: Don,
: Your very wise to test and reconsider the components of your rescue and
: alerting system.

: I tested some flares a few years ago, that were 11 years old they lit off
: perfectly. These flares had been every where and been wet often. In signal
: flares, gun flares are best. More signal value and easier to fire, but
: that has to be offset with the loading and the weight. I use finger
: flares. In finger flares I like the fat ones better then the longer thin
: ones. If your traveling be sure not to carry them on the airplane

: In addition to flares I carry smoke (light colors) and dye markers (for
: helitac and day time rescues) a flashing strobe a beacon a signal mirror.
: I know the last one sounds ancient but I have been signaled that a late
: arriving friend made the put in across the mouth of the Penobscot River
: from Owls head to Spectical island. I flashed him back we both gotthe
: message very clearly. over a distance of several miles. I have also tested
: it out on a friend in an airplane too. Its a remarkably alerting little
: piece of glass! I like the ones with the aiming hole in the center.

: In the audio world a small canister air horn is good but in testing them I
: find the marine environment corrodes them and fills the aerosol vent with
: crust , salt and corrosion. I test mine before I go out and I never keep
: one for more then a season. I also wash the vent with fresh water after
: every trip. The whistle is nice between folks sitting in the water, but no
: rescue boat will ever hear you.

: In electronics: A VHF marine tuned radio With a water proof bag you can talk
: through is important. On trips into the Thules I occasionally bring an
: EIPRB. I don't out fit each boat with one, but to have one stowed on one
: boat is good for the whole group of paddlers. If you bring an EIPRB be
: sure to duct tape the switch in the off position. I have spent many nights
: hunting down a transmitting EIPRB that was not in any danger.

: A good additional piece of equipment is a small stainless sheath knife. on
: your life vest. The marine environment is filled with fishing lines ropes
: netting etc. The is especially true around the shoals we like to play in.
: Its good to be able to clear yourself quickly

: Good luck with your safety system
: !RUSS

:Those are all good thoughts, and none I carry. VHF is out, at least for awhile. But I'll pick up :a mirror and see what I can come up with for a knife. I could get a VHF bag, and put the :cell phone in it. It's going to be awhile before I go :anywhere an EPIRB would be advisable. :Between the VHF and the cell, it's pretty tough to disappear.

: Don

In almost all the accident death reports published in Sea Kayaker magazine the one safety item that could have saved their life was a VHF radio. A VHF radio receives and transmits messages just like a walkie talkie and also receives all weather channels. VHF radios have an emergency channel 16 that other boaters and the Coast Guard monitor continuously. In marine areas you are more likely to have a nearby boat available for help long before a cell phone call of 911 can get distant help to you. VHF radios have all weather channels so you can monitor current weather conditions and by monitoring channel 16 yourself you’ll have an idea of what’s happening in the local boating community. The Coast Guard issues special warnings, searches for missing boaters and a lot of good information on the local marine environment pertinent to boaters, so it’s wise to get into the habit of monitoring channel 16 and also seeing what’s going on the other channels. If you don’t have a VHF radio you probably don’t know but channel 16 is also the contact channel just because everyone monitors it. So if you want to talk to someone you call out to them on channel 16 but continue conversation on another channel reserved for recreational boaters so channel 16 remains clear for use.

I have a compact waterproof VHF radio that fits in the breast pocket of my PFD. When I’m out on a trip and may have to contact others I set up a time for mutual monitoring of channel 16, like from the top of the hour until ten past. I did this on my recent trip since we had several people joining us a day late. I was able to talk with them not long after they put in on the water to let them know where we were camped. They said they were going to come all the way that evening maybe six miles. Later I talked with them and they told me one person was very tired and they had heard the wind was supposed to pick up, so they would spend the night where they were. It was nice to know they were safe. Ten minutes later the wind picked up at least 10 knots.

Is your life worth $250 or less because that’s what a waterproof VHF radio costs. If you don’t mind a bigger radio you have to carry in a waterproof bag on your deck you can get one for under $200. Both are worthless if you don’t take the time to learn how to use it which can be fun. Remember all the CB radio talk and music about truckers, well this is the same thing only on the water.

I just came back from a wilderness trip where I made calls using a cell phone and a VHF radio. I was unable to get service with the cell phone until I moved from hill to hilltop. At the highest local hilltop I finally got through but had to leave a message. Later I heard the message I’d left on a friend’s answering machine. It was unintelligible. Perhaps a cell phone would be more useful in less remote areas. My choice has been to carry a VHF radio instead.

I’ve used mirrors and they work well on sunny days. You're going to have to learn Morse code if you plans to do anything but draw attention to your presence, though some of us remember the emergncy signal SOS. Dot-dot-dot-dash-dash-dash-dot-dot-dot or for a mirror three short flashes, three long flashes, three short flashes.

I carry a Skyblazer pack that includes 3 hand fired flares, a die marker, smoke marker, and large plastic MAYDAY signal sheet. This is easy to carry and I carry it with other safety measures in a dry bag secured inside my cockpit.

I’d consider larger flares or a flare gun if I traveled to very remote areas. as well as a EIPRB.

I’d only consider using flares if I could see another boat or it was my last breath.

I carry an air horn but was surprised when I could not raise friends with it when they were only 1/4 mile away in islands on a clam night. They said they never heard the horn.

The strobe is very effective. My understanding is that a white stroke light is an emergency signal on inland waters and should not be used in non emergency situations. On the seas, a white strobe is not an emergency signal and may be used as needed to mark or locate your position. I’d like to hear if anyone has further information on this.

Learning and practicing self rescue is your first line of defense in extricating yourself from disaster. You’re in deep shit when you have to employ all the above measures.

Conservative, good judgment, weather watching and risk evaluation will keep you from ever having to see if all this stuff will work.

Think twice paddle safe.

All the best,

Rob Macks
Laughing Loon CC&K
www.LaughingLoon.com