Ditch-Bag: Hand Held Advice?

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Rustic Charm

You have some rather 🤔 Unique ideas there Reed. 😂😂😂

No, he's right -- both of those systems exist.

The one is called Yachtsaver.

The other is the Cirrus light plane.

The Cirrus whole plane parachute system seems to have actually saved a few lives.

The Yachtsaver seems kind of impractical to me, and I don't think was ever very popular.

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by Biggusstickus

As well as all the other useful items suggested don't forget the value of just your normal mobile phone. Another Tasmanian fishing boat sank very quickly off Maria Island about 2 years and the only way they got a message out was via a mobile phone sms. The EPIRB was activated on the vessel but as it sank they escaped on a raft in 20knt wind which pushed them away from the EPIRB location very quickly and whilst they couldn't call out due to week signal they did get an SMS to family who alerted police. We responded in our boat as well but the Chopper just got there before us and all crew were safely rescued. A few months later we ran into one of the crew and he said they had no time at all to grab anything except release the lift raft in waist deep water while the boat sank.

Of course the mobile will only work in signal range but a useful tool out to 12mn or so.

If that was meant to be "12nm" then bollocks

I've not as yet been down the east coast, but in the north, around King and even off the coast of Victoria, mobile phone reception, without an aerial is about 4nm. Well, that's with an iPhone mind you

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

No, he's right -- both of those systems exist.

The one is called Yachtsaver.

The other is the Cirrus light plane.

The Cirrus whole plane parachute system seems to have actually saved a few lives.

The Yachtsaver seems kind of impractical to me, and I don't think was ever very popular.

Yes, I know of the parachutes for light aircraft. Jabiru's will sell one to as an option. And I think there a really good idea.

But for a boat if you are in such dire straits that you need to employ something like this, then I would think the priorities are wrong. Saving the boat will be the least of my concerns.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Damn good price on an EPIRB, what was it?

One of these... https://www.acrartex.com/products/ca...es/resqmate-g/

Nobody seems to be stocking them any more... mine may have been a 'run-out' price.
I know it was cheaper to buy a new one than change the battery in my old one.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by Omatako

.........
At the risk of getting my head torn off, PLBs are more intended for land-based adventure activities, not really that appropriate for marine use. And I'm not the only one to think that - this clipped from the Maritime NZ website

1) EPIRB (emergency position-indicating radio beacon) – for use on boats and ships
2) PLB (personal locator beacon) – for use in remote locations
3) ELT (emergency locator transmitter) – for use in aircraft
........

Some PLBs, it would seem, are designed for use afloat .. https://www.acrartex.com/products/ca.../aqualink-plb/

However they are not intended as a primary unit when used afloat, more as a backup.

Looking at the CHSmith website I wonder if ACR are quitting Australia?

EPIRB and PLB Distress Beacons Marine EPIRBs

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Last Epirb I bought was less than US$300..

I am , however, planning to replace my 15yo hand held VHF with a Standard Horizon HX-870

A query ... can this Class D DSC VHF accept a British MMSI?

Pretty sure it can.. just asking..

We have an SH fixed unit programmed with a Swedish MMSI.

You may want to ask SH via email, but I believe their units accept any 9 digit code as MMSI.

b.

[StandardHorizon]

El Pinguino,

The HX870 will accept a British MMSI, I recommend purchasing the HX870E European model.

[El Pinguino]

Thanks to both Barnakiel and Horizon. I was just looking at ex US and ex UK.... UK works out cheaper... funny that.

I hope there is no issue with airfreighting it.

Cheers,
Ping

[jeremiason]

Eugenie Russel is a friend of ours... And several people have mentioned her sinking in 2009. I also have two other friends that lost boats out from under them, one in the Pacific and one in the Alantic...

The common suggestion between them is carry a EPIRB and have a VHF to talk to rescuers.

Commonly, when you activate your EPIRB, Search and Rescue will send an airplane to your GPS position as given by the EPIRB.

At that point they will attempt to hail you on VHF Marine Channel 16. Having a portable VHF allows you to talk to the aircraft, find out the ETA of rescue craft and report any problems or medical issues. Remember they are at altitude, so you hand held will talk much farther (Line of sight)

Without the radio all you can do is watch the plane fly in circles until the rescue craft arrive or it has to return to base.

Later, when the rescue craft arrives the VHF will help direct it to your exact position, especially if you use DSC.

So my two cents.... At a minimum you should have a EPIRB and a Waterproof VHF Radio that is DSC capable. I like the Standard-Horizon, but there are others too.

