What is Your Safety Gear?

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

So ASD has the following safety gear:

1. Manual activated 4-person Life Raft
2. Cold emersion (Gumby) suits w/PLB, whistle, light and mirror
3. Standard off shore PFDs w/ whistle and light
4. Ditch Bag with waterproof handheld VHF
5. Main VHF radios wired to give position when red button is pushed
6. Dingy with VHF (no position) w/ assorted flares (Cable cutters stashed within arms reach to cut davit cables)
7. Assorted Flares on main boat


What would you add or delete?

 

[rslifkin]

If in remote areas, I'd add an EPIRB to the list. In populated areas, VHF / DSC is almost certainly good enough, but I wouldn't count on it with nobody around and just a tall, distant USCG antenna to hopefully hear you.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

If in remote areas, I'd add an EPIRB to the list. In populated areas, VHF / DSC is almost certainly good enough, but I wouldn't count on it with nobody around and just a tall, distant USCG antenna to hopefully hear you.

PLBs?

 

[rslifkin]

PLBs?

Those are definitely a good start. I know EPIRBs have a longer transmit time before the battery runs out, but I can't remember if there's any other advantage.



Ideally, with budget not a concern, I'd go for an EPIRB on the boat, PLB packed into the life raft and PLBs with the survival suits.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Great response.

This question is for the USCG folks.

You have an emergency in which you have to abandon ship. You get your gumby suit.

Question: As you are puting your suit on.....Shoes on or off?

 

[psneeld]

Sorta depends, if anywhere near land that you might float to....I would try and keep them whether on my feet or not.

Do you know the plastic bag trick for getting your feet and legs in the Gumbo suit easily?

If the shoes slip in OK then leave them on, if not take them off.

That's all generic survival thinking. Best to check with the manufacturer to see what they add. There may be a good reason to take the shoes off.

 

[Portage_Bay]

Shoes off. Or plastic bags over the shoes to make them slide into the suit.

In addition to your gear list given that you cruise Columbia River to Ak I'd add 1st aid / medical kit and sat comms of some sort and a designated person ashore.

My story. Broken down 25 nm due west of Morrow Bay. Fuel and electrical problems. I couldn't make contact via VHF or
Cell. I used my inreach to contact my designated person as well as the owner, this was a delivery.

Back to the engine room to get things up and running again.

Once I'm under power again I make for Morrow to effect proper repairs.

The CG has been notifird, is on standby and ready to assist if needed.

As psneeld has said in the life raft thread. It's more than purchasing the gear. It's the planning, prep and training.

Great response.

This question is for the USCG folks.

You have an emergency in which you have to abandon ship. You get your gumby suit.

Question: As you are puting your suit on.....Shoes on or off?

 

[Porgy]

For my safety gear I got a blob of grey matter, goes with me everywhere. But my wife says its certification expired and needs to be repacked.

 

[AusCan]

VHF with GPS position
Portable VHF
Flares - Hand held, smoke flares, and parachute flares
Epirbs (2)
First Aid kits (main & portable)
Portable compass
PFD's, Lifebuoys
Harnesses
Lifeline
V-Sheet (used to visually signify vessel in distress)

 

[Lou_tribal]

2 bottle of wine, won't be able to survive without wine.

L

 

[MYTraveler]

SatPhone in the ditch bag. The 25mm flares are pretty worthless. I invested in the bigger ones (12 Ga?), and included a few parachute flares. The ditch bag VHF should have an alkaline battery pack, and you should have extra alkaline batteries.

 

[psneeld]

The opposite...12ga are the little ones, 25mm had parachutes and metal guns...haven't bought parachutes lately but still have one.

 

[MYTraveler]

The opposite...12ga are the little ones, 25mm had parachutes and metal guns...haven't bought parachutes lately but still have one.

You are right -- I was thinking about the adapter I have to shoot shotgun shells through a flare gun, but of course that means the 12 gauge shell is smaller than the flare gun, which must be 25mm.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Wow good tips. Never knew about the plasic bags. So 2 bags per suit will be added to the bag.

I forgot the the first-aid kit. I have 2.

Thank you for your tips.

 

[Portage_Bay]

Wow good tips. Never knew about the plasic bags. So 2 bags per suit will be added to the bag.

I forgot the the first-aid kit. I have 2.

Thank you for your tips.

Best place I've found for the plastic bags is in the chest cavity of the suit. They're right there when you get ready to climb in. Have you practiced getting in your suits? It works best if you help each other get dressed up. As you practice imagine doing in in the dark in rough weather. Think through how you will manage that, different for every person and boat.

 

[Comodave]

Yes, the plastic bags make it simple to slide the boots/shoes into the immersion suits. We have PLBs on our PFDs along with strobes on each. A knife is nice to have.

