EPIRBs

[Steve Laume]

Thoughts of safety and sailing to faraway places have me thinking about EPIRBs. We have lots of safety equipment and a very sound boat. WE are still coastal cruisers planning some overnight runs this year. We will not be very remote areas but the water will be cold and future plans may take us further to sea. With a limited budget and no plans to cross an ocean I am reluctant to invest in a raft. I believe the money would be better spent on keeping the boat in the finest condition possible. There are never parachutes on aircraft only very strick safety inspections and a certain amount of faith. I am not really looking for an argument about the nescesity of a raft.

It seems to me that an EPIRB might be a better investment. So the question is just what to get if one were getting one of these devices. For the type of cruising I would be doing in the foreseeable future help would not be too far away if they were to know to look for you.

So looking at a Hamilton Marine add they have a Mcmurdo range from manual to auto w/GPS. The corresponding prices are from $600 to $900. I already know the answer I would get from any dealer in that a life has no price tag. A manual unit with GPS is $150 more than without. That might seem worth the money. It is the automatic feature that I have my doubts about.

Then again is any of this worth spending the money on if you know where you are with a chart plotter and back up hand held GPS. A VHF and a back up hand held unit.

How far away could anyone be in crossing the Gulf of Maine or even a Nova Scotia trip?

It is a nice quiet Sunday to be thinking about such things.

I hope this day finds you all feeling comfortable and dreaming of the days ahead, Steve.

[Joe Ruelle]

Steve,
Wander down to your local magazine/book store and pick up a copy of the January/February issue of Good Old Boat magazine. On page 16 there is a informative article with the title of "EPRIBs, PLBs, and SART's 101: Electronic devices designed to save your life at sea". I learned a lot by reading this article.

You mention that you will sail cold waters. Perhaps "also investing" in clothing/gear/survival suit that will keep you "alive" until the rescuers arrive might be something to consider. Without good cold water gear the best electronic devices will probably not save your life, but will ensure your body is retrieved. Hypothermia sets in fast when you are in the water.

till later, Joe

[The Patriot]

... looking at a Hamilton Marine add they have a Mcmurdo range from manual to auto w/GPS. The corresponding prices are from $600 to $900 ...

I have had several types over the years, ranging from a Type C (VHF) to the old 121 models, to the latest 406 models. There have been studies published that compare GPS-enabled units to other 406 models, and the data seem to indicate that rescue coordination is considerably enhanced with the GPS-enabled models (as one would expect).

If you agree with these findings, then consider something like the ACR RapidFix 406 MHz EPIRB. It's a manually deployed GPS unit that Landfall is selling for about $560. I suspect that Defender or others might do better.

BTW the range of ACR units is being upgraded soon, so unless you plan any winter cruising, you might want to hold off for a while. This tactic also potentially extends the battery life. And of course, the most important thing to do with these is register them. In fact I believe there's a legal requirement to do so.

[Mathias]

In the last year, I have sailed on a seven day ocean passage to Bermuda and last spring I sailed from Puerto Rico up through the Bahamas. During both of those trips, I got to spend a lot of time thinking about the circumstances of needing a rescue. Essentially, it boils down to this:

What are your means to requesting assistance?

If you are in coastal range, cell phone and VHF will provide you with far better assistance. Medical professionals can guide you through procedures and search crews can get more details.

Beyond coastal range, you can do the same with a sat phone.

Even if you have to abandon ship, you have these devices at your disposal.

EPIRBs were first designed for use before we had portable communication devices such as cell phones, handheld VHF and sat phones. Without a voice option, they provide no immediate assistance. And they are limited in their range and duration of signal.

The only circumstance in which I can see that they would be better than a sat phone (or a cell or VHF in coastal range) is if your boat is holed and sinks in such a short amount of time that you have no ability to conduct a proper abandon ship procedure. This is a very rare circumstance.

The benefit to that scenario is that EPIRB will work even when wet. While the other equipment won't. However, water proofing is getting better all the time with such equipment, and we have the means to put them in waterproof containers.

I think an EPIRB is a valuable piece of equipment to have in a ditch bag, but if I were on a limited budget, and only doing coastal cruising, I would invest in a number of other safety items first.

