On Mon, 08 Nov 2004 23:20:51 +1100, "K. Smith" wrote:

John S wrote:

Here downunder we have lots of the cheap (& much less accurate)
121.5/243 epirbs. They're law on ALL boats regardless of the boat's
length etc if it's more than 2 miles offshore. There are exemptions for
larger bays & impoundments etc, but in general terms all boats that go
out of harbours have to carry an in test epirb. This has been the law in
most states for many years & seeing they only have a test life of 5 yrs
& new batteries/re-test are almost as expensive as a new epirb (about
A$210, US153) we all have a gaggle of unused & workable (I have one
which was out of test in 93 but the test light still flashes, probably
not for long:-)) but useless epirbs lying around:-)

Offshore yacht races, each crew member has to have a personal one in
their life jacket.

Seems a bit strict to you I guess & we all said that when they became
law but like seatbelts in cars etc they've saved many lives & in a big
mostly empty country with the biggest coast of any, have saved the
taxpayers a huge amount on searches which are invariably fruitless.

The latest here is mandatory life jacket wearing on boats up to 6.5
mtrs, lots of "discussion" but if it saves lives.........in 10 years
we'll all have gotten used to it. Only thing is comfortable non
restricting life jackets are a bit expensive.


Actually, I like the idea of mandatory EPIRBs. I sometimes boat on our Lake
Erie (a fresh water lake) and at times venture out 15 or 20 miles following
the fish in what we call the Central Basin. An emergency out that far could
really be a problem. Seeing as how the prices have dropped so dramatically
over the years, I guess I don't have a good excuse for not having one
myself.

As for the life vests, my wife and I wear CO2 inflatable's while underway.
Even though both of us are fairly decent swimmers, we wear regular vests
when swimming from the anchored boat. For kayaking, we have high quality
vests made for paddling.

I just discovered the PLB's are legal here in the US as of last year. Some
of my hobbies take me tramping through the woods to some relatively remote
locations. I am getting up in age and the added insurance of a PLB would be
welcome. Seems like you folks downunder got your act together when it comes
to safety. Congrats!







Regards
John S

I would rather be boating!