 

[Medic]

On Mimi's Oasis I have two complete sets of 4 children's and 4 adult PFD's. One set is stored aft, in a compartment just inside the door to the salon. Another set is stored forward, in a watertight bag hanging in the anchor locker. Both are within easy reach of children and adults.

My fear has always been my young grandchildren being forward, like in one of the cabins, and being able to escape, because I've put in an egress ladder that automatically deploys in the forward hatch, but then being cut off from the rear of the boat because the damn engine room is on fire.

I would also make sure to have an advanced medical kit aboard. My kit is so advanced that it pretty much takes a well-trained person to use. Since I am such a person, and since I will soon be boatless, take comfort in knowing that I am available for interesting voyages. I would require my own cabin and a plentiful supply of bon-bons, and a large supply of Oprah reruns. I will stand watch but not do any maintenance, and most certainly no cleaning (yuck). LOL

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Best place I've found for the plastic bags is in the chest cavity of the suit. They're right there when you get ready to climb in. Have you practiced getting in your suits? It works best if you help each other get dressed up. As you practice imagine doing in in the dark in rough weather. Think through how you will manage that, different for every person and boat.

Yes we practice twice a year or more. We have found it easier to help each other.

We have discussed different senerios like fire, hitting a container, crab pots. We look at it from a safety point and how we should proceed when trying to egress the boat. Some times that means staying on the boat and not in a rush to get off.

 

[Portage_Bay]

Yes we practice twice a year or more. We have found it easier to help each other.

We have discussed different senerios like fire, hitting a container, crab pots. We look at it from a safety point and how we should proceed when trying to egress the boat. Some times that means staying on the boat and not in a rush to get off.

That's the way to do it! Practice, talk about it, perfect your technique and skills. Yes, don't be in a hurry to get off.

 

[TBill36]

Just purchased an electronic flare. I'm sure there is some controversy, but under some situations, lighting a pyrotechnic will be the last thing you want to do. They also last for hours.

 

[fgarriso]

Just purchased an electronic flare. I'm sure there is some controversy, but under some situations, lighting a pyrotechnic will be the last thing you want to do. They also last for hours.

Are they USCG or SOLAS approved?

 

[Lepke]

.45 acp

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Just purchased an electronic flare. I'm sure there is some controversy, but under some situations, lighting a pyrotechnic will be the last thing you want to do. They also last for hours.

So I read a report stating they work great in a dark no light pollution area. However if you have city lights or other light pollution BEHIND you, then you tend to bleed into the background.

 

[CharlieO.]

Have a good light for signaling on your survival suit.
I have a friend that was picked up by the coast guard, he was in his survival suit at night and stormy and the helo crew said the only reason they saw him was the flashlight he was using to signal them as he was bobbing around. The other friend on that boat has never been found, couldn't get his suit zipped up.

 

[Hippocampus]

On the PFDs
Mirror AIS + GPS whistle light hood crotch straps knife
All attached

In ditch bag
Med kit vhf survival blankets water food epirb handheld satphone with numbers for local SAR preprogrammed and in waterproof bag. Dive light. Small solar charger.

Winslow raft has standard additional supplies.

Sold the Gumbys have 2 immersions

PFDs and raft hydrostatic. Had a paper trigger disintegrate ( scared the poop out of me and strained my neck)

Mom8

Lifesling

JSD went with last boat will be replaced with a sea anchor

Check batteries and charge routinely.

This is my next purchase

Jotron Tron AIS-SART

Use LRSE for supplies . They’ve been very responsive through the years both sale and service.

 

[TBill36]

Are they USCG or SOLAS approved?

They satisfy the USCG flair requirement in place of pyrotechnics. Don't know what SOLAS is.

 

[SailorGreg]

They satisfy the USCG flair requirement in place of pyrotechnics. Don't know what SOLAS is.

In addition to the gear mentioned, we carry:
AED
High capacity electric bilge pump with long hoses
Towing harness
Sea anchor
Iridium Go sat phone
Evacuation insurance
Ship’s SOP covering emergency instructions
And other stuff in the ditch bag not already mentioned:
Copies of all critical documents in sealed pouch
Cash
GPS h/h
VHF w extra batteries

We have a list of gear that would move from the big boat to the ditch bag with an abandon ship order, such as the Iridium Go and cell phones


We usually don’t get more than 200 miles offshore so don’t expect we would be in the life raft for a long time, and we stay in temperate climates so some stuff mentioned earlier here we don’t carry. Goal would be to seen and heard and located quickly.

 

[Hippocampus]

SG same stuff as well. Think it’s gotten to be a fairly standard list for most. Forgot to mention LSRE is now offering courses as well. I’ve not done one so can’t comment further. Annapolis school of sailing as well and SAS is offered in Newport R.I.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Iridium Go sat phone

Little off track. How do you like your Sat phone?

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Thanks everyone for participating. So far, based on the responses, I will be adding to my safety gear.