EPIRBs seem awfully old tech to me, and I'm not a techie. They only send one message, sort of all or nothing.
The new generation of
satellite communicators are waterproof and can go in a pocket on your
inflatable life jacket. You can use them when you fall
overboard, the fate of too many single-handers whose
boats were found, but not them. They have SOS function, and allow you to text back and forth to SAR or to any other
cell phone. I carry a SpotX, while many people prefer the
Garmin, which costs a bit more. I pay $12/month
service, which allows
tracking on a PC by
family and easy "I'm OK" messages. I carry it while riding dirt in our state forest, because there is no cell
service up there, and have used it to get my wife to come get me when I had a flat tire.
OH. You can suspend service for the months you are on shore, should your crazy-ass refusal to "act your age" be seasonal.