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#142103 - 07/29/08 08:39 PM Re: Sailboat bug out / bug in [Re: Dan_McI]
wildman800 Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 11/09/06
Posts: 2846
Loc: La-USA
Merchies also have a line over the side while at anchor. The Merchies have a lifering tied to the line, to help the person in the water have something larger than the line to grab hold of.

I've never seen it dragged while the vessel was u/w but I can think of many reasons why that would be fruitless in any situation.
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#142105 - 07/29/08 08:49 PM Re: Sailboat bug out / bug in [Re: Russ]
Doug_Ritter Offline

Pooh-Bah

Registered: 01/28/01
Posts: 2197
Originally Posted By: Russ
Do you recommend water activated PFD's or is their a problem with inadvertent inflation?

Modern PFDs with Hydrostatic Inflators are pretty reliable and not a problem. Even the designs with pills are much less likely to be a problem these days than in older designs. For sailing especially, auto-inflating is the way to go. Too often you may end up in the water unconscious and it needs to take care of you, IMHO.
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#142106 - 07/29/08 08:55 PM Re: Sailboat bug out / bug in [Re: Doug_Ritter]
Fitzoid Offline
Enthusiast

Registered: 08/23/05
Posts: 289
Loc: WI, MA, and NYC
Are there any PLBs that both float and are stable enough in water to get an active GPS lock?
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#142107 - 07/29/08 09:06 PM Re: Sailboat bug out / bug in [Re: Fitzoid]
Doug_Ritter Offline

Pooh-Bah

Registered: 01/28/01
Posts: 2197
Originally Posted By: Fitzoid
Are there any PLBs that both float and are stable enough in water to get an active GPS lock?

No. All a floating PLB can be expected to do is not sink. It cannot even be expected to maintain the antenna out of the water to transmit a distress (though some may under calm, very calm, conditions). If you want "stable" in the water, you want an EPIRB. a small and personal beacon and stable in the water are pretty much mutually exclusive. <g> The concept is that YOU are stable in the water (far more so than an EPIRB, BTW) and will hold the PLB in the best orientation.
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#142111 - 07/29/08 09:15 PM Re: Sailboat bug out / bug in [Re: Doug_Ritter]
Fitzoid Offline
Enthusiast

Registered: 08/23/05
Posts: 289
Loc: WI, MA, and NYC
Hi Doug, thanks for the quick response!

Ok, two questions:

1) So you think it is at least plausible that a person could handhold a PLB in somewhat rough water long enough for it to make contact? (I'm not talking about storm conditions; think 5' waves rather than 10' waves.)

2) Have you done your typical hands on, no holds-barred review of EPIRBs yet? (If so, I missed it.)
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"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading." Henny Youngman

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#142112 - 07/29/08 09:18 PM Re: Sailboat bug out / bug in [Re: Doug_Ritter]
wildman800 Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 11/09/06
Posts: 2846
Loc: La-USA
For being at sea, there is no substitute for a registered 406MHz EPIRB.

I've had them blurp for a second or two while taking them out of the rack (in the shipyard), to be switched off, not realizing that it had activated, until about an hour later when I would get a phone call from USCG LANTAREA New York, NY; inquiring about our safety!!!
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#142132 - 07/29/08 11:03 PM Re: Sailboat bug out / bug in [Re: Stu]
bws48 Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 08/18/07
Posts: 831
Loc: Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Originally Posted By: SBRaider
Here is a interesting book y'all might want to read.
Adrift: Seventy-six Days Lost at Sea by Stephen Callahan


+1 on this any sailor reading it. The copyright on my copy is 1986, so it may be hard to find. But it has a couple of important things that I think are still relevant 20+ years later:
1. don't count on the "survival" supplies packed with the raft.
2. have an way to fix punctures in the raft, and re-inflate it, considering rule 1.
3. have a way to produce potable water, considering rule 1.
4. have a way to get food, considering rule 1.
5. How to improvise a sextant.

I think there have been other threads about life raft contents and their problems, as well as something Les Stroud did on one of his episodes that indicated a similar problem. I have no personal experience in this regard, but think that it should be possible to supplement a life raft's equipment with a floating, sealed (e.g. screw top) large diameter PVC pipe with reliable equipment inside and tied to the raft (or some similar concept), so it goes over the side when the raft does, and stays attached.
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#142141 - 07/29/08 11:47 PM Re: Sailboat bug out / bug in [Re: bws48]
Doug_Ritter Offline

Pooh-Bah

Registered: 01/28/01
Posts: 2197
While all your points are valid, the most critical difference between then and now is that Steve didn't have a 406 MHz EPIRB and that significantly changes the entire survival equation. While one doesn't want to depend solely on an electronic based means of survival, battery operated devices can still fail, the fact is that they have proven to be remarkably reliable and effective. Today, particularly with EPIRBs and PLBs, such an event should be an extraordinary exception to the rule for a reasonably prepared sailor.
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#142142 - 07/29/08 11:48 PM Re: Sailboat bug out / bug in [Re: Stu]
Doug_Ritter Offline

Pooh-Bah

Registered: 01/28/01
Posts: 2197
Originally Posted By: SBRaider
Here is a interesting book y'all might want to read.

Adrift: Seventy-six Days Lost at Sea by Stephen Callahan
"Before The Perfect Storm, before In the Heart of the Sea, Steven Callahan's dramatic tale of survival at sea was on the New York Times bestseller list for more than thirty-six weeks. In some ways the model for the new wave of adventure books, Adrift is an undeniable seafaring classic, a riveting firsthand account by the only man known to have survived more than a month alone at sea, fighting for his life in an inflatable raft after his small sloop capsized only six days out. "Utterly absorbing" (Newsweek), Adrift is a must-have for any adventure library. "


Note please that Steve is a Member of the Board of Directors of the ETS Foundation...
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Doug Ritter
Editor
Equipped To SurviveŽ
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#142143 - 07/29/08 11:50 PM Re: Sailboat bug out / bug in [Re: Fitzoid]
Doug_Ritter Offline

Pooh-Bah

Registered: 01/28/01
Posts: 2197
Originally Posted By: Fitzoid
1) So you think it is at least plausible that a person could handhold a PLB in somewhat rough water long enough for it to make contact? (I'm not talking about storm conditions; think 5' waves rather than 10' waves.)


Not a problem, BTDT...

Originally Posted By: Fitzoid
2) Have you done your typical hands on, no holds-barred review of EPIRBs yet? (If so, I missed it.)


http://www.equipped.org/406_beacon_test_summary.htm
http://www.equipped.org/406_beacon_test2_toc.htm
_________________________
Doug Ritter
Editor
Equipped To SurviveŽ
Chairman & Executive Director
Equipped To Survive Foundation
www.KnifeRights.org
www.DougRitter.com

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