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 Distress
Signaling Devices: Don't Leave Port Without Them by
Mark King
From
the smallest sailboard to the largest ship, among the major items
of safety equipment required aboard Canadian vessels are distress
signaling devices.
A quick review
of the Small Vessel Regulations, or a peek at the Safe Boating Guide
published by the Canadian Coast Guard, will show you what the minimum
requirements are for your vessel, no matter what kind or size it
is.
They range
from watertight flashlights to a dozen flares of different types.
What the regulations won't tell you is how effective that equipment
might or might not be when you need it.
Many boaters
still place blind faith in the regulations to provide them with
the necessary and adequate amount of protection. And, if you conduct
most of your boating in daylight hours and fair weather you may
never need, or want more than the minimum equipment.
But if you
do some serious cruising, cruise at other than peak hours and in
poor weather, you may want to take stock of your inventory of distress
signals and review what they can and can't do to help you.
If you wish
to provide maximum protection for yourself and your family, you
may want to take a second look at your distress signals.
Pleasure craft
operators have a number of different signaling options at their
fingertips in an emergency, over an above what the regulations require
you to have on board. (Top)
Let's take
a look at these one at a time to determine their value.
One of the
stand-by pieces of equipment available and used by most boaters
is a VHF radio. They come in fixed and portable models.
In order to
operate a VHF radio, you must have a permit acquired after writing
a test. A station license is no longer needed to have a radio on
board your vessel.
Decent VHF
equipment is good to have on board. With it you can contact other
vessels and the Canadian Coast Guard should anything happen out
on the water.
The permanently
mounted type require your boat's batteries be charged in order to
use it. If you have a dead battery, or a water infiltration problem,
you may end up without a radio.
The hand-held,
portable models require a charged battery in order to work and their
broadcast time is limited by their battery power.
One compelling
reason for having a VHF on board is that search and rescue aircraft
and boats can home in on the signal from the radio to find you in
an emergency. Cell phones on the other hand do not provide that
option.
The most inexpensive
emergency signal you will ever own is raising and lowering your
outstretched arms. This is a good signal providing there are other
people close by and they understand the signal. Obviously this signal
does not work well in the dark unless you have some way to light
yourself up on deck.
Any ball and
square shape hoisted up a mast or anywhere else, is also an emergency
signal. Either object can be on top. The beauty of this signal is
that any ball, like a beach ball, and any square shape, like a half-folded
towel, can be used. (Top)
Again, you
have to rely on people being close by who recognize the signals
for what they are.
One signal
that you will seldom see in inland waters is the international code
flag N over top of the code flag C. A good daytime signal, most
boaters will not likely recognize this signal.
Any square
shape flown for attention is also considered a distress signal.
Flags are generally rectangular in shape while burgees and pennants
tend to be triangular or very elongated rectangles.
A square shape,
especially if it is orange in color, is bound to be noticed, in
the daytime, if people are looking and they understand what they
see.
If you ever
have to abandon ship and you end up in a small dinghy, a dye marker
that turns the water orange in the vicinity of the vessel, is an
excellent daytime signal for search and rescue and other aircraft.
It doesn't work as well at night.
Most chandelries
have, or can order, distress cloths. They are large orange cloths
with a black ball and square shape on them. Flown from a mast, or
draped across the boat, they are excellent attention getting devices
in the daytime.
Sound signaling
devices are another form of distress signal. Continually sounding
your horn or other device will eventually get someone's attention
if anyone is around. It can used by day and by night. (Top)
Used day and
night, but most effective at night, is a high intensity white light
flashing at 50 to 70 times a minute.
Some boaters
unknowingly use these for attention getting lights at night and
in the evening. In fact, you could be charged for this as it is
illegal under the Criminal Code of Canada to send a false emergency
message, whether you mean to or not.
These types
of lights are only effective if you have a power source.
A waterproof
flashlight is the next possible item. Flashed in the familiar SOS
pattern, three short, three long, three short, they can be effective
day or night, providing someone sees it and understands the signal.
An item that
most boaters won't carry because of the expense, is an Emergency
Position Indicating Radio Beacon, or EPIRB.
The newest
ones send a signal as soon as they come in contact with the water
and the signal is picked up by Search and Rescue and Emergency monitors.
They are excellent
devices to have to ensure the search is started immediately and
to ensure you are found. For as well as sending out a signal, they
tell searchers where they are located.
Then there
is the old stand-by, flares.
They remain
the most popular emergency signaling devices, as they can be effective
day and night. (Top)
When you purchase
flares, make sure you understand what kind you are buying. There
are parachute flares, buoyant and held-held flares that produce
intense light or thick smoke, and rockets or shells. Ensure you
have the required kind for your vessel.
Before you
use flares make sure you read and understand the manufacturer's
directions.
Be aware that
flares are only good for four years from date of manufacture; not
when you bought them.
While using
flares make sure you hold then on the downwind side of the boat,
do not point them at anyone and point them away from your body.
They must be
kept in an easily accessible location preferably in a watertight
container.
Like other
emergency devices, they must only be used for distress purposes.
Currently there
is a debate under way about the value of flares versus some other,
safer bright light emergency signaling device.
Flares are
a pyrotechnic device and are dangerous and deadly in the wrong,
or very young hands. Watch for further developments on this issue
in the near future.
There really
is a wide choice when you look at Emergency Signaling Devices. Make
sure you have enough variety on board to cover all the possibilities
for where and when you cruise. (Top)
(Lifeline is produced through the Safe Boater Training Program,
a certification program for recreational boaters.)
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