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Up until now I've been using the express ditch bag from my flats boat for the 31. I've found an older thread here with great information but have a few specific questions. Keep in mind I will in the near term not venture more then 30 miles from land.

Should mention I used the defender gift certificate I won at the rendezvous for a new rapid ditch bag for the 31.

In terms of a GPS and EPIRB. Is something like the ACR resQlink personal locator beacon sufficient? Also has a built in strobe. Should I be getting a global fix pro, and separate water proof GPS?

More to come.

Peter,

I have fished on many boats as a mate and the safest boat I have ever fished on is Brewster's Cormorant Princess. He is an expert in terms of safety gear and what is necessary to have a "Safe" boat. Other captains may say that the amount of safety items Brewster carries are not necessary and over the top, but if the crap ever hit the fan I am sure everyone would wish they had a fully stocked ditch bag, life raft, and enough survival suits for everyone aboard. Another thought to keep in mind, it does not matter if you are going to the canyon or heading only 30 miles out. I would rather sink out in the canyon where there are plenty of boats compared to sharking out 30 miles where boats are few and far between.

Regards,
Chris

3 miles or 300 miles is the same if the water is over your head and its too far to swim to the bank, so all this talk about "offshore" vs. "inshore" survival gear is garbage to me. If the boat sinks you need to (a) not drown, and (b) be found before you expire. Good life jackets, life rings, and a raft of some sort will do (a). An Epirb, cell phone in a zip loc, a waterproof VHF, a strobe, smoke, dye, mirrors, and flares will do (b).

Forget all the food, drink, fishing gear, etc - you ain't gonna need 'em. A little water or a small bottle of booze is enough to get by for several days. I carry an aviation raft that will hold 9 which is fine for warm water and relatively cheap and easy to store aboad, and a big surplus EPIRB.

Obviously the "don't let her sink or burn up" stuff is just as important, but once she goes, you gotta have a place to sit & let 'em find you. Being in the water in a life jacket vs. in any sort of raft cuts your odds way down.

UV

Yes brew knows

Referred to this thread so no need to rehash what has been said

http://bertram31.com/newbb/viewtopic.ph ... d09a53fe1c

EDIT. For whatever reason the link is not working correctly.

I agree Vic, most of my ocean fishing is within a few miles of the beach. Far enough that I'm not swimming in. Just want to avoid drowning or hypothermia and be found. Water, first aid and sunblock are nice but I want to make sure someone knows where I am. Suits and a raft will come but not yet. Got offshore vests but no strobes or whistles attached yet. Also a life sling.

Is the survival craft radio the go to VHF for the bag?

Get the little Icom hand held that's waterproof, first class little radio and pretty inexpensive. Its rechargable batteries are AAs so throw a couple of spare alkaline AAs in your bag.

UV

If you saw The Perfect Storm, then you probably know the story about the helicopter crew that had to ditch during the search. When I met one of the crew members (the one who was along for the ride and didn't have his survival suit), he told me that it was their strobe lights that saved their lives.

They're not too expensive, and they're a must. Good Lithium batteries recommended......

I was at the helm of a 44' sailboat en route from Bermuda to MA at 05:30 hrs when we lost our mast overboard about 185 miles south of Nantucket. We activated our 406 EPIRB and as far as we can tell the USCG (God bless them!) was on the phone with the owner's wife about 5 minutes after we flipped the switch. They sent out a C-130 SAR plane and two hours after we activated the EPIRB they were circling overhead talking with us. We lost our main antenna (which was at the top of the mast) but were able to talk to them with a WATERPROOF handheld radio. Lots of interesting details come along with this story, but from that day till today I never have gone out of sight of land without a good 406 EPIRB and a waterproof fully charged handheld radio. I ALWAYS bring my own handeld radio in spite of how well the owner has equipped the boat I am on.

Peter...

In my humble opinion I would not trust anything but a 406 EPIRB to let the world know I was in trouble at sea. The system works, the USCG is behind it, and while it might be a little expensive to some, when I was bobbing around in the ocean with only about 16 gal of fuel to motor almost 200 miles the last thing on my mind was the size of my bank account!

