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Here's an example of a launch that reportedly sunk up Northland in 2006 after a suspected whale strike within 10 minutes.

 

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10364398

Hay thanks for the link Farrari. Its really good to get an account of an incident and what actually happened.

 

I like this statement from the article:

"I wanted to get the beacons and pretty quick, and grabbed my wife's bag on the way out. ... They were all screaming at me, but if I didn't get the beacons we'd be in trouble."

 

In the context of this thread, they didn't use flares at all. The guy put out a mayday call (assuming on VHF) and then put a high priority on getting hold of his beacons (EPIRB or PLB). The other key thing is they got into an inflatable dinghy. So that is a good example of a crew needing to get into to dinghy asap. 

 

Am I prepared? If I'm cruising with the kids, we will be towing a big inflatable (the one that is too big to fit on deck for racing). I normally have my PLB on my person. I do need to update the boats EPIRB, and am keen to get one with the GPS and on MEOSART, so has the quick response time. My PLB already has GPS.

 

I have been giving some thought to the benefit of flares. They may be of use to show your location to rescue boats, after a mayday has been issued, i.e. position marker. Then I consider the short term nature that a flare burns for, so in that context an LED flare is far more beneficial. Wouldn't want to let your flares off before the rescuing boats have got around Cape Brett, only to have non left once they are in the zone looking for you.

 

What it does make me think about, is making sure a grab bag is handy. We could debate all day what to have in a grab bag, but having one accessible is probably a whole lot more important than its specific contents I think. (mine still has a mirror and cylume sticks in it...)

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I started writing up my own experience and then ran out of time.  Short version, heaps of water flooding in (split raw water pipe and engine running), not clear at the time why, prepared to get off the boat, beautiful day, just north of Coromandel.  It took the CG about 40min at full speed to get to us, they beat the local harbour master.  Police helicopter was called off when I identified the problem.  There were other boats around but none close enough to call to or signal easily.  Had we actually had to abandon (the family had the tender ready, grab bag, EPIRB, life jackets and phones etc. and were standing on the transom while I lifted the floor) I would have let a flare go.  I would not rely on the VHF, a phone, flare or EPIRB.  For what a flare costs, it is cheap if you ever need it. We carry all of them, we go over every now and then what we are going to do if we start to sink, just like I explain to new people on the boat where the life jackets, extinguishers are etc.

 

Flares will look cheap after the fact when something goes wrong.

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But still there are no accounts / examples of when a flare has actually been used in anger.

Does that not indicate that the other means of communication are reliable and effective?

Certainly you can never rely on one form of communication, that is why we have more than one. But how many is enough?

 

 

Technology is changing. Its a bit like paying a bill. You can write a cheque, take it to the bank, que in the que, and then hand it over, or log onto internet banking and do it all without getting out of your chair. If your in the iPhone generation, you can even pay the bill walking down the road, on the bus or even from KM's cockpit. Flares are a single use, one point in time device. Yes they could be useful, but their importance is diminishing with advancements of other options.

 

Appreciate you account dutyfree. understanding what happened to other people is a great educator.

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About 1987 going past Tutukaka at about 5.00pm,saw a person waving a tea towel/rag etc,we went pass and it  still waving,we went back to see what the problem was."I have lost my diver heading that direction"so we proceeded and located diver,tow him back to the  runabout,when sorted asked why didn't you use the vhf?"I Don't know how"what about a flare??"we have I don't how" why didn't you cut the anchor warp so you drift in the right direction?"do you know price of a new anchor and thanks you can go now"

some people,if she let a flare off the game club would of seen it,patrons at pub would've seen it

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But still there are no accounts / examples of when a flare has actually been used in anger.

Does that not indicate that the other means of communication are reliable and effective?.

When Aztec was lost in the Welly to Gisborne race, it was a flare that attracted the attention of another competitor, who arrived in time to rescue the crew as the yacht went down.

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Ha - that was over 100years ago HT. the Californian's skipper was an idiot. They clearly saw the flares - knew they were flares but ignored them. Can't blame that on the flares.

Flares were standardised because of that so that even a idiot can recognise them.

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Ha - that was over 100years ago HT. the Californian's skipper was an idiot. They clearly saw the flares - knew they were flares but ignored them. Can't blame that on the flares.

Flares were standardised because of that so that even a idiot can recognise them.

Still applies today,Idiots,ask my nephew,lucky some one shore reported it as another vessel went passed and waved.

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Lasers, if powerful, should be pulse type. Constant concentrated lasers can cause permanent blindness. Day or night. I have a milspec green one, got for defence against pirates in the Indian Ocean in 2011, rather than a firearm. Supposed to be able to cause blindness at 1000m at night, and 400m in the day.

I've never used it in anger. It's great for pointing out stars etc. It looks like the beam reaches out and touches the stars!

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