I really really need to pick up a PLB.

I presume you will still carry your fire making gear, even if you have a PLB? Having a PLB would be great, but in a remote area, rescue could still take awhile. It would suck to die from hypothermia an hour before the SAR team arrived.

I too need my glasses to see well. When doing outdoor stuff, I always have "croakies" or another similar thing to retain my glasses in case I take a spill. I also always keep a spare pair of glasses in my gear.

The nice thing about sea kayaks is that your gear stays inside the hatch, and doesn't get lost if you capsize. However, when out on open water, if you flip and don't quickly grab the boat, the wind can carry it off faster than you can swim. I always keep some fire starting gear in my pockets, and in the pocket of my spray skirt. If I can make it ashore, I might be able to get a fire going. (I say "might" because coastal Alaska can be very wet. There are times when getting a fire going is very challenging, even with good fire starting gear.)

Aksar..yup..i always have some sort of fire making tool.with those fire steels they have out now that seem to work so well i keep one in a shirt pocket.
when i read on this site about someone who went over the side of the road and was not found for days because her calls for help could not be heard i now carry a whistle,and the fire steel, even on day walks down by the Mississippi River.
Phaedrus..like i said when the cost of a PLB is less than some car work that was not all that important i'll be buying one.
i can't recall the older cost for a PLB but it was enough that i put off getting one.