Robert Livingston & Pam Martin <bearboat2_at_attbi.com> wrote: [original poster was Michael Daly, I believe] >>> The electric distress light is accepted for night use only and must >>> automatically flash the international SOS distress signal >> But this is, as I understand it, not absolutely required as the night requirement can be met with flares. Three flares which is a pretty minimal requirement. But I am surprised that my strobe, which does not do SOS, does not meet the requirement. >> I'm not sure if this is the basis for the rule, but it is a practical issue which may affect your use of a strobe for distress at night: a strobe is often more difficult to spot at a distance, and more difficult to keep sight of, from a helicopter, the local Coast Guard says, __than a steady white light__. One reason to use a steady white light is that if there is much of a sea running, at a distance even a steady white light is obscured fairly frequently by the swell/seas. Add in strobing, and there is a greater "window" when your position is not disclosed by a light. Of course, flares only last a short time, and have other disadvantages a strobe or white light does not have. The reason for their approval as a distress signal is that they are flat-out at odds with what other vessels "expect" to see at night. A steady white light, perhaps not, so it is useful only if someone knows to look for you, and roughly where to look. Could be a combination of steady white light and a (much brighter) strobe would be a "best" combination: the strobe to show that some emergency has occurred, and the steady white light to make fixing your position more certain. I believe this use would be USCG approved. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************Received on Sun May 04 2003 - 21:46:19 PDT
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