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Check out our South Florida Boating Guide!
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Safety Gear By law you must have the safety gear required by the Coast Guard. But their requirements are WAY TOO lenient. Here is what you REALLY need if you plan to venture far from shore or to the islands.
Safety Gear List
1.
Type I offshore lifejackets
6.
Back-up handheld GPS 8. Drift fishing anchor
9. Handheld compass
15.
Alkaline batteries
17.
Sat-phone (optional) 19. Cell phone (optional) 21. IPOD with Buffett tunes
Lifejackets First thing you should do is toss those $6 specials that came with your new boat. Instead you should have a type I offshore life jacket for each crewmember. If you do not like to wear the traditional bulky vests, there are Coast Guard approved inflatables on the market, both manual and hydrostatically activated. Do not skimp, get the best jackets you can afford.
Because
of the extreme difficulty of locating a person in
the water, it's a good idea to equip each lifejacket with a whistle and personal strobe light.
Coast guard regulations also require you carry a
type IV throwable flotation device. Make sure it is
readily accessible in case of emergency.
After lifejackets, VHF radio is the single most
important safety device on your boat. VHF range is,
generally speaking, limited to line of sight or
slightly farther. The higher your antenna, and the
receiving antenna, the farther the range. Get the
best VHF you can afford and a high quality antenna
to go with it. Mount the antenna as high as possible
to maximize range. While marine VHF's are all
limited to the same transmitting power by law, 25
watts, this doesn't mean all are created equal.
In general you are no longer required to carry an FCC license to operate a VHF. However, vessels traveling overseas, including the Bahamas, must carry an FCC license. Vessels over 20 meters regardless of destination must also carry a license. The license is really just a permit - you fill out paperwork, pay a small fee and the FCC issues you the license. There is no test to take or requirements to meet. To obtain the license, check the FCC website at www.fcc.gov
EPRIB stands for Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon.
It is the single most important advance in lifesaving
communications since the advent of VHF. When
activated a 406 EPRIB immediately sends an emergency
signal (digitally encoded with your boat's
identifying information) that is received by
geostationary satellites worldwide. This signal is
then forwarded to the appropriate agency to
coordinate search and rescue. Within less than an
hour after you activate your 406, usually within
minutes, the appropriate agencies will know who you
are, that you are in distress and your location
within a tight radius of a few miles. This
dramatically reduces time-to-rescue as authorities
are no longer forced to spend hours or even days
trying to locate you (let alone commence actual
rescue operations).
Some important notes about 406 EPIRBS. You must register them with the appropriate authorities at the time of purchase so that your vessel and contact information is logged into their databases. You can do this at www.sarsat.noaa.gov There are two basic configurations, manual and hydrostatic release. Manual, as the name implies, requires you to manually activate the EPIRB in case of an emergency. A hydrostatic release is automatic. Once the vessel sinks to a predetermined depth, usually about 15 feet, water pressure activates a release that allows the EPIRB to float free. The hydrostatic release also initiates transmission of the emergency signal. Newer models have GPS units built in to narrow the search pattern even further. 406 EPIRBS are not cheap, starting at around $800. Some marine chains offer EPIRBS for rent, check BOAT US.
One last note of caution, do not confuse digital 406
Mhz EPIRBS with older 121.5/243 MHz analog EPIRBS.
These older models are nowhere near as effective.
Historically they have caused so many false alarms,
up to 99%, that agencies generally do not consider a
signal from one as a true emergency until they have
other confirmation such as a radio mayday, flare
sighting etc. Which defeats the whole idea of an
emergency EPIRB in the first place. If you buy an
EPIRB, consider only the 406 models. Period.
If you have an inboard, your boat is likely equipped
with a built in fire extinguishing system. For
outboards, the USCG requires you carry handheld
units. You should carry a good quality fire
extinguisher, easily accessible and of reasonable
size (generally larger than the puny ones required
by law). Better yet, carry at least two in case one
fails, leaks, rusts etc. Remember, you must check your fire
extinguisher on a periodic basis. For stopping leaks if a thru-hull fails. They are made of soft wood and are designed to expand when wet, thereby securing the hole. For this reason you should keep them dry stored in Ziploc bags. They come in various sizes and it's a good idea to identify correct ones for each of your thru-hulls before you leave the dock.
