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Old 29-12-2016, 14:48   #1
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Minimal Electrical Equipment for Offshore

Hi looking for some advice please.
What would you consider the bare minimum equipment for going offshore in regards to AIS,RADAR, SSB, NAVTEX and Sat Phone.
I would like to do an East to West Passage to from Uk to Asia, Political stability in the Regions permitting I.E Somalia and Yemen.
Would you recommend spending £5000 on equipment above, or not?
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Old 29-12-2016, 15:04   #2
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Re: Minimal Electrical Equipment for Offshore

Minimal: I think Radar and GPS. Epirb too. A Sat phone may substitute the Epirb I suppose...?
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Old 29-12-2016, 15:31   #3
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Re: Minimal Electrical Equipment for Offshore

We used a sat phone for weather and e-mail crossing the Pacific. Occasionally we would have to wait for 20 minutes to get a good signal. AIS is invaluable and may be of more value than radar unless you are in fog.

Weather info is interesting but not much you can do about it 2,000 nm from land!

We have 2 EPIRBS and a Delorme for e-mail back-up.

All valuable but the only essential is EPIRB.
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Old 29-12-2016, 17:43   #4
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Re: Minimal Electrical Equipment for Offshore

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Weather info is interesting but not much you can do about it 2,000 nm from land!
I disagree. With reasonable forecasts 48-96 hours out, altering course and/or speed can poition you a few hundred miles away from an unaltered position. With many storms having the most intense weather within a 100+/- mile radius, one can do a lot with weather info.


I wasnt 2000 miles from land, but weather information about TS Faye led me to heave-to and wait for the storm to pass south east of me. If I hadnt put on the brakes, I'd have been in the middle of it.

I'd put weather info, weather GRIBs via satellie data or Ssb/pactor, or weatherfax, etc. At the top.

Also AIS and Radar make watches much easier. Potential collisions show up much sooner on those than with naked eye.




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Old 29-12-2016, 18:35   #5
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Re: Minimal Electrical Equipment for Offshore

Weather info isn't just for storm avoidance. Knowing where the wind is and isn't going to be can make the difference between having some great sailing weather, or drifting (or motoring) for a few days. The shortest path isn't always straight towards your destination.
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Old 29-12-2016, 21:39   #6
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Re: Minimal Electrical Equipment for Offshore

Quote:
Originally Posted by philipmclaren1 View Post
Hi looking for some advice please.

What would you consider the bare minimum equipment for going offshore in regards to AIS,RADAR, SSB, NAVTEX and Sat Phone.

I would like to do an East to West Passage to from Uk to Asia, Political stability in the Regions permitting I.E Somalia and Yemen.

Would you recommend spending £5000 on equipment above, or not?


I'm going to presume you meant electronic instead of electrical:

Bare minimum for me would be:
A. GPS
B. Shortwave receiver
C. Depthsounder
D. Handheld VHF
E. Laptop

I would also include a magnetic compass even though it's not electronic.

Really want to haves would be:
F. Fixed mount VHF/AIS
G. PLB/EPIRB
H. Knotmeter

Then the Nice-to-Haves in order:
I. DeLorme InReach
J. Radar
K. AIS transceiver
L. SSB to chitchat
M. Satphone
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Old 29-12-2016, 22:38   #7
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Re: Minimal Electrical Equipment for Offshore

Radar is a must for Asia for sailing at night, so many unlight fishing boats, fishtraps and FAD's. AIS is great especially for single handed sailing. Navtex not so much.
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Old 29-12-2016, 23:27   #8
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Re: Minimal Electrical Equipment for Offshore

I can't believe that you said "Somalia & Yemen". IF you even tried to get anywhere near those places YOU WILL GET, at best, eaten.
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Old 30-12-2016, 08:06   #9
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Re: Minimal Electrical Equipment for Offshore

Quote:
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Minimal: I think Radar and GPS. Epirb too. A Sat phone may substitute the Epirb I suppose...?
There's no substitute for an EPIRB. When it goes off, you are telling several SAR facilities at once you're in the drink (or imminently will be so). With a satphone, you're telling one person...who may be on a toilet break.

I'm not dissing satphones. I'm just saying they are to EPIRBs as binoculars are to radar: limited.
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Old 30-12-2016, 08:12   #10
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Re: Minimal Electrical Equipment for Offshore

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Originally Posted by s/v Moondancer View Post
We used a sat phone for weather and e-mail crossing the Pacific. Occasionally we would have to wait for 20 minutes to get a good signal. AIS is invaluable and may be of more value than radar unless you are in fog.

Weather info is interesting but not much you can do about it 2,000 nm from land!

We have 2 EPIRBS and a Delorme for e-mail back-up.

All valuable but the only essential is EPIRB.
I think, and increasingly so as AIS buoyage is introduced, that AIS and RADAR are complementary and enhance each other. AIS at the mast top can tell you the CPA of a container ship well over the horizon (and vice-versa with a transponder) whereas RADAR can tell you if they'll be a squall coming with it. You can adjust course if necessary and reef down in good time. Wait under (as I hope) the mandatory "tagging" of containers with AIS beacons activated should said container fall off a ship happens...one of the more deadly threats at sea will be lessened, as the recent incident off New Zealand indicated. Racing yacht damaged off southern coast of New Zealand - National - NZ Herald News
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Old 30-12-2016, 08:16   #11
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Re: Minimal Electrical Equipment for Offshore

Oh for goodness sake, that old chesnut, yet again. I came through in early October, not even three months ago, delivering a friends boat ......
You wont be going ashore of course at either and you'll stay away from the Hanish Islands (as recommended for over 20 years, so nothing new there) but otherwise marine traffic is more regular than for many years.



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I can't believe that you said "Somalia & Yemen". IF you even tried to get anywhere near those places YOU WILL GET, at best, eaten.
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Old 30-12-2016, 09:39   #12
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Re: Minimal Electrical Equipment for Offshore

We all know the real minimum is, none. After that you have already received good answers, with the actual answer being your own needs/feelings/budget as to safety, convenience and cost.
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Old 30-12-2016, 10:34   #13
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Re: Minimal Electrical Equipment for Offshore

I feel AIS is in the "nice to have", Radar can do a lot of things, tell you where thunderstorms are, waterspouts also, all those old foreign fishing boats that don't have anything but a poorly working radio, help in fog, help making landfall in breaking waves etc etc. AIS wont do that.
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Old 30-12-2016, 10:47   #14
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Re: Minimal Electrical Equipment for Offshore

For the route you are wanting to take ais is required and I would recommend an epirb
Thailand: AIS transponders mandatory on all foreign craft in Phuket waters, effective October 1 —
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Old 30-12-2016, 10:49   #15
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Re: Minimal Electrical Equipment for Offshore

I never understood trying to do something with the bare minimum. I want everything I can afford, including radar, AIS, EPIRB, Sat phone, GPS Chartplotter, laptop, handheld, MOB beacons. If I can't afford it, then I will wait until I can.
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