Like that survival suit for cold water. Or an instantly deployable crash mat. Triston Jones describes how to rig a crash mat that he said he could deploy within 120 seconds. Now THAT is very intriguing to me.

-Mathias

[Ed Haley]

consider something like the ACR RapidFix 406 MHz EPIRB. It's a manually deployed GPS unit that Landfall is selling for about $560.

Since I do a lot of solo sailing on Lake Ontario, I liked the ACR unit since I can clip it on my PFD. In the worst case scenario and I fall off the boat w/o out the time to use the vhf, the gps option on the ACR will notify the Coast Guard where I am as soon as I turn the ACR unit on. Another good feature is that there are no separate parts to assemble before transmission. Just flip up the attached antenna and press the appropriate buttons. Don't depend on a cell phone if you're in the water. They won't work if they get wet.

Like others have said, if you fall in cold water you better have the appropriate attire. Our season on the Great Lakes begins with water temperature just above freezing around the end of April. In water that cold you won't survive long enough for outside assistance to reach you.

[Dean Abramson]

I also have been thinking a lot this winter about safety issues. I think that I have been living with a certain amount of denial about all this.

I have current flares, an EPIRB (the old non-406 type), a Lifesling, handheld GPS and radios to supplement the primary ones. Your basic complement of fire extinguishers. Jack lines, harnesses. Etc.

But what we don't have are REAL PLANS. One cannot foresee every type of potential emergency, of course. But I think that to a certain extent I, and others, make ourselves feel better by buying stuff, and then we can kinda go back into denial.

What I am determined to do this spring is put together an actual ditch bag, instead of imagining vaguely that I will rush about the boat gathering the right stuff if needed. It will have the radio, the GPS, spare batteries, drinking water, energy bars, flares, extra clothing, a signaling mirror, flashlight, whistle and whatever else I can think of within reason.

The above is all based upon the idea of possibly having to use the inflatable dinghy as a life raft. Since I am not always towing my dinghy, I am curious about ways to more rapidly inflate it (than with the foot pump). Are there decent battery powered pumps, or ways to use CO2 cartridges for this? I am also thinking about what I could quickly attach to the collapsed inflatable, to keep it afloat enough, in case we had to deploy it uninflated, then later blow it up after we are in the water. I have a home-made MOB pool and buoy; I wonder if that would keep it afloat. ??

I have a decent tarp which was a sun-awning on a previous boat; I plan to make that into a collision mat. Underway, am going to deploy my jacklines and harnesses sooner, not later; maybe just leave the jacklines in place it it's anything more than a day-sail in fair weather.

I am going to write down procedures for certain emergencies, and review them with my wife, then keep the list in a prominent place. I am going to actually practice MOB drills this season. I am going to teach my wife to reef, and to use flares.

Somewhat, as I write this, I am just thinking out loud. I am hoping some of you will contact me in July and ask how much I really did, and shame me into completing what I did not.

I do not think that I am going to replace my old EPIRB at this time. I think that for the coastal cruising we do now, the above measures, if properly implemented, reviewed, practiced, etc., is a better bet. If I can radio for help and give my position from the GPS, that will probably take care of that aspect.

What I am really trying to do is come up with actual emergency plans, and quit living in denial. I have always kept my boats very seaworthy, and I have owned a lot of safety gear. But in an emergency, I need a plan. I think that having a plan will give me some peace of mind.

Dean

[Steve Laume]

Thanks all for commenting on this. Dean, I can definitely relate to what you are talking about. I now have a sailing companion who is enthusiastic and cares about what goes on aboard our boat. Liz participated in the flare shoot at last week's winter meeting. Last summer we made up a dummy to practice man over board drills. We made him out of a large fender with a diving weight on one end and a smaller float head on the other. With the appropriate face and cries of help on him we had a lot of fun rescuing his sorry butt.

The idea of boat specific procedures is extremely good. If any one has them or is currently thinking of writing them out it would be interesting to see what you come up with. The first task would be identifying as many emergency situations as you could come up with. It would be great to brainstorm a list. Has anyone found a web site or other recourse that specifically deals with emergency situations? Liz and I have already talked about making up a ditch bag and will have it together before next sailing season. Now is the time to plan for a safer sailing season in the years to come, Steve.

