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[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by sww914

Get a big hat. Squirt some foam-in-a-can from Home Depot in is so it floats. Go out on the ocean at night when it's blowing over 20 and throw it overboard. As you throw it, mark MOB on your GPS.
Sail or motor for 10 minutes.
Turn around.
Find the hat.
Now tell me that you have better tools than flares to aid a rescue.

I don't know how they do it but a Tilley hat has a way to fire a flare. Flares rule!

[David_Old_Jersey]

Methinks the requirement to have flares was likely written some time in the 70's............

[Richard_W]

Originally Posted by Astrid

I was thinking more along the lines of how many casual yachtsmen would recognize a light flashing SOS as something more than a boat experiencing a shorting out light.

Right ... one needs to either be trained or be observant/curious enough. The good part is that the SOS signal is very rhythmic and repetitive unlike some casual, random, or naturally occurring sound or light.

[Astrid]

Not exactly sure when it was adopted for private vessels and pleasure boats, but The SOLAS convention of 1914 addressed standardization of distress rockets and other pyrotechnic distress signals to avoid confusion such as arose with the Titanic disaster and the mistaken impression by Captain Lord of the Californian that the rockets spotted by his deck watch were nothing more than company signals. Prior to the invention of wireless telegraphy rockets and the newly invented Very Pistol were common in the last quarter of the 19th century.

[Richard_W]

I find it really interesting that some who believe that code flags are very useful for communicating danger or when in dangerous situation, think that the flares are of no use in such situations. What gives?

[zeehag]

flares are quite visible from long distances and even over the horizon.
code flags are immediate eyes only.
what do you actually think about that, or does that even matter to ye......

by the way--anyone who knows any morse code at all knows S O S....even lil kidlets in 1950s were taught S O S....

[Richard_W]

Originally Posted by zeehag

flares are quite visible from long distances and even over the horizon.
code flags are immediate eyes only.
what do you actually think about that, or does that even matter to ye......

Sure it does matter. I have my approach based on my opinion or interpretation ... but always open to change if the reason is sound and one's opinion is consistent.

For now I will continue to carry the flares on my boat, and will not buy the code flags ... for the same reasons you have mentioned.