There is a wide variance within manufacturers. My Skyblazers have been the worse. I always carry a few different types, and a few different brands. One thing to bear in mind, especially with winter rough weather around the corner, is that you still can't beat a good parachute flare (or two). I know they are expensive, but... I'm still working on my post regarding the incident off Cape Beadle. One of the paddlers involved in the incident has finally phoned me, and is more than willing to share his lessons. At first I though he was going to be a yahoo, but it turns out he is a very articulate, police officer. Anyway, he was able to alert rescue authorities in a very rough area with his parachute flares. Considering the types of terrain (as in his example), the extra height and visibility are well worth it. And as always, avoiding catastrophe in the first place would have been better :-) His comment to me was great; "I've faced the absolute worst of human nature out on the street. Nothing compares to the violence of mother nature." So, be prepared, carry flares as a precaution, and paddle safely. One last note. When flare "testing" on Halloween night or whenever/wherever it is deemed appropriate, do watch out for power lines overhead within city limits -- where they do abound. Also, be cautious with pistol type flares, as the have a small amount of flashback "grit" that can get in your eyes and sting. Look away for a few seconds when firing Don't forget that with small flares, they go so low in the sky (as compared to their heavy-duty cousins) that they still are burning when they hit the ground. We don't want anymore fires in California -- though I hear the So Cal kayakers don't carry safety gear, VHF radios, etc. :-) BC'in Ya Doug Lloyd John Fereira wrote: > At 08:28 PM 10/31/00 -0800, Doug Lloyd wrote: > >Its Halloween, so shoot off those old, expired flares! I had 50% > >actually work this year. > > >From what I've heard that's a high percentage even for a *new* package > of flares. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Wed Nov 01 2000 - 09:11:42 PST
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