"Jim" wrote in message
ink.net...

"Chuck Gould" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Jul 31, 10:07?am, "Jim" wrote:
"Chuck Gould" wrote in message

A flare has a mission, but flares adhering to different standards have
different capabilities and will be more or less able to perform as
required. You can go bear hunting with a pellet gun, or with shotgun
loaded with slugs. In either case the mission is the same, "kill the
bear". One approach is more likely to work than the other.

One would hope that you have the bear in your sights before you let off
a
shot. Harry got the point. I'm surprised you didn't.- Hide quoted text -

A few years ago I interviewed a local boatyard owner who spent a night
on an overturned catamaran sailboat west of Vancouver Island. He
vividly described the pathetic ineffectiveness of USCG Approved
flares.. They had a large inventory of flares, a few SOLAS and many
more USCG Approved. He commented that the USCG Approved items were
like "toys" compared to SOLAS. (During the night they could plainly
see a gill netter working a set, but he was too far away to hear them
holler and their attempts to attract attention with flares failed as
well. They were finally spotted by a rescue aircraft, just after
daylight the following morning).



Not good testimony in support of spending a lot of money on flares. Might
emergency preparedness money be better spent elsewhere?

Hard to prepare for hitting a deadhead at speed. In West Marine today they
have Orion 12 guage flares that are a longer shell and supposed to go 400'
high. The SOLAS were $60.