I'm not looking to cut corners but what is the difference

ACR global fix pro EPIRB and ACR aqua link PLB

BOTH

GPS positioning
406mhz signal
121.5 MHz homing capacity

Peter,

The main difference is the size and battery life. The EPIRB battery life is 48 hours and the PLB battery life is 24 hours. It seems like the Coast Guard responds very quickly to a distress signal from one of these devices, so as long as you are not boating in a very remote area, the PLB should be sufficient.

JR

Whenever I crew on another boat the first things I pack in my bag are my Icom waterproof handheld, my clipon strobe lights, and my knife. If the boat doesn't have a working 406 Epirb -- I'm not going.

Capt. Jack - what kind of locator stuff do y'all have on board them big triple 7s when y'all fly the big pond?

UV

UV...

My son in law flys 777s.. I will ask him the same question.

I have a Beechcraft Baron equipped with a 406 EPIRB. It's required equipment.

bad painful memories of the past but i should mention the most important item is type three pfd. better yet with a collar. the second time i went" in the water" was at 75mph in a turn. broken ribs and bleeding like hell from my face/mouth hitting the dashboard smashing the faceshield on helmet. stunned and in the water the collar kept me upright and breathing. ok your not going 75mph in a 31 bertram however your passengers or loveones may panic or not be able to swim the collar keep the head out of the water---------------------cheap investment

If you go offshore you need this. Not a raft. If you have one also great. Life jackets are for the bay in summer. If you cant afford them then dont take anyone with you when you go. Mustang
Ocean Commander
Immersion Suit

The OC8000 Ocean Commander Immersion Suit is often referred to as a one-man life raft. The Ocean Commander is designed to prolong survival in cold water, and it does so very effectively. In 40-degree water, estimated survival time is in excess of 14 hours; in 50-degree water, it's days. If you sail in or voyage to cold water, it would certainly be an asset to have one inside your life raft for ultimate protection. This Mustang suit is lined with a closed-cell foam liner for buoyancy and insulation, which can be unsnapped and removed for cleaning or repair. Among its many features: watertight full-length zipper and seams, watertight hood, face seal for wind and water protection, detachable mitts, neoprene wrist seals, non-slip integral boots, inflatable head pillow for optimum flotation angle, optional water-activated safety light holster, whistle, and buddy line. All enclosed in a compact storage bag. USCG-approved and SOLAS-certified. Orange. One size fits 110-330-lb. person.

Uncle Vic,

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I just got back in from Tokyo. We have something called Automatic Dependent Surveillance or ADS. The aircrfat broadcasts its GPS derived position to anyone that's interested. Usually sent to our operations and the appropriate Air Traffic Control agency. If there is a problem or the aircraft goes missing, there is a detailed GPS track of where the aircraft has been. We also have an ELT onboard. It sends a distress signal over 121.5 for search and rescue assets. To be honest, I do not think the ELT sends a satellite signal like an EPIRB will. I spend a lot of time over extremely remote areas (North Pole, North Pacific), so I hope I never have to depend on one of these to be found.

JR

Roger that Capt. Jack....I remeber the first time I flew (in the back) over the far north and looked down at the endless ice pack and black rocks here and there and wondered what would happen if we went down......I shut the window shade and asied the nurse for another drink.....

UV

Uncle Vic,

I try not to think about it. One of those thoughts that keeps you up at night. I'd love to handle it your way, but probably lose my wings.

JR

Yeah, stick to the Dr. Pepper....back before 9/11 me & the Bride were flying a Swissair 747, sitting up front in the land of free whiskey (lots of frequent flyer miles, I didn't pay for the upgrde) from Zurich to ATL and the capt. found out somehow I am a pilot and invited me to join them in the cockpit out over the north Atlantic. I sipped Russian vodka and they ate......bananas....they said a monkey could fly the thing so they were practicing eating bananas. Had a lot of fun with them, they were Swiss and had a Lake amphib. airplane they kept to fly to a summer cabin they and some other pilots kept in Finland. I used to fly a Lake so had a lot to talk about.

Kidna hard to imagine that sort of laid back stuff nowdays, but it was common back then. But the overall safety record of the commercial aviation industry is pretty amazing....hundreds - thousands - of flights criss-crossing the glode daily with virtually zero issues.

UV