Do you carry a PLB?


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Daria Blackwell
Daria Blackwell
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This discussion is being moved from Facebook where it was initiated to the Forum where we can keep track of it, and build on it.

Alex Blackwell
November 1 at 12:41pm · Westport
Do you carry a PLB?
http://cruising.coastalboating.net/Seamanship/PLB/IndexPLB.html

Personal Locator Beacons - Taking the search out of search and rescue
There are three types of beacons used to transmit distress signals, EPIRBs (for maritime use), ELTs (for aviation use), and PLBs (previously used mainly for land-based applications but now applicable to...
CRUISING.COASTALBOATING.NET
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Judy Howison likes this.

Phil Heaton No. Clip on at night and in big seas/wind
November 1 at 1:12pm · Unlike · 3

Spruce Ohlson Agree with Phil. PLB might be of use in coastal waters but out in the ocean, especially in big seas, and outside of helicopter range of operations, almost zero chance of survival - spend money on kit that keeps you on the boat.
November 1 at 9:57pm · Unlike · 3

Bob Groves I used a SPOT to initiate my rescue last year. 700 NM offshore out of range of all except AMVERS. I have believed in taking all safety precautions and adding a PLB to your kit might just save your life. It did save mine.
November 1 at 10:33pm · Unlike · 5

Frances Rennie Nearly a year ago Bob glad to see you back on dry land
November 1 at 11:17pm · Unlike · 2

David Heath Hey Boys & Girls, obviously the MAIN thing is to stay onboard, but poop happens and having a PLB (and several other items) seems like common sense.
Yesterday at 7:34am · Unlike · 3

Spruce Ohlson We carry both an EPIRB and a SART on board but that is not an MOB safety solution.I still think it is safe to assume that if you go overboard when far from any land based support a PLB is an expensive false sense of security. Having that mindset will probably help safe behaviour by engendering appropriate levels of caution.
Yesterday at 9:21am · Like

Alex Blackwell Anyone have experience with a personal AIS transponder for MOB recovery?
Yesterday at 9:23am · Like

David Heath It is very interesting to hear cruiser 's thoughts and why they think that way.

We have met cruisers that do not carry any radio transmitters, because they might take chances and then call for help. And boats that do not have life lines literally because "Having that mindset will probably help safe behaviour by engendering appropriate levels of caution."

About a 1970 version of Bowditch mentioned that with the invention of radar, that many thought that collision at sea would DRAMATICALLY decrease, but the % or risk, stayed about the same. The author then wondered if humans are surprisingly good at estimating risk and were willing to accept a certain risk level and now did things with radar that they would not have done before.

I guess that might be it. I have substantial life lines and several radio transmitters and no radar. Different strokes...

BTW: Anyone that thinks that a person swimming in the open ocean has much chance to rescued, needs to think again. IMHO, your odds are very small. Stay on board. But, if you are swimming, do anything that you can to stay alive.
Yesterday at 9:42am · Edited · Like

Simon Currin In 1999 and mid Atlantic we were involved in a search for a Norwegian crewman who had been knocked overboard from the companionway after an accidental gybe in benign weather. Obviously the water was warm and he had a lifejacket on but no PLB (I don 't think they were invented). The story had a happy ending in that he was found 16 hours later and the only consequence he suffered was sunburn. He was astonishingly lucky. My point is that people do survive going overboard and anything that assists recovery must be a good idea.
Yesterday at 9:53am · Like

Bob Groves I carried a SPOT instead of an EPIRB. Using it to put out a MAYDAY when overwhelmed and injured by weather conditions resulted in very quick rescue initiation. I wonder about how quickly an EPIRB signal would have worked.
Yesterday at 11:00am · Like

Phil Heaton This is a serious thread with a serious question. I am very glad that Bob Groves was saved. Can you though describe the circumstances of your MOB and whether other safety measures would have prevented it or kept you at the boat?
Yesterday at 12:40pm · Like

Bob Groves I posted the basics of the event, in November 2013, at sveasygo.blogspot.com for those that are interested. I was in the water only during the rescue. This was not a MOB/PLB situation. It was the loss of the boat in storm conditions. SPOT and INREACH are not just locator beacons but communication devices. I purchased mine to keep family informed during my travels with its secondary use as a locator. Never expected to use it for rescue however glad I was able to.

