Personal Danbouy or personal day/night flare?

[Nos4r2]

What's better to have on a lifejacket in case of emergency? A personal danbuoy+miniflares or a day/night flare?
Opinions please...


Personal Danbouy
or
Day/night flare

[C2 RIBS]

Lifejackets should on all the time and I would suggest mini flares in the pocket which are waterproof and deployable in all situations night or day.

[Nos4r2]

Originally Posted by Cutlass

Lifejackets should on all the time and I would suggest mini flares in the pocket which are waterproof and deployable in all situations night or day.

It is on all the time. In an emergency (eg you've fallen out of the boat and alone in choppy water so you can't self rescue), what's best?

I've already got miniflares in a pocket and a vhf and knife on there but the personal day/night flare I've got is nearing its renewal date. I'm wondering if it's worth replacing it with a personal danbuoy as the price is similar and the danbuoy has a light which will last significantly longer than the 15 seconds of the day/night flare.

[SeaSkills]

If you can't decide between them - why not get both !

[Nos4r2]

Originally Posted by SeaSkills

If you can't decide between them - why not get both !

It's getting a bit crowded on there.

[Hightower]

I'll tell you what would be cool. A basket or something (velcro) on the seat somewhere with a grab bag in or on with a lead to the helmsman. In the case of ejection the bag would be pulled away in a similar maner to the kill cord and would contain flares, radio, food or whatever. Might not be suitable for all situations but for the times you feel threatened would be a great comfort I think.

[Polwart]

Originally Posted by Hightower

I'll tell you what would be cool. A basket or something (velcro) on the seat somewhere with a grab bag in or on with a lead to the helmsman. In the case of ejection the bag would be pulled away in a similar maner to the kill cord and would contain flares, radio, food or whatever. Might not be suitable for all situations but for the times you feel threatened would be a great comfort I think.

I would hazard a guess that more problematic ejections are not in circumstances where you preempt a problem (otherwise you would slow down, head for shore, avoid that sharp turn etc...)

[Hightower]

None the less we all know that some conditions call for more safety measures than others, for instance when there are more than one aboard, then personal safety equipement isn't so nessersary for obvious reasons. I do travel alone a fair bit, so I carry my phone in waterproof case and a handhend VHF on my lifejacket. I don't carry personal flares, but would do if traveling in the dark and probably should in rough conditions as these conditions there would be a higher risk of falling overboard.

Its all a matter of risk.

How many people carry a grab bag in a really accessable place? In the front consol under loads of spare lifejackets etc....Just how fast does an emergancy situation develop and would you even think of the grab bag when jumping overboard. Just a thought!

[Hightower]

By the way Matt, I would choose a couple of flares over the Danbouy purley as sailors are more acustom to seeing bouys in the water and you might become a marker for a race, rather than being saved

[codprawn]

Mobile phone in a freezer bag - always in your pocket!!!

Seriously if something happens VERY suddenly as it often does all you will have is what you are wearing or attached to you. Miniflares are also a good idea - carry them myself but I don't like being in close proximity to something that could so easily blow up!!!

I have read of quite a few incidents lately where it's a mobile phone that has saved lives as all the safety equipment was on the boat.

Imagine you end up in the water and all you have is a mobile phone - it would be devastating if it didn't work because it got wet - a 5p freezer bag could save your life.