True Story of Almost Sinking We were 37 miles from shore when a thru-hull snapped. Water gushed in and within minutes filled about a third of the bilge. Thanks to our wooden plugs, we plugged the busted thru-hull and it held perfectly for the 3 hours it took for help to arrive.
This assumes the obvious, that you have a permanent,
fixed mount GPS or chartplotter onboard.
With prices for handheld GPS units running less than $100, there is no excuse not to
have one onboard as back-up. The logic is the same
as for handheld VHF above - fail-proof back-up
capability that does not rely on the main battery
system. Oh yeah, make sure to load your inlet and
other important waypoints BEFORE you leave the dock. Offshore Flares
The standard 12 mm kit that comes on many new boats,
while meeting legal requirements, is simply
inadequate for offshore cruising. The quantity is
too low and the illuminating power is insufficient.
Compare 12mm and 25mm flares.
Small boats are at their most vulnerable when
without engine power. In rough seas they can drift
dangerously beam-to or stern-to the waves. Making
matters worse, it is nearly
impossible to
troubleshoot a problem while rocking sickeningly
side to side. For these reasons you should carry a
small drift fishing anchor to put off the bow and
keep your nose pointing safely into the seas. This
will also slow down any wind induced drift, possibly
keeping you off the beach or rocks. Bear in mind
these are not designed for severe storm conditions
and most have stated wind limits. But for less than
fifty bucks they’re a must have safety device.
To verify readings on your primary and as an easy way
to take fixes. Also handy if your primary compass gets
broken (they are glass afterall).
One small one attached to each lifejacket. It is hard enough
to spot someone in the water during the day, let
alone at night. You can also purchase a big one for
the boat itself.
One attached to each lifejacket for the same reason
as the strobes, it's damn near impossible to see
someone floating in the water.
Even though your boat should have a functional horn,
the disposable compressed air units are much louder.
The can sometimes rusts in the marine environment so
keep them in a dry area and check occasionally. Even if you have a fixed mount spotlight, I recommend a waterproof, battery operated model as critical back-up. It’s worth repeating, most problems on powerboats are electrical related, which means you may not be able to run any fixed mount equipment that relies on the main battery system. Given the choice of only one, I would choose a high quality, battery-operated portable over a fixed mount spotlight for the simple reason of dependability.
Get a high quality, submersible handheld VHF that
can run off alkaline batteries. The most frequent
problem on power boats is usually something
electrical, which means you may not have juice to
run your standard VHF when you need it most. With a
handheld, especially one that runs off alkaline
batteries, you will always have at least short range
capability. Alkaline Batteries
Keep plenty onboard in Ziploc storage bags - cheap
insurance and peace of mind. Watertight Safety Box
Common sense - your lifesaving gear should be kept
safe and dry so it functions properly when you need
it. Keep everything in one place that is accessible
and known to everyone on board, not buried and
forgotten in a locker under the spare oil and old
rope.
Now becoming more and more prevalent with costs
dropping rapidly, there are even reasonably priced
handheld models. As with cell phones, sat phones
must be considered strictly secondary to VHF for the
same reasons. In an emergency, the closest help is
often a nearby boat and VHF is still the most
reliable way to communicate boat to boat. Recent
failures of telecom companies, including some in the
marine industry, means you should do your homework
before choosing a system and provider. Life Raft
This is a personal choice based on your budget and
boat size. While not an absolute necessity, a high quality life raft does add
a margin of safety. There are a number good quality
coastal life rafts being made by reputable firms
that are designed for even small boats. Prices start at
slightly under $2,000. Life rafts must be inspected
and repacked on a regular basis by certified
technicians - check with your manufacture for
details.
When To Get In A Life Raft Do not get in to a life raft until you have to STEP UP into it from your boat.
Cell Phone
Cell phones have limited range and should be
considered strictly secondary to VHF. Cellular range
is usually less than five miles from shore but there
are legal booster units and dedicated cell antennas
that can increase range to 20-25 miles. In an
emergency, the closest help is often a nearby boat
and your cell phone will be useless in that case.
This is why VHF remains the gold standard in marine
communications. Cell phones are nice to have be
should NEVER be your primary communications device
offshore. IPOD with Buffett Tunes If all else fails and you end up hopelessly adrift in the vast Atlantic, you’ll dang sure appreciate the tunes.
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