I keep a flashlight, a flare kit, and a hand held VHF just inside the
companionway on both of our boats.


Bart wrote:
Good answer Doug. *

Thank you. This is a good thread, there have been a lot of good
answers. Thank you for returning to ASA and starting these threads!


What sort of things would you have in
a flare kit?

Depends on the boat (sorry to keep repeating that). For our small
sailboat, which I have no plans to take out in the "boonies," I have
an orange smoke for daytime, 4 hand-held flares, and 4 self-launch
rocket flares. For the tugboat, which we occasionally take pretty far
afield even if we don't cross oceans, I have a 25mm flare gun with at
least dozen rounds including a pack of 4 parachute flares. I have at
least a dozen hand-held flares too, 2 orange smokes (1 is old), a
signal mirror, a distress flag. Both of these kits have SOLAS rated
flares... no insult intended to the USCG but the SOLAS flares are more
than twice as bright & effective. More expensive too, but I reckon
they're worth every penny if it keeps us from needing them.

About the self-contained rockets & launchers... I bought a few of them
but did not have a chance to try any until early this year. Then, I
had several outdated ones to set off as a yacht club flare practice
party. The igniters were soft & crumbly, and one of them had a pull-
type striker that failed and had no way to try it a second time. I
would take a serious look at these before buying more, get the kind
that have a strike-type igniter rather than pull... they are more
difficult to set off if you're swimming, true, but it's no good if
they fail (or you fumble it, which is very easy) and you can't have a
2nd try. In fact, I'd look at a 12g flare gun before getting more of
these. But after using a 25mm flare gun, I have seen the difference
and 25mm is WAY WAY better!

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

On Oct 17, 9:43*am, Bart wrote:
On Oct 15, 11:16*am, Bart wrote:

What boat safety gear (not personal gear) should you
have below just inside the companionway? *1 pt

DOES ANYONE HERE KEEP A COLLISION AVOIDANCE FLARE,
DRY AND HANDY, JUST INSIDE THE COMPANIONWAY?

http://www.pangolin.co.nz/jetsam/view_article.php?idx=7

This is the reason I started this thread. *I was curious if anyone
carried one of these in a handy location.

Yep, I forgot to mention that I have a bunch of white flare rounds for
the flare gun on the tugboat. The flare kit is one of the larger round
OLIN cannisters with the "ready" flares, and then a back-up kit of
expired flares in a security briefcase under the pilothouse seat.
Actually, in an emergency, my plan is to use the expired "back-up"
flares first.



How often do you need them? *Perhaps never, but it is a
comforting thing to have and a worthwhile piece of equipment
to have handy.

Never needed one, but if I did it would be darn nice to have it!

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

A full one.

"Bart" wrote in message
...
On Oct 17, 6:41 am, wrote:
On Thu, 16 Oct 2008 20:54:11 -0700 (PDT), Bart



wrote:
On Oct 15, 12:07 pm, wrote:
On Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:57:30 +0200, "Edgar"
wrote:

"Bart" wrote in message
...
What boat safety gear (not personal gear) should you
have below just inside the companionway? 1 pt
If you mean 'fire extinguisher' then I think it should be in the after
locker in the cockpit (as mine is)and not inside the companionway
which may
well be full of smoke when you want it.

In my opinion, there need to be multiple extinguishers on any boat
with a cabin. One accessible in the cockpit, one just inside the
companionway, and another just inside the forward hatch. I actually
carry a forth one in the anchor locker. You never know in advance
where you are going to be, or where you may end up trapped if a fire
breaks out on a boat. And don't make the mistake of buying the
smallest extinguishers you can find. Those may be adequate in a land
structure to get you outside, but on a boat,where your escape options
are limited, you need something that has at least some chance of
putting the fire OUT.

Good comment. So what type of fire extinguisher works best on
a boat?

Depends on what kind of fire you have!

On a boat, I would recommend a dry chemical type covering at least
Classes A B C. People complain about the mess dry chem makes, but
that's a pretty foolish mindset when you are talking about an onboard
fire.

