PLB Yes or No

[noelex 77]

I think a valid case can be made, (especially on a boat like mine that is crewed by only my wife and myself ) for 2x PLB's attached to our life jackets/harness rather than single EPIRB.

The transmit time is identical (for 2), there is redundancy, and perhaps most importantly if abandoning the yacht rapidly we are more likely to leave with the most important safety device no matter what the circumstances.

The MOB advantage is just icing on the cake.

Can anyone see any disadvantages of 2xPLB verses 1xEPIRB. (other than the legal requirements imposed by some countries)? Cost is a little bit more for 2xPLB, but EPIRBs are more expensive so the difference is not great.

BTW if you just want the MOB function one of the portable AIS transmitters is probably better.

[tamicatana]

we use ours as a poor-man's EPIRB for our coastal cruising. A fair bit of the Keys isn't in celphone range, so we had first a SPOT, but now have a PLB

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by Boracay

I'll also be trying to carry a satellite phone if I'm anywhere seriously remote. Making sure that the rescue people are fully informed is going to make their job that much easier if I were to need help.

I carry both. It's called inReach®. When I sailed from Seattle to SF just recently, I was in contact with friends and family everyday. As well, "The SOS function of the inReach SE is a valuable, life-saving service to DeLorme’s customers. Pressing SOS is like dialing 911 from a telephone. Emergency personnel will attempt to contact you and send assistance to your most recent location." It has GPS.

And you can text back and forth with the rescue team. The battery lasts in relation to use but with my use I was losing about 20% per day. The nice thing is it took the same charger as my cell. one can just keep it plugged in unless it needs to be mobile. And it'll bluetooth with cells or pads.

inReach SE Online Manual - DeLorme

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

I think a valid case can be made, (especially on a boat like mine that is crewed by only my wife and myself ) for 2x PLB's attached to our life jackets/harness rather than single EPIRB.

The transmit time is identical (for 2), there is redundancy, and perhaps most importantly if abandoning the yacht rapidly we are more likely to leave with the most important safety device no matter what the circumstances.

The MOB advantage is just icing on the cake.

Can anyone see any disadvantages of 2xPLB verses 1xEPIRB. (other than the legal requirements imposed by some countries)? Cost is a little bit more for 2xPLB, but EPIRBs are more expensive so the difference is not great.

BTW if you just want the MOB function one of the portable AIS transmitters is probably better.

The only disadvantage I can think of is a regular EPIRB probably has more robust construction and a better antenna. But in general my reasoning is precisely identical to yours. The risk of leaving a regular EPIRB behind in a catastrophic abandonment is much greater.

Also, I think the PLB does have a role in MOB, too, even if it's not the primary tool. In areas covered by helicopter rescue (whole Atlantic coasts of Europe, for example) you might get saved in case your crew is incapable of picking you up. Or if you're single handed!

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

...... and perhaps most importantly if abandoning the yacht rapidly we are more likely to leave with the most important safety device no matter what the circumstances.

I have a PLB... an ACR Aqualink .... stowed in the liferaft for that very reason. The EPIRB is at the navstation but when push turns to shove there is always the risk that it would be left behind.
I decided to do it when some years ago 3 fishermen died in Bass Strait after abandoning ship without their epirb. The boat sank in shallow water ( thats how it was discovered that the epirbs were still aboard her) within sight of land near Stanley. Their raft and two of their bodies were found down by Flinders Island some weeks later.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

I have a PLB... an ACR Aqualink .... stowed in the liferaft for that very reason. The EPIRB is at the navstation but when push turns to shove there is always the risk that it would be left behind.
I decided to do it when some years ago 3 fishermen died in Bass Strait after abandoning ship without their epirb. The boat sank in shallow water ( thats how it was discovered that the epirbs were still aboard her) within sight of land near Stanley. Their raft and two of their bodies were found down by Flinders Island some weeks later.

Wow! What a horrible story.

Certainly a powerful argument for a PLB tied to you or to your liferaft.

[SmartMove]

Our boat has an EPIRB. We each have a Kannard SafeLink R10 (AIS) attached to our vests. We are considering getting one PLB for the person on watch. I sincerely hope we never have to use them, but I don't see anything wrong with a little redundancy.

We also have VHF, SSB, AIS, handheld VHF, and Iridium sat phone -- all with DSC buttons. However, I wouldn't bet my life on the Iridium sat phone given the lack of coverage we have seen over the last nine months.