wrote in message
oups.com...

JimH wrote:


I think you may be jumping the gun as we do not know where he plans to
boat.
For all we know it could be an inland lake and purchasing flares meeting
the
SOLAS standard is overkill.

It's a good idea gear up for the worst possible conditions one might
encounter, rather than the typical conditions "normally" encountered.
Good flares stow just as easily as the
little kiddie sparklers, don't cost much more, and on a very dark night
(where fog and or heavy rain could be a factor, even not that far
offshore) they just might make all the difference. An acquaintance of
mine spent a long night on an overturned hull near Vancouver Island. He
had both SOLAS and "USCG approved" flares. He failed to attract the
attention of a nearby fishing boat with either- but his experience
comparing the effects of the SOLAS with the USCG approved units has
made him an enthusiastic crusader for SOLAS. He says he will never have
another merely "USCG approved" flare on any boat he owns.



"An acquaintance of mine spent a long night on an overturned hull near
Vancouver Island. He had both SOLAS and "USCG approved" flares. He failed to
attract the attention of a *nearby* fishing boat with either..."


Not too compelling of a story on why to get SOLAS standard flares. But I
guess carrying a couple could not hurt.

That does not dismiss the fact that SOLAS flares are needed by everyone in
every boating environment. We have no idea where and how RG plans to boat.
He may not need suspenders and a belt Chuck. ;-)