Safety Gear

[ppem45]

If the price is right I will go for a second one

 

[TheOtherLine]

Ditch Bag...26 lbs and growing

 

[gameon2000parker]

would like to be on group buy list....GAME ON....

 

[DaleH]

Ditch Bag...26 lbs and growing

Nokididing! If it gets any heavier, than ...

1) If I grab it ... I'll head for the bottom :shock: , or

2) I'll need a ditch bag for the ditch bag, or

3) It'll need a floatation collar !

 

[ppem45]

A friend of mine stopped by the other day and was busting my azz about all the safety gear on my boat. He asked me if I had a life preserver for my dog, 9 year old Lab named Hootie and I did not have one. He started to tell me why he should have one as well as anyone else. He now has one and it is bright orange.If my safety bag keeps growing then it will soon be as big as TheOtherLine's ditch bag. I'll soon be able to use it for ballast

 

[TheOtherLine]

If my safety bag keeps growing then it will soon be as big as TheOtherLine's ditch bag. I'll soon be able to use it for ballast

Nokididing! If it gets any heavier, than ...

1) If I grab it ... I'll head for the bottom Shocked , or

2) I'll need a ditch bag for the ditch bag, or

3) It'll need a floatation collar Wink !

:lol: :lol: :lol:

All right, already. First you guys rag me about my trash can live well, now the burgeoning ditch bag. It's all good. At least if we got stranded on my boat, we wouldn't be missing any meals for 3 days. :wink:

 

[Aircoastie]

If I could chime in here about how we locate you in the Coast Guard. For the past few years I have been a pilot flying an HU-25 Falcon in the Gulf of Mexico doing search and rescue. I am currently in Spain transitioning over to our newest plane, the HC-144A Ocean Sentry (I will explain more later).

I always preach EPIRB's!!!! Behind lifejackets, flares and a good VHF (not cell phone) that is the best way we can find you. An EPIRB emits a signal to a satellite in the 406 MHZ range. Those satellites triangulate the position of the EPIRB which is when I get called (usually in the middle of the night when I am sleepy). We launch and head to the location of the signal. When it is not a GPS enabled EPIRB, it gets us in the general area (within a few miles) we then attempt to home in on the EPIRB listening to a beacon it gives out on an international distress frequency. This is the most difficult part. Even if it is the middle of the day, calm and I have a perfect position from a GPS enabled EPIRB, we can often fly right over you as small objects in the water can easily be missed. To illustrate this point, two years ago I flew over an overturned 70' shrimper that was giving off a perfect EPIRB and distress signal. It took me three passes to locate the boat with three people clinging to the hull because of the way the summer sun was reflecting off the deep blue water. It took us another 2 hours to locate the man who was .25 mile away floating in his lifejacket. This was in perfect conditions.

So the moral of the story is, make sure you can float (lifejacket), signal (flares), and call for help (good VHF and preferably an EPIRB). I can not recommend any particular product, but anything that can help us find you when we get in the area really helps!! So if your boat goes down and is still somewhat floating, stay with it!!!!! A boat is easier to find then a person in the water (PIW). To guard against being a lone piw difficult to find, it is good to have something on you that you can use to signal us with if you are floating alone (mirror, flares, dye or streamer). I personally carry a waterproof VHF and handheld GPS in my 2320's ditch kit.

The new aircraft we are bringing on line over here has a lot of new toys for us to help find you with!! They will be online in the Northern Gulf over the next few months, then down to S. Florida next. Hopefully I will never have to come looking for any of you, but if I do, please prepare yourself so it is a lot easier for us. I really like seeing these discussions here and from what I have seen on this board, most of the Parker owners are good mariners and prepare. If you have any questions about how we, the CG, really operate please ask, I have another month over here and a lot of time on my hands.

 

[Bryan 2530]

That is some good info right there!!!!

Thanks Aircoastie.

Rescue streamers anyone???

http://www.classicparker.com/phpBB2/vie ... php?t=6361

 

[TheOtherLine]

.....from the horses' mouth. You must be visible.

Looks like I'm going to have to pull out that fluorescent leisure suit I kept from the 70's. :lol: :lol:

 

[ppem45]

TOL, you might want to leave that "Leisure Suit" in the closet because they may want to leave you there. Did you also wear the string tie with the slide up doo hickey?

 

[DaleH]

Looks like I'm going to have to pull out that fluorescent leisure suit I kept from the 70's. :lol: :lol:

Thanks for the visual ... ack, ack ... NOT!

 

[Aircoastie]

We may find you faster if you are wearing a fluorescent leisure suit, but most rescue swimmers will leave you in the water!!!

 

[Visitation]

Thanks for the great report on EPIRBs Aircostie. If only I had a nice, rich family member (esp. a brother-in-law) to buy an EPIRB for my ditch bag...

 

[pelagic2530]

in light of a recent episode of Deadliest Catch (did you guys see the latest one??? :shock: ) i have added yet another item to my ditch bag gear list (its small, dont worry). a small line, maybe a foot or two long, with a carabinier or other sort of clip should be added to the outside of your bag, attached from the noon carabinier end to a sturdy fastening point. reason being: as the survivors from the Katmai in Alaska discovered, life rafts flip, and everything in the raft goes flying. the line and carabinier is for the purpose of attaching your ditch bag to the inside of the raft, via the grab lines or whatever else you can find, or, if youre in the water, attaching it to you. if your bag is attached to your raft, it wont end up serving as a poorly functioning kite or drifting awy iin the darkness. simple as that.

 

[Megabyte]

Thanks for the great report on EPIRBs Aircostie. If only I had a nice, rich family member (esp. a brother-in-law) to buy an EPIRB for my ditch bag...

Take a look at some of the new PLB's on the market. I have an ACR, but McMurdo has several models as well.

They don't have the 'runtime' of an EPIRB, but if you generally stay inland or in coastal waters, it could be a viable option for you, and the cost is reasonable.

 

[Megabyte]

a small line, maybe a foot or two long, with a carabinier or other sort of clip should be added to the outside of your bag

Great idea Pelagic. A painter for your ditch bag is simple to make, and makes a lot of sense.
I always keep a hank of parachute cord on board, so I'll be making one up today. :wink: