The title is intentionally non-specific!
I am considering a 600 mile
offshore passage next summer, from the Chesapeake to
Halifax. This has a maximum
offshore distance of about 150 miles. Target time frame is mid-June. The
boat is generally offshore-ready and has crossed the Atlantic and back (previous owner), but some stuff is aging and some technology has advanced.
I'm considering EPIRB/PLB/etc right now.
The
boat has an
EPIRB. The
battery is well past its "best by" date. It still tests good (self test includes
battery test), and I'm confident it will give at least a few signals before dying -- and since I'm currently confined the Chesapeake, I'm OK with it. Battery replacement is not economically viable.
I have no personal devices.
So, there are three types of signalling devices:
1)
EPIRB, around $650 and up
2) PLB, around $250 and up
3)
AIS beacons, starting just over $300
4) Not really another category, but a combination of 2 and 3, for example the ACR ResQLink 450 for $520 (yeah, about the
price of a #2 and a #3).
So, I need a way to
rescue the boat, and a way to
rescue my crew. I feel that I can make do with 2 personal beacons of some sort (likely will have 3-4 aboard, but can swap beacons when going on deck).
Some questions:
* Do I need a ship's EPIRB? A PLB transmits for only 24 hours (but I would have 2 and could use them in series), they only
work if you hold them out of the
water (but you won't have much else to do will you?), and they aren't administratively linked to the details of your boat. For a one week near-coastal trip in the US and
Canada, an EPIRB seems rather pricey. And an argument could be made that you are almost guaranteed to have one PLB (the on watch crew) in any
accident, while there are theoretical accidents that you won't get the EPIRB in time.
* PLB or
AIS? AIS allows the ship to find you. PLB allows the USCG to find you (and replaces or supplements or extends the operational battery life of your EPIRB).
* Is the duo-device a good idea? If I go
overboard in moderate conditions, I'd love the ship to track me on AIS, but I'm not sure I want the USCG scrambling a helo when I was picked up in 5 minutes -- and there is no way to tell them you don't need them any more until they are within
VHF range. It would be nice if there was a way to select one or the other.
I could buy a combo (or one of each type) for each crew, plus an EPIRB, for just shy of $3000. Or I could buy two combos and nothing else for $1K. Or 2 PLB and an EPIRB for a bit over the $1K mark. Other than the whole hog, it's a bit less about the cost than "which is best."
And, yes, I know that in a perfect world, cost is irrelevant. 4 combo devices, an EPIRB, a hydrostatic release (why do the mount holes NEVER match when you upgrade?), a SPOT so you can have 2 way communication, an extra EPIRB in the life raft in case the one in the ship is
lost, etc, etc. -- and the
safety gear for a day sail is no less than that for a
winter time Cape Horn rounding.