Flares: should we give up carrying them?

[SeaSkills]

FLARES: At a recent RYA Yachtmaster Conference, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) chief executive, Peter Cardy planted the seed that pyrotechnics may have had their day.

Mr Cardy surprised the audience by asking: ‘Can you envisage a time when there will no longer be value in yachtsmen carrying flares?’



What do you Ribsters think? My view is that maybe I can envisage that time, but I think it's a long way off. In the meantime, I believe that flares are an important part of everyone's safety kit.

"Boating Business" has set up an online vote at www.boatingbusiness.com/online_polls/flares Anyone can vote. Just click on the link and vote yes or no. Voting closes 30th April

[biffer]

i've been boating for over 30 years and never used one, i couldn't tell you how many i've thrown away, yes i could manage without them, you could argue that i might need them one day, there again i could also get struck by lightning,, maybe!

[PeterM]

I think Mr Cardy should be made to bob around in the sea, in the dark , in a flooding liferaft - when he can see the SAR chopper 3 miles away , but have no way of getting its attention - then see if he wants some flares.

While they are rarely used - when you do need them you really do NEED them .

[willk]

Originally Posted by biffer

there again i could also get struck by lightning,, maybe!

..when carrying a Magnesium Flare would only compound your problems

[wavelength]

Mr Cardy surprised the audience by asking: ‘Can you envisage a time when there will no longer be value in yachtsmen carrying flares?

was there an answer to the question posed?

[Channel Ribs]

Originally Posted by Blackroady

I think Mr Cardy should be made to bob around in the sea, in the dark , in a flooding liferaft - when he can see the SAR chopper 3 miles away , but have no way of getting its attention - then see if he wants some flares.

While they are rarely used - when you do need them you really do NEED them .

I completely agree!

We often deal with people who have been rescued or who have carried out a rescue and I can genuinely say that flares of often an important part of the process.

There are alternatives:- lasers, strobes, LED beacons, etc. But when it comes to being spotted or signaling distress a flare does the job.

[SeaSkills]

Originally Posted by wavelength

was there an answer to the question posed?

This is the full article from Boating Business ...

http://www.boatingbusiness.com/archi...ss_over_flares

[PeterM]

So its not the use of them - its the binning of them . Back to an age old question - Why cant/dont we all go down to our local RNLI station and fire them off . The RNLI / coastguard can know the time & date & we can all get experiance of what its like to do this. All nicely supervised/ controlled/ risk assessed etc.

When the rules on fire regs at work changed a few years ago we were all allowed to let off extinguishers in the car park so we knew how far they want & what noise they made etc so we wouldn't be 'surprised' if we had to use one for real.

Why oh why cant we do the same with flares !

[wavelength]

we still take time expired flares in at our cg station at the minute from private individuals just not allowed to transport them. But we are not allowed to use time expired flares for demo / training any more either cos of H&S

[biffer]

makes you laugh dave, not allowed to transport them but almost every boat in england are running around with them on board