Essential Equipment: Personal Locator Beacon (PLB)
The latest PLBs out there are designed to lead rescuers to a man overboard by making the most of the growing popularity of the AIS system to share and update GPS data. Using AIS directs the unit’s energy to the nearest vessels, speeding up the rescue and bringing the MOB home safe.
Essential Equipment: Flares
Using red flares is the best approach to visual signaling on the water. If you have to attract the attention of other vessels or an aircraft, a good bet is a meteor type, which looks like a shotgun shell prior to launch and is fired from what resembles a pistol. An even better bet, however, is a rocket-propelled SOLAS parachute type—it will go higher and burn longer than the meteor.
Essential Equipment: Liferafts
If you do your boating near shore, your RIB can serve as your liferaft. For farther-flung cruising, however, a dedicated liferaft is necessary. Keep the following points in mind when choosing a product for your boat. 1.) Choose a raft (with a boarding strap or stirrup) that’s relatively easy to board. 2.) Go with a canister-type raft mounted on deck, with a hydrostatic release that will cut the raft loose when you can’t. 3.) Make sure your raft has an insulated floor.
