500,000 candle steamer scarer instead, is this wise or should I get a few whites. I've got 4 maroons, should I carry more on the basis that you fire 'em off in sets of 2 anyway. What do ya reckon

 

[DepSol]

white flares went out of fashion in the 70s jimi

Dom

2003 is going to be a good year for me

 

[jimi]

Bet you've still got yours in the same closet as the medallion ...

 

[gtmoore]

Talking of white flares....can these be set of legally at any time? I've never set off a flare before - is this a good way of familiarising yourself with the process?


Gavin

 

[ponapay]

Scary but ...

get as many flares as you can afford/carry safely.

I met a Belgian single hander who had been dismasted about 45 miles SE of Shetland and then wrapped wires around his prop. He was stuck but saw an Oil support vessel approaching and fired off a red flare - the vessel passed les than a mile away and gave no response. He was unable to rig an emergency VHF aerial (for some unknown reason), and waited for the next OSV, he fired three at the next and none were seen (it passed just outside one mile from him).

He was running short of red flares so fired 2 whites at the next OSV, again not seen or responded to.

After to days adrift he managed to get the prop free and commenced a return to shore and arrived at Fraserburgh, where I met him. He was very frightened, shocked at the lack of lookout in professionally crewed vessels and determined to take on board at least 24 flares next time!

 

[aod]

I carry two on mine just in case they are need for man over board or simply to illuminate a large sea area.

 

[Mirelle]

Carry plenty of flares - this solves itself in time because you can carry the "expired" ones as well as the "in date" set.

I have used white flares in good earnest, and, believe me, they are far more likely to get a watchkeeper's attention than a searchlight or torch is. Since I am still here, you can assume they worked!

 

[Viking]

White flares are for anti-collison, to be seen in fog, bad weather. they are not a distress flare as such.

I had a 12year old white flare which I let off, to see if old flares still work. It was inland let off with in a firework display and it work perfectly, just as the instructions are lay out. The metal tube does get white hot so glooves are needed and somewhere safe to get drop the hot flare tube once its finished. Last about 90 seconds.

 

[milltech]

Re: 50% expired

Top up with Mk 7 reds, packs of three whites, or Pinpoint orange smokes, all expire 12/2004.

John
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.allgadgets.co.uk>http://www.allgadgets.co.uk</A>

 

[ccscott49]

Whites are useful, as anti collision flares, I would like to get hold of some white parachute flares like we had in the army, light up an area for ages, thery would be excellent for man overboard illumination, anybody know where I can get some?

 

[aod]

I have two of these flares (white parachute) secured underneath the chart table. Any chandlers can order them for you and they are the same price as the red paras

 

[ccscott49]

Thanks for that bruv! I'll order four.

 

[jimi]

Look at allgadgets, he does the white parachutes as well, I've just ordered a couple

 

[Trevor_swfyc]

I prefer to use a search light directed onto the sails, as this can be to hand in the cockpit just flick a switch. What I would be concerned with is, when do you decide that you have to let off a white flare and how long would it take to decide/get/check/let off. I think one post said he was regularly letting off white flares may I ask are you particularly nervous or maybe travelling down a shipping lane on a regular basis?.
I would like to thank the RNLI for a demo at our club, an eye opener trying to do something in the dark that I had not done before. Difficulties encountered were identifcation of the correct flare, reading the instructions, some had problems getting the letting off technique right ie not hitting hard enough. So it is a good idea to find a way off getting some practise with old flares, but beware I think somebody on the Medway got a fine when he let off a parachute flare. He evidently phoned the coastguard to tell them he was going to let off an old flare, he was told on no account to do this. Minutes later the coastguard got reports of a parachute flare being seen in the same area, he was caught and fined. This was a case of somebody giving himself up before the event.
Thanks again to the RNLI.
Trevor

 

[Mirelle]

I have used white flares a few times. I do sail frequently in and out of and across the entrance to Harwich Harbour, which is a very busy port. In the approaches to a port, one can assume that a good look out is being kept, and your problem is to be sure that your lights have been seen - hence using low down side lights, not a tricolour, and so on. It can be useful to shine a light on the sails to confirm what you are - but this does not really show up well.

I have once or twice used a white flare in this situation, to make sure we have been noticed, but the more regular use of a white flare is well out to sea, in bumpy weather, when you see a ship closing you. I don't know any substitute for a white flare in this case. The ship's look out will not be espescially alert, and it is not practical to try waving a torch or searchlight around whilst holding onto the tiller with one hand and the boat with the other!

 

[doug748]

Yes, Miniflare used to produce whites which were very useful as you could have them ready for use (with reds as well) in the pocket.
They discontinued them and refuse to see the logic of having white flares!

 

[Trevor_swfyc]

Re Harwich Harbour

The crossing point in the Harwich Harbour guide, used when travelling north & south is about 200 yds wide and should only be crossed when shipping is not closing on you. When travelling into the harbour if you use the yacht track how are you going to be hit by a ship?. These ships have a pilot on board your use of a white flare in this situation sounds dangerous to me as it destroys all night vision.
Your point that you cannot hold a torch and the helm begs the question how then do you hold a flare.
Sorry to be so critical.
All the best
Trevor

 

[Mirelle]

Re: Re Harwich Harbour

The first time that I used a white flare off Harwich was when closing the old Cork LV from seaward and being rapidly overtaken from astern. The second time was inbound from the Sunk and to the S of the dredged channel when a coaster coming up the Wallet did not seem to have noticed me.

I quite agree that letting off flares in the immediate vicinity of a port would be silly; please re-read my post where I discuss using low sidelights not masthead lights (to avoid confusion with shore lights) and shining a light on the sails.

I don't think your other comment can be seriously meant!

If, as most of us old fogeys do, you keep your red flares in a watertight container and your white flares clipped to the roof of the cabin just inside the companionway, you are not going to waste any time finding the right one. You just reach in and pull it out of the clips. They are dead easy to fire - just like striking a match, on the grand scale. Pull the caps off, strike the top with the striker and point downwind (!!) You really should not need to read the instructions before firing a flare. Yes of course you need two hands for a moment but not for long.

White hand helds burn for about a minute and a half, by which time if there is anyone on the bridge of the other vessel he has certainly seen you and got a bearing of you.

I suggest that the right time to use a white flare is when the other vessel is a good two miles to a mile away. At that distance, the other vessel will not see a torch or other searchlight shone on your sails - try it! After he has seen the flare he will be looking in your direction and will see your sidelights - which have a two mile range.

 

[pugwash]

Re: Re Harwich Harbour

But surely a 2-million candlepower searchlight (like mine from B&Q) fired into an oncoming ship's bridge windows and lighting up his ceiling will have a bigger effect than a firework burning some distance ahead? I asked this very question of a deepsea pilot last week and said I didn't think it right and proper to dazzle a watchkeeper's vision. He said: "Screw that! Remember a great many accidents occur because the watchkeeper is doing anything but looking out of the window -- on the radio, writing up logs, etc. Best thing is to shine the beam right up his nose." I haven't been in this situation yet, but it sounded like good advice to me. And if it doesn;t work the first time you can do it again, whereas you might quickly run out of flares.

 

[Mirelle]

Re: Re Harwich Harbour

Well, I've got a searchlight too - not two million candlepower, mine came from Aqua Signal and I got it dirt cheap in a chandler's closing down sale. But I find, and I am sure you do too, that the beam spreads very quickly. It can be instructive to row off in the dinghy, at anchor, and see how fast the beam dissipates, particularly in humid conditions.

I've never used more than one white flare. The effect has been immediate - so far - and I'm here to tell the tale!