[bottomscraper]

I have a home-made MOB pool and buoy; I wonder if that would keep it afloat. ??

Wow, a man overboard pool - is it heated?
I never thought about that. Might work better in the Carribean than Maine waters. Picturing you lying about, drinking umbrella-drinks, waiting for the CG to show up. Inflatable waitresses?

Hope you know I'm kidding, just struck me as a good idea. You can sell anything to sailors.

Ducking, hoping I never make a typo

[Dean Abramson]

That's funny, Rich. But you don't get it.

It's a man overboard pool. Everybody on the crew puts in a twenty buck bet on who will fall into the drink first.

Inflatable waitresses! Maybe you could offer Steve some X-rated tips on how to fashion his next practice dummy.

Dean

[Cathy Monaghan]

Steve,

I you don't go offshore often and you don't think you really need one for the type of sailing that you do normally, don't forget that you can rent an EPIRB from Boat U.S. for those trips where you really think you may need/want one. Here are a couple of links.

http://www.boatus.com/foundation/EPIRB/

http://www.boatus.com/foundation/EPIRB/BROCHURE.pdf


Cathy
CD32 Realization, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan Bay

[Neil Gordon]

Since I do a lot of solo sailing on Lake Ontario, I liked the ACR unit since I can clip it on my PFD. In the worst case scenario and I fall off the boat w/o out the time to use the vhf, the gps option on the ACR will notify the Coast Guard where I am as soon as I turn the ACR unit on.

Being in the (cold) water is a bad thing. If I went overboard I'd rather have a hand held VHF, providing that it was likely that there would be someone within range. That's likely to be the case on a coastal trip.

99% of EBIRB deployments are false alarms. Don't expect the Coast Guard to launch an immediate search and rescue mission when you flip the switch.

[Dean Abramson]

Adding to what Cathy said: raft servicers often have liferafts to rent too. If I ever set out on my trip to Nova Scotia, it will probably be with a rented valise liferaft. And if I've not bought one, a rented 406 EPIRB.

[Neil Gordon]

The above is all based upon the idea of possibly having to use the inflatable dinghy as a life raft. Since I am not always towing my dinghy, I am curious about ways to more rapidly inflate it (than with the foot pump). Are there decent battery powered pumps, or ways to use CO2 cartridges for this? I am also thinking about what I could quickly attach to the collapsed inflatable, to keep it afloat enough, in case we had to deploy it uninflated, then later blow it up after we are in the water. I have a home-made MOB pool and buoy; I wonder if that would keep it afloat.

A deflated dinghy would easily be kept afloat with a foam PFD attached.

As for CO2 cartridges, I'm thinking it would take a lot of CO2 to inflate a dinghy... akin to what's in the larger cartridge that inflates a raft.

The scenario then, is this: Boat sinks quickly and you, the PFD supported dinghy and (hopefully) the foot pump are all together in the water. Use the foot pump, by hand, to get at least a platform under you and scramble into the partially inflated dinghy. Then maybe you can use your foot for the rest of the inflating... pump, bail, pump, bail. Better than being in the sea.

[Steve Laume]

We used to have an old Willys Jeep and ran the beach with it before they had air stations at the dune crossings. We would let air out of the tires to run on the beach. When we were ready to go home we had an adaptor that went onto a scuba tank valve. Lots of air in one of those puppies and it comes out fast. It would definitely fill an inflatable dinghy. Ours was unregulated. You could talk to a dive shop about making something up. If you are already a diver it could serve dual purpose on the boat. Having a small tank aboard to deal with underwater problems might be an additional safety feature, Steve.

[Dean Abramson]

Neil,

That's exactly the scenario I imagined. I think that I may put the pump and hose in a drawstring bag, and connect that right to the dinghy with a piece of line and a little shackle. And also have line with a shackle ready to clip onto the MOB pole's buoy.

Grab the whole mess and chuck it overboard, after securing the dinghy painter to boat. Then call USCG. Then try to save the sailboat and avert the above scenario.

Dean