Easy Go Adventures
SVEASYGO.BLOGSPOT.COM|BY EASY GO ADVENTURES - BOB AND KATHY GROVES
Yesterday at 12:53pm · Unlike · 2

Simon Currin Phil Heaton from what I know of the MOB is was a fully crewed boat of around 32 feet running downwind in moderate Trades. Their was someone on the helm when the crew popped up through the companionway and, at that exact moment, there was an accidental gybe. The boom knocked the crewman overboard and and there was a failed attempt to recover him. I think they only had vhf but luckily they were heard and the Mayday was relayed to Falmouth who coordinated a search by yachts in the area. As I said before, by great good fortune, he was found 16 hours later. He was not clipped on but the conditions were benign and it was daylight and he was not on watch. He was wearing a lifejacket which undoubtedly saved his life. I do remember there was some controversy about the height of the guard rails but I don 't remember the details.
Yesterday at 2:12pm · Like

GianLuca Fiori In Vivaldi, all my harnesses have a Safelink R10 Personal AIS. I feel that this is the best idea so far since, I can locate the overboard person right away on my own; I am the closest to the MOB. Fortunately, I have not need to use it. I use also a tracking device from Horizon Marine, iBoattrack that keeps my wife and friends relaxed since they know that if I am moving everything should be Ok. I like this tracker over others because it 's simple, the battery last for a year and it 's completely independent of any other instrument aboard.
23 hrs · Unlike · 1

Caroline Watson We have PLB`s but next time, we would choose a device with ais as having ais on board, it makes more sense using on board equipment to recover a mob rather than waiting for Falmouth ( in our case) to tell me where the mob is. However our priority is never to part from the boat unless it is a conscious decision!
18 hrs · Unlike · 1

Daria Blackwell Our number 1 rule is to stay onboard. We do not leave the companionway without being clipped in. But as we all know, things happen. I have taken our PLB skiing and hiking with me on shore leave. The great thing about a PLB is that it is linked to the user rather than the vessel so you can carry it with you on OPBs too. But I do think a PLB with AIS is the best combination.
1 min · Like

Daria Blackwell I 'm going to copy this discussion to the Forum so we can keep track of it. Things on FB tend to disappear. This might just become one of a series of "Best Practices" articles we are planning based on Forum discussions.

Vice Commodore, OCC 
Daria Blackwell
Daria Blackwell
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Ley Langford We also opted for an AIS PLB and paired it with Digital Yacht Lifeguard Alarm and then installed two additional loud alarms in each of the berths - the only boat that is going to rescue you is the boat that you just fell off. Waking the off watch is top priority - Of course best practice is staying on your boat, but accidents do happen.
13 hrs · Unlike · 2

Alex Blackwell Ley - when you write AIS PLB are you inferring that the device is both an AIS transmitter and a PLB (=personal epirb). If so, who makes this?
7 hrs · Like

Ley Langford Alex, my mistake we have a Kannad AIS MOB, but once paired with Digital Yacht LifeGuard, it immediately receives the AIS SART message 1 and 14 to wake up the off watch.
6 hrs · Unlike · 2

Alex Blackwell the Kannad seems to be the way to go.
Here is an interesting article I just came across:
http://gcaptain.com/overboard-sarts-devices/

Man Overboard - Are AIS SARTS the Best MOB Devices? - gCaptain Maritime &...
GCAPTAIN.COM

Vice Commodore, OCC 
Daria Blackwell
Daria Blackwell
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Peter Morley Daria - could you post a link to the watch-keeping thread or advise which sub-forum it 's in? I 've just had a quick look but couldn 't find it. Thanks.
November 5 at 11:01pm · Like

GianLuca Fiori Daría, regarding Tracking devises, I have used Spot and Iboatrack and investigated the Yellow Brick. I didn 't like the Spot because I needed to change the batteries constantly. I didn 't like the Yellow Brick because it was too expensive. I used to cross the Atlantic back and forth, Iboatrack since the battery lasted the full year and it was fully independent of any other system. Once, I turned on it started tracking our movement every two hours.

Vice Commodore, OCC 
Daria Blackwell
Daria Blackwell
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Sorry should have posted where to find the watch keeping page. It is here:

http://forum.oceancruisingclub.org/occ-best-practices/878-what-are-some-best-practices-for-watchkeeping#1659

More input would be much appreciated.

Vice Commodore, OCC 
Daria Blackwell
Daria Blackwell
I'm hooked (492 reputation)I'm hooked (492 reputation)I'm hooked (492 reputation)I'm hooked (492 reputation)I'm hooked (492 reputation)I'm hooked (492 reputation)I'm hooked (492 reputation)I'm hooked (492 reputation)I'm hooked (492 reputation)
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Here is review of the Kannad SafeLink and McMurdo SmartFind AIS GPS for MOB recovery:

http://www.panbo.com/archives/2011/03/ais_mob_kannad_safelink_r10_mcmurdo_smartfind_s10.html

Vice Commodore, OCC 
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