Class A - for paper, wood, plastic, cloth

Class B - Flammable liquids as well as flammable gases

Class C - Electrical fires on a powered circuit

Class D - Combustible metals

(I'll pause here and note that I carry one extinguisher that is rated
for Class D fires. It's the one in my anchor locker. If I ever end up
with a burning flare landing on my deck, I'll be very glad I spent
that extra money.)

Class K - You don't hear about this one often. It's specifically for
cooking fires caused by fat or vegetable oil. I don't have one rated
K. If I owned a restaurant, I probably would have a few of these in
the kitchen.

Oh... If you have an inboard engine, don't overlook the need for at
least one strategically placed fireport. That allows you to apply the
contents of an extinguisher without adding more oxygen to the fire by
opening any access hatches.

A permanent fire suppression system in the engine compartment is an
advantage, but relatively expensive to install and maintain.

OK, so we know there are different types of fires possible on a boat.

What one type of fire extinguisher would you want to have to cover
all types.




--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

Not on the bay... a couple of reasons... first, you'd probably get arrested
until they sorted out what happened... second, if there's fog in the slot,
then there's probably a big ship there also.

"Bart" wrote in message
...
On Oct 15, 11:16 am, Bart wrote:
What boat safety gear (not personal gear) should you
have below just inside the companionway? 1 pt

DOES ANYONE HERE KEEP A COLLISION AVOIDANCE FLARE,
DRY AND HANDY, JUST INSIDE THE COMPANIONWAY?

http://www.pangolin.co.nz/jetsam/view_article.php?idx=7

This is the reason I started this thread. I was curious if anyone
carried one of these in a handy location. On my last trip between
Gibraltar and Malta, I once counted six ships visible at the same
time. I've never seen so much shipping traffic on open
waters.

I also noticed each of the two yachts I sailed, based in the UK,
and used for commercial training, were fitted with collision
avoidance flares.

How often do you need them? Perhaps never, but it is a
comforting thing to have and a worthwhile piece of equipment
to have handy.



--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

"Bart" wrote in message
...
DOES ANYONE HERE KEEP A COLLISION AVOIDANCE FLARE,
DRY AND HANDY, JUST INSIDE THE COMPANIONWAY?

http://www.pangolin.co.nz/jetsam/view_article.php?idx=7

This is the reason I started this thread. I was curious if anyone
carried one of these in a handy location. On my last trip between
Gibraltar and Malta, I once counted six ships visible at the same
time. I've never seen so much shipping traffic on open
waters.

I also noticed each of the two yachts I sailed, based in the UK,
and used for commercial training, were fitted with collision
avoidance flares.

How often do you need them? Perhaps never, but it is a
comforting thing to have and a worthwhile piece of equipment
to have handy.

When I was sailing out of UK I always carried about 3 whites in my flare kit
since I often crossed the main shipping lanes in the English channel on the
way to France, sometimes at night..
At night especially this is something to be taken seriously and although my
primary objective has obviously been to keep well clear of everything I
have used white flares on several occasions just to increase the chances
that some of them were aware that I was there.
Container ships can be coming at over 20 knots and sometimes one can see 6
ships coming down the lane at the same time while you are trying to sail
straight across.. The lanes are 2 miles wide so the ships are not all dead
in line astern.
It is not easy at night to be totally sure that avoiding one does not put
you in the path of another and I once used two flares in 30 minutes.
Cannot imagine sailing anywhere at night without them.

On 17 Oct, 19:08, "Edgar" wrote:
"Bart" wrote in message

...
DOES ANYONE HERE KEEP A COLLISION AVOIDANCE FLARE,
DRY AND HANDY, JUST INSIDE THE COMPANIONWAY?

http://www.pangolin.co.nz/jetsam/view_article.php?idx=7

This is the reason I started this thread. I was curious if anyone
carried one of these in a handy location. On my last trip between
Gibraltar and Malta, I once counted six ships visible at the same
time. I've never seen so much shipping traffic on open
waters.

I also noticed each of the two yachts I sailed, based in the UK,
and used for commercial training, were fitted with collision
avoidance flares.

How often do you need them? Perhaps never, but it is a
comforting thing to have and a worthwhile piece of equipment
to have handy.

