Re: [Paddlewise] Aerial Flares

At 13:21 09/02/2002 -0600, Chuck Holst wrote:
>I've been rethinking the usefulness of
>aerial flares, especially now that the latest set is about to go out of
>date and needs replacement. I'd like the opinions of other Paddlewisers on
>this subject.

I think this is going to be a fascinating discussion!  Just some initial 
thoughts to add to Chuck's:

->Flares are understood by most people to mean distress - but you usually 
have to put at least two in succession up before people  believe they 
actually saw it. And you'll then want more to have in reserve: gets pricey 
and bulky;

->Orange smoke daylight flares are pretty visible: but disperse very 
quickly in strong winds;

->My kayak club arranged with the local coastguard to practice using flares 
(recently time expired); they all fired, but quite a few got caught by the 
wind and went all over the place. Flares are not very good at pinpointing 
position. Some were very fiddly to operate: and this was in sheltered, 
warm, non-emergency circumstances. One person got slightly burnt;

-> All too often shipping now relies purely on electronic methods of watch 
(radio, radar, auto-pilot etc.) rather than visual.

-> Flares give no feedback to the kayaker in distress: you rarely know 
whether or not they have been seen and acted on.

I don't think flares have altogether had their day, but my gut feeling is 
that in the majority of circumstances they are no longer a first resort for 
summoning help.

It would be interesting to know what proportion of rescues have resulted 
from flares as compared to, say, VHF, EPIRBs or other electronic means - 
and indeed, of any information on flares having failed to get a response.

  I intend to contact the U.K. coastguard to get their take on this, and 
will post their reply.

Nick
(Scottish Highlands)



***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed
here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire
responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author.
Submissions:     PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net
Subscriptions:   PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************