Robert Livingston is snipped: <<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.>> We did a flare demo at SK102, Chesapeake Paddlers Association's skills clinic held last weekend. We had about a 60 percent success rate with flares actually working. Some that were still within their expiration date also failed. If you have the old chain-pull models, count on a failure. That seems to have been a trend over the last three years of these demos. The flares carried by kayakers (stored in a PFD) failed at a higher rate than flares turned in by motor boaters and stored dry. The longest burning flare lasted about nine seconds before hitting the water and going out. The highest flying only took four seconds to reach their peak height. Most flares reached their peak in three seconds and lasted a total of eight. These were the type flares we normally see kayakers carry. One club member did show a rather small strobe that signaled SOS. The light didn't seem exceptionally bright though. He didn't remember the name or where he bought it, but when he gets back to me I'll post the information. Your strobe that does not flash SOS is still a distress signal under inland rules. It does NOT meet the requirement for possessing a night distress signaling device. In other words, if you are stopped by the authorities, it does not meet the legal requirement, but if you see a strobe flashing, that person is signaling they are in distress. Personally, I carry both flares and a strobe if I feel concerned I may need them. That way I can use the flare to draw attention and the strobe to indicate my location. I keep a set of pen flares in my PFD at all times, 'cus ya never know. Brian Blankinship *************************************************************************** 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 Mon May 05 2003 - 11:48:08 PDT
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