check your flares!

[SailingwithSoul]

There's no such thing as too many flares, jackets or flotation. I replaced all the old flares and life jackets that came with Sailor's Soul even though the same still had a couple of years left on them. I won't take chances with my crew's safety.

[reed1v]

Originally Posted by SailingwithSoul

There's no such thing as too many flares, jackets or flotation. I replaced all the old flares and life jackets that came with Sailor's Soul even though the same still had a couple of years left on them. I won't take chances with my crew's safety.

IMHO parachute flares the best in most situations

[Hydra]

IMHO parachute flares the best in most situations

IME, parachute flares are more dangerous to operate than handheld. Here, survival schools have trainees wear goggles when firing parachute flares (rockets).

When training with expired flares, I have seen about 1 out of 4 failing to work.

Alain

[Ziggy]

Originally Posted by Astrid

Where I come from better value has nothing to do with it. The flares are required by Transport Canada for vessels the size of mine.

It's possible to meet the USCG legal requirement for visual distress signals with 3 handheld flares that cost about $25. They would be almost useless offshore and that is why ORC sets its own requirements for offshore racing. My point was that on a limited budget, I would first spend a few hundred dollars for an EPIRB rather than a similar amount on a flare package that's suitable for offshore.

Admittedly, the Canadian requirements are more stringent than the U.S. but probably still not sufficient to reliably attract attention offshore.

[reed1v]

Originally Posted by Hydra

IME, parachute flares are more dangerous to operate than handheld. Here, survival schools have trainees wear goggles when firing parachute flares (rockets).

When training with expired flares, I have seen about 1 out of 4 failing to work.

Alain

tradeoff of dangers: to be burnt or not to be seen. the advantage of parachutes over little flares is enormous. you can rig remote launch. downside as you point out is more launch fire, and they are more expensive.

[svHyLyte]

We carry 6 25mm flares in a bandoleer attached to the strap on our flare launcher that are routinely replaced when they reach their age limit. We vacuum pack the old flares in plastic with a Food Saver and mark and date the bags. All of the foregoing are stored in a water-tight cannister in our emergency locker and the oldest flares fired off on the 4th of July after new are purchased. I have never had a flare fail to operate property, even thoes 10+ years old. Our SOLAS flares, in our ditch bag, are all vacuum packed. Last summer we fired off a 1990 era Parachute flare that worked as designed. (Interestingly, the price tag than was $29 USD vs $90 USD today!)

FWIW...

[reed1v]

Originally Posted by svHyLyte

We carry 6 25mm flares in a bandoleer attached to the strap on our flare launcher that are routinely replaced when they reach their age limit. We vacuum pack the old flares in plastic with a Food Saver and mark and date the bags. All of the foregoing are stored in a water-tight cannister in our emergency locker and the oldest flares fired off on the 4th of July after new are purchased. I have never had a flare fail to operate property, even thoes 10+ years old. Our SOLAS flares, in our ditch bag, are all vacuum packed. Last summer we fired off a 1990 era Parachute flare that worked as designed. (Interestingly, the price tag than was $29 USD vs $90 USD today!)

FWIW...

ah, someone who does it correctly. good. kept dry, there is no time limit to how long they can be kept in working order from an engineering point of view. for that matter, seventy year old mine fields in north africa still explode on unfortunate travelers.