Flares

[kerny]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

I won't be carrying any. Personally I feel they've had their day & are outmoded. No doubt I'll get some flak from some quarters.

Lasers are the way for me just waiting for SPR to drop his prices

[chris.moody]

In The Solent I expect the Coastguard Helicopter would be overhead BEFORE you had the time to activate all of those safety items in turn

Chris

Originally Posted by PeterM

Steady ...not many smaller then mine..I went out with ;

PLB
DSC handheld
8 mini flares pack
1 orange smoke
1 red

Just to go to the isle of wight !

Overkill?....until I need help.....then they all get a turn in suitable order

I'd not hesitate to use any/all should the need arise.

[dnv]

Originally Posted by boristhebold

Am I the only one who is wondering what the books were ? Please tell us the books you chose, you could have had a lot of fun with that like select two of the following;

Moby Dick
20 Thousand Leagues Under The Sea
The Titanic
50 Shades Of Grey (no I haven't read it)
Jaws

Any others ?

The Bible may have been a good choice or Chris Ryans survival guide

LOL

Das Boot

Sent from my iPhone using Rib.net

[kerny]

Originally Posted by dnv

Das Boot

Sent from my iPhone using Rib.net

[Chris Caton]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

I won't be carrying any. Personally I feel they've had their day & are outmoded. No doubt I'll get some flak from some quarters.

I've had the same thoughts myself over the last couple of seasons, especially since no one wants to dispose of the old'uns

[j.i.wilson]

I always keep my out of date flares for 5th November.

They always add an extra something to the bonfire party.

Please don't go telling me it's dangerous, its not. If you are willing to let hem off on a 5m RIB, letting them go in the back garden cannot be any more risky.

Great fun, except when they work perfect, I wonder, should I have kept them another year???

Ian

[j.i.wilson]

Oh, and its also very good practise for when you have to do it in anger.

[Dan Gurney]

What about places like Whitby that won't let you launch unless you have in-date flares?

[LURCHER]

Tell the good people of Whitby to mind their own bloody business !

For what it's worth I wish I has a laser flare with me back in august when we were aground off Hayling and the lifeboat was trying to find us . They could not see our pathetic nav lights or torch against all the lights of Portsmouth etc.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by j.i.wilson

Please don't go telling me it's dangerous, its not. If you are willing to let hem off on a 5m RIB, letting them go in the back garden cannot be any more risky.

Well there is inherently some risk in setting off a flare - very very occasionally it goes spectacularly wrong. Now in a legit emergency clearly that risk is outweighed by the impending danger but in a backgarden there is less "benefit". Although whether it is any more dangerous than any of the other explosives you set off for fun is a different question!

There is however one potential downside of rocket flares in back gardens: they are not necessarily out (or "cold") when they land. At sea this is likely to be of no consequence as it will most likely hit the sea. If it lands on dry grass, a neighbours shed, a flat felt roof etc - I could be an interesting night...

[ShinyShoe]

Originally Posted by j.i.wilson

I always keep my out of date flares for 5th November.

They always add an extra something to the bonfire party.

Please don't go telling me it's dangerous, its not.

Pretty sure its also illegal.

[j.i.wilson]

Mmmmmm

Point well made, care needed.

Must admit that I only ever let off hand held smoke flares.

Still good fun though, and good practise.

[treerat]

Originally Posted by ShinyShoe

Pretty sure its also illegal.

So's speeding - I live far enough inland to set off the old ones in the garden. Neighbor wasn't too impressed with the smoke though!!

[Poly]

Originally Posted by ShinyShoe

Pretty sure its also illegal.

Actually that has been debated on these pages previously and as yet nobody has cited a law which would be broken when on land! It may be illegal but it may not be.

[ShinyShoe]

Originally Posted by treerat

So's speeding - I live far enough inland to set off the old ones in the garden. Neighbor wasn't too impressed with the smoke though!!

Both are illegal for a reason, and in both cases people think "it won't matter if I break the law... ...just this once... ...the law wasn't really created for this situation"

If your thinking that and speeding will you still be saying that when you hit the 5 year old who walks from parked cars, the cyclist on the country road or whatever.

If your thinking that and setting off a flare will you still be saying that when a helicopter is overhead. OR when on Fireworks Day you are left with your last red rocket having exhausted all your other means of signalling distress to be firing it thinking... "No-one will respond to this because even if they think its a flare they'll assume some terwat is using up their time expired flares and fireworks night"...

Being inland is no excuse.

[treerat]

Originally Posted by ShinyShoe

Both are illegal for a reason, and in both cases people think "it won't matter if I break the law... ...just this once... ...the law wasn't really created for this situation"

If your thinking that and speeding will you still be saying that when you hit the 5 year old who walks from parked cars, the cyclist on the country road or whatever.

If your thinking that and setting off a flare will you still be saying that when a helicopter is overhead. OR when on Fireworks Day you are left with your last red rocket having exhausted all your other means of signalling distress to be firing it thinking... "No-one will respond to this because even if they think its a flare they'll assume some terwat is using up their time expired flares and fireworks night"...

Being inland is no excuse.

I can't see any issue with hand held and smokes being let off in a safe environment, no one has suggested rockets flares are let off this way

SO as per your speeding grump - time and place. I see no issue with driving above the speed limit, in teh right place.

80 on a motorway is in my book acceptable. 31 in a 30 isn't. Time and place.
smoke and hand helds inland, away from teh sea and the fells like wise.

[Dan Gurney]

Originally Posted by LURCHER

Tell the good people of Whitby to mind their own bloody business

...to which they reply, "Well you can eff off and launch somewhere else then"

In all seriousness: if you had a laser flare rather than the normal kind, do people reckon it would satisfy these kinds of places that insist on safety kit?

[Johnscubanut]

I attended a sea survival course last year & the instructor reckoned that Laser flares were going to be the things of the future! Demonstrated one in the classroom, pretty impressive I must say!
Size of a large pen & visible for miles! Replacable batteries etc.
Helicopter pilots at night not keen on them for some reason? lol

[Poly]

Originally Posted by Clamchowder

In all seriousness: if you had a laser flare rather than the normal kind, do people reckon it would satisfy these kinds of places that insist on safety kit?

I've never been asked anywhere (one place I use asks if you have lifejackets but only for 'statistics'). Do they actually check your flare box? do they check dates, or have specific requirements? if not I'd guess you'll be fine.

Originally Posted by ShinyShoe

Both are illegal

...OK I'll help you out one of them is often prosecuted under Section 89 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 - can you clarify which offence you think someone might be committing for the other one?

[kerny]

Originally Posted by Johnscubanut

I attended a sea survival course last year & the instructor reckoned that Laser flares were going to be the things of the future

I agree