Let's take a minute to talk about safety...

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Mudskipper

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Today's lesson kids, is about not screwing around in dangerous inlets on small boats...

Saw this coming back through the Sebastian Inlet yesterday around 2pm. No idea what happened, but there was a tube on a tow rope wrapped on the outside of the fender. It appeared that another boat picked up the passengers...I can't find any writeups anywhere. Hopefully everyone was ok.

Tide was outgoing, but it was pretty calm, can't imagine what they did to cause that.

On a (sort of) unrelated note, anybody got a recommendation for an EPIRB?
 
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Today's lesson kids, is about not screwing around in dangerous inlets on small boats...

Saw this coming back through the Sebastian Inlet yesterday around 2pm. No idea what happened, but there was a tube on a tow rope wrapped on the outside of the fender. It appeared that another boat picked up the passengers...I can't find any writeups anywhere. Hopefully everyone was ok.

Tide was outgoing, but it was pretty calm, can't imagine what they did to cause that.

On a (sort of) unrelated note, anybody got a recommendation for an EPIRB?
Here's one option for an EPIRB..... The ACR's get good reviews. And, this video also shows the smaller, 'personal' version;

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Thanks. Have you actually tried using the ACR? Just curious...debating between that and a 2-way messenger like the Garmin In-reach.

Also found some pics of whatever precipitated the flipped boat on the Sebastian Inlet webcams. Tubing through a dangerous inlet with heavy boat traffic...unbelievable. People clearly in the water just outside the mouth of the inlet.



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I have not had the need to actually use the EPIRB. I hope I never need it, kinda the same as the fire extinguishers I have on the boat, in the house and in the shop...
 
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Thanks. Have you actually tried using the ACR? Just curious...debating between that and a 2-way messenger like the Garmin In-reach.

The two items you’ve mentioned are realistically for two separate purposes.

The EPIRB is a dedicated, single purpose, come-and-get-me beacon for life and death situations. If you activate it, expect the response to involve the USCG removing you (and anyone else) from the vessel. They’ll be coming to save lives, not the vessel, and they’re not likely to offer to tow the vessel or give non-lifesaving assistance. The advantage is that in the type of scenario where this response is needed, a properly registered EPIRB is the single most efficient way of relaying your position and distress alert directly to a Rescue Coordination Center (RCC). It’s almost automatic, and gives local SAR assets all the information they need to launch a rescue, with a single user action (i.e. pushing the button).

The satellite messengers, on the other hand, are just that: a low-bandwidth satellite data link that allows you to send texts. The distress function, while included, is not NEARLY as streamlined or efficient an EPIRB. So while the interface (pushing a button) is the same, it may take longer for the distress message and position information to be relayed to the correct rescue authorities in your area, and it may or may not automatically update your position like an EPIRB will. It’s worth a deep dive into the particular device that you’re purchasing to figure out how their SAR interface functions. The advantage to the messenger devices is that they allow you to communicate on a non-emergency basis. So whether it’s just updating the wife that you’ll be out later than you thought, or contacting SeaTow because you’re broken down but not necessarily “in distress”, or communicating a need for specific medical attention but not necessarily an evacuation, you can specify and arrange for the specific assistance you require.

In my opinion, any vessel that regularly travels outside an area where others are visible (i.e. anywhere that a traditional distress signal such as a flare or a distress flag will not be sufficient to attract prompt attention) needs an EPIRB. Personal friends within the USCG SAR and aviation communities tell me that your chance of being rescued after signaling distress via a properly registered EPIRB are astronomically higher than any other means of distress signaling. It’s the device around which the modern SAR system is designed to function, and for $500 for a 10 year unit it’s the cheapest insurance you’ll ever buy. The satellite messengers are a “nice to have” device, but if you regularly operate beyond the range where your VHF can reliably reach shore stations (around 30-40 miles offshore) and/or you operate without a buddy boat or in remote areas away from other vessels, they’re probably worth the addition to your kit. The plus side is that you can also take them with you hiking, backpacking, skiing and in most cases while traveling internationally, and they’ll serve the same communication function.

Sorry for the dissertation, but hopefully it’s helpful information.
 
Hi pelagic2530,

This is indeed very helpful information and I appreciate the perspective. It's funny, I have this hang up about the EPIRB being a one-trick pony, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I would happily pay 10x the price for one in the event of an emergency.

My thought process was that I would provide more situational awareness to my wife if I were offshore and that might serve multiple purposes, especially if something went awry, but you make a good point about the usability of a distress call feature in the event of a rapidly unfolding situation, and I hadn't thought much about that. I've been in a few life-or-death situations in my life, and it's pretty astounding how quickly things happen and snowball.

I tend to err on the conservative side (within reason) safetywise; I may just opt to get both, with the EPIRB coming first. I've been out in bluewater more times than I can count on numerous boats and we've never had an issue that couldn't be fixed with a little MacGuyvering or a call to SeaTow, but I've read a few harrowing tales of people springing leaks/bilge pumps failing and know that more than one system failure often leads to disaster. Not to mention the fact that given our proximity to the Gulf Stream, it doesn't take much to end up many miles from where you started rather quickly if you break down.

So thank you for the dissertation cap'n, genuinely appreciated. The adult me will tell the child me to forgo the 2-way in favor of the EPIRB (for now!).
 
Word, Pelagic2530. Been one of those SAR responders, big believer in the value of an EPIRB. They got off to a rocky start when they first came out - a lot of false pings, going off because they fell over while on a trailer, going off in somebody's driveway - but they've improved a lot along with the satellite system they rely on. When they go off they get people's attention immediately, provide data we used to have to figure out (distress position, drift, contact info, search object). Buy one, mount it in a prominent position and then do everything you can to never need it. From the viewpoint of a responder, the "search" part of SAR is almost always the most challenging - this gets you to the "rescue" part a lot faster.
 
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