Also unless you want it for fun, an AIS receiving portable VHF does very little in a rescue, but a DSC capable radio would be great, since it will send your GPS coordinates out to anyone within range of your radio.

[El Pinguino]

Job done, just ordered an SH HX870E from the UK.

I've also just down loaded the 137 page pdf telling me how to use it.... which made me think...

If you have anything like this in your grab bag or even just on board you really need to make up a laminated crib sheet so that crew ( and you) can use it in an emergency without too much faffing about..... which leads me to another thought.

Don't forget to pack a spare pair of glasses .... two in my case ... long and short range.

Last year's will do.

Ordered my 870 through Seamark Nunn in the UK... I've dealt with them before.
Freight ( rest of world) was UKP25 as against UKP50 from several others that I checked.
Apart from the 240V as against 110V charger I'm not sure what other difference there is between the E and the US models, however.....

Both West and Defender state hazardous/ground only due to the Lithium battery. Thus far no such restriction flagged ( it is Sunday ) ex UK. Checked the Qantas website Dangerous Goods | Qantas and as far as baggage is concerned would be OK either cabin or hold with them, not that I intend to fly to the UK to pick it up... well not unless I have to.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

(...)

If you have anything like this in your grab bag or even just on board you really need to make up a laminated crib sheet so that crew ( and you) can use it in an emergency without too much faffing about..... which leads me to another thought.

(...)

It is actually way simpler than any instruction can tell.


1. Make sure the unit is ON,
2. Flip the flap,
3. Press the red button.

The same like an EPIRB or anything else, say the oven, the parachute or a gun. (I only mention a gun to make this example transparent to US cruisers).

b.

[Rustic Charm]

Personally, I don't think there is any need for both an epirb and a vhf, 'IF' you get the epirbs with gps, which are quickly becoming the norm now. With the GPS, there is no flying around at some huge height trying to locate you in a big circle. The chopper, plane, vessel can in fact come strait to your location. GPS equipped epirbs should really become the standard now.

And whilst carrying a VHF in your ditch bag, or grabbing one if you have time is a good idea. I'm wondering about the ease or practicality of actually using one from a raft. I would think having just one reliable emergency device is enough and less to worry about, without trying to grab others.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Rustic Charm

. . . But for a boat if you are in such dire straits that you need to employ something like this, then I would think the priorities are wrong. Saving the boat will be the least of my concerns.

The idea is not, in the first place, to save the boat, but to save the CREW. A floating boat is about 1,000,000x safer place for the crew than a liferaft. Saving the boat is just a bonus.

But I agree it doesn't really seem practical. It requires fairly bulky and expensive equipment. I was surprised to see that the system is still being made -- in Australia by a company called Turtle Pack:




Underwater Lift Bags & Yacht Floatation - Turtlepac



What I have to deal with a flooding emergency is a really gigantic macerating trash pump, which is much cheaper and easier to install than this. It's big enough to deal with flooding from any one completely blown out through hull or stern gland. There are flooding emergencies it might not be able to deal with, but should be enough for 90% of cases. For the other 10%, I have my two life rafts And very good insurance

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Rustic Charm

Personally, I don't think there is any need for both an epirb and a vhf, 'IF' you get the epirbs with gps, which are quickly becoming the norm now. With the GPS, there is no flying around at some huge height trying to locate you in a big circle. The chopper, plane, vessel can in fact come strait to your location. GPS equipped epirbs should really become the standard now.

And whilst carrying a VHF in your ditch bag, or grabbing one if you have time is a good idea. I'm wondering about the ease or practicality of actually using one from a raft. I would think having just one reliable emergency device is enough and less to worry about, without trying to grab others.

I certainly agree it's much less important than the EPIRB or PLB.

But I think it's very good to have short-range two-way comms. What if you see a ship on the horizon? You can put out a DSC distress call, and then talk with them. You can also talk to the rescue helicopter. Passing ships can't receive your EPIRB signal. I'll definitely be taking mine if God forbid I ever have to abandon.

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

I certainly agree it's much less important than the EPIRB or PLB.

But I think it's very good to have short-range two-way comms. What if you see a ship on the horizon? You can put out a DSC distress call, and then talk with them. You can also talk to the rescue helicopter. Passing ships can't receive your EPIRB signal. I'll definitely be taking mine if God forbid I ever have to abandon.

yep point taken.

Hey Dockhead, remember a little while back (on another thread) I commented that I could not seem to raise anyone on a DSC call?

I tried again on a recent trip. Again it seemed to be ringing, but never got an answer on it. one of the calls I thought was picked up, but no one responded verbally. Though it was a chineese ship. I got them in the vhf easy enough. But just didn't get a response to DSC.