When I was sailing out of UK I always carried about 3 whites in my flare kit
since I often crossed the main shipping lanes in the English channel on the
way to France, sometimes at night..
At night especially this is something to be taken seriously and although my
primary objective has obviously been to keep well clear of everything I
have used white flares on several occasions just to increase the chances
that some of them were aware that I was there.
Container ships can be coming at over 20 knots and sometimes one can see 6
ships coming down the lane at the same time while you are trying to sail
straight across.. The lanes are 2 miles wide so the ships are not all dead
in line astern.
It is not easy at night to be totally sure that avoiding one does not put
you in the path of another and I once used two flares in 30 minutes.
Cannot imagine sailing anywhere at night without them.

Hmmmmn...... this is very interesting.

I hit the westbound lane a few years ago when they were three deep.
I accepted the advice from a very expereinced crewman. He said that
we were definitely ahead of a ship that I was worried about.

I will never, *ever* take advice from anybody again when I am skipper
on a boat. We were fortunate that the ship was keeping a lookout.
It changed course when it was only 500 yards from us.


Regards


Donal
--

wrote in message
...
On 17 Oct, 19:08, "Edgar" wrote:
"Bart" wrote in message

...
DOES ANYONE HERE KEEP A COLLISION AVOIDANCE FLARE,
DRY AND HANDY, JUST INSIDE THE COMPANIONWAY?

http://www.pangolin.co.nz/jetsam/view_article.php?idx=7

This is the reason I started this thread. I was curious if anyone
carried one of these in a handy location. On my last trip between
Gibraltar and Malta, I once counted six ships visible at the same
time. I've never seen so much shipping traffic on open
waters.

I also noticed each of the two yachts I sailed, based in the UK,
and used for commercial training, were fitted with collision
avoidance flares.

How often do you need them? Perhaps never, but it is a
comforting thing to have and a worthwhile piece of equipment
to have handy.

When I was sailing out of UK I always carried about 3 whites in my flare
kit
since I often crossed the main shipping lanes in the English channel on
the
way to France, sometimes at night..
At night especially this is something to be taken seriously and although
my
primary objective has obviously been to keep well clear of everything I
have used white flares on several occasions just to increase the chances
that some of them were aware that I was there.
Container ships can be coming at over 20 knots and sometimes one can see
6
ships coming down the lane at the same time while you are trying to sail
straight across.. The lanes are 2 miles wide so the ships are not all
dead
in line astern.
It is not easy at night to be totally sure that avoiding one does not put
you in the path of another and I once used two flares in 30 minutes.
Cannot imagine sailing anywhere at night without them.

Hmmmmn...... this is very interesting.

I hit the westbound lane a few years ago when they were three deep.
I accepted the advice from a very expereinced crewman. He said that
we were definitely ahead of a ship that I was worried about.

I will never, *ever* take advice from anybody again when I am skipper
on a boat. We were fortunate that the ship was keeping a lookout.
It changed course when it was only 500 yards from us.



It's a good practice not to do that. I've, on several occasions, ignored
supposedly seasoned sailors' advice about which way to go to avoid shipping
traffic in the bay. Once, I had someone actually start to change course and
had to remove them from the helm. Another time, I was on a boat where the
skipper was being totally stupid about it, so my friend and I just took
over, avoided the traffic, and got back to sailing. Didn't hear any
complaints, as he just sort of sat there, unsure of what exactly just
happened.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

On Fri, 17 Oct 2008 06:25:05 -0700 (PDT), Bart
wrote:

On Oct 17, 6:41*am, wrote:
On Thu, 16 Oct 2008 20:54:11 -0700 (PDT), Bart



wrote:
On Oct 15, 12:07*pm, wrote:
On Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:57:30 +0200, "Edgar"
wrote:

"Bart" wrote in message
...
What boat safety gear (not personal gear) should you
have below just inside the companionway? *1 pt
If you mean 'fire extinguisher' then I think it should be in the after
locker in the cockpit (as mine is)and not inside the companionway which may
well be full of smoke when you want it.

In my opinion, there need to be multiple extinguishers on any boat
with a cabin. One accessible in the cockpit, one just inside the
companionway, and another just inside the forward hatch. I actually
carry a forth one in the anchor locker. You never know in advance
where you are going to be, or where you may end up trapped if a fire
breaks out on a boat. And don't make the mistake of buying the
smallest extinguishers you can find. Those may be adequate in a land
structure to get you outside, but on a boat,where your escape options
are limited, you need something that has at least some chance of
putting the fire OUT.

Good comment. *So what type of fire extinguisher works best on
a boat?

Depends on what kind of fire you have!

On a boat, I would recommend a dry chemical type covering at least
Classes A B C. People complain about the mess dry chem makes, but
that's a pretty foolish mindset when you are talking about an onboard
fire.

Class A - for paper, wood, plastic, cloth

Class B - Flammable liquids as well as flammable gases

Class C - Electrical fires on a powered circuit

Class D - Combustible metals

(I'll pause here and note that I carry one extinguisher that is rated
for Class D fires. It's the one in my anchor locker. If I ever end up
with a burning flare landing on my deck, I'll be very glad I spent
that extra money.)

Class K - You don't hear about this one often. It's specifically for
cooking fires caused by fat or vegetable oil. I don't have one rated
K. If I owned a restaurant, I probably would have a few of these in
the kitchen.

Oh... If you have an inboard engine, don't overlook the need for at
least one strategically placed fireport. That allows you to apply the
contents of an extinguisher without adding more oxygen to the fire by
opening any access hatches.

A permanent fire suppression system in the engine compartment is an
advantage, but relatively expensive to install and maintain.

OK, so we know there are different types of fires possible on a boat.

What one type of fire extinguisher would you want to have to cover
all types.

As you might deduce from the above information. There is no one fire
extinguisher you could carry on a boat that is good for all types of
fire. A box of baking soda is about as universal as anything, but it
doesn't cover every type of fire.

On Fri, 17 Oct 2008 06:43:33 -0700 (PDT), Bart
wrote:

On Oct 15, 11:16*am, Bart wrote:
What boat safety gear (not personal gear) should you
have below just inside the companionway? *1 pt

DOES ANYONE HERE KEEP A COLLISION AVOIDANCE FLARE,
DRY AND HANDY, JUST INSIDE THE COMPANIONWAY?

http://www.pangolin.co.nz/jetsam/view_article.php?idx=7

This is the reason I started this thread. I was curious if anyone
carried one of these in a handy location. On my last trip between
Gibraltar and Malta, I once counted six ships visible at the same
time. I've never seen so much shipping traffic on open
waters.

I also noticed each of the two yachts I sailed, based in the UK,
and used for commercial training, were fitted with collision
avoidance flares.

How often do you need them? Perhaps never, but it is a
comforting thing to have and a worthwhile piece of equipment
to have handy.

That article indicates that it is just an idea, and no one
manufactures such a device. The article also raises the point that
this flare might be confusing to others, who haven't read the same
article. It's not an "accepted" and widely known form of collision
avoidance.

yes it's an attention getter, but so is a carbide cannon.

wrote in message
news
On Fri, 17 Oct 2008 06:43:33 -0700 (PDT), Bart
wrote:

On Oct 15, 11:16 am, Bart wrote:
What boat safety gear (not personal gear) should you
have below just inside the companionway? 1 pt

DOES ANYONE HERE KEEP A COLLISION AVOIDANCE FLARE,
DRY AND HANDY, JUST INSIDE THE COMPANIONWAY?

http://www.pangolin.co.nz/jetsam/view_article.php?idx=7

This is the reason I started this thread. I was curious if anyone
carried one of these in a handy location. On my last trip between
Gibraltar and Malta, I once counted six ships visible at the same
time. I've never seen so much shipping traffic on open
waters.

I also noticed each of the two yachts I sailed, based in the UK,
and used for commercial training, were fitted with collision
avoidance flares.

How often do you need them? Perhaps never, but it is a
comforting thing to have and a worthwhile piece of equipment
to have handy.

That article indicates that it is just an idea, and no one
manufactures such a device. The article also raises the point that
this flare might be confusing to others, who haven't read the same
article. It's not an "accepted" and widely known form of collision
avoidance.

yes it's an attention getter, but so is a carbide cannon.


Collision avoidance flares are used on some types of aircraft.