By Lauren Saalmuller
Distress Signals
Knowing what to expect when using flares can save your life.
As boaters, we carry pyrotechnics onboard—per U.S. Coast Guard and SOLAS regulations—and hope we’ll never have to use them. In fact, it’s illegal to use them, unless you’re experiencing an actual emergency or have received permission from the proper local authorities. As a result, few boaters get a chance to become familiar with how flares work until the crucial moment arises.
Flares can be quite dangerous when not handled properly, potentially making an emergency situation even worse. In the words of West Marine safety guru Chuck Hawley, “Pyrotechnics are great because they draw attention to you and make you stand out against your environment in times of distress, and you don’t have to rely on electronics or another energy source. On the other hand, having a hot, burning flare onboard isn’t all that safe.”
Like many boaters, we had never fired off a single flare. So with the appropriate permissions secured, we headed our boat out to the mouth of Marblehead Harbor in Marblehead, Massachusetts, to see for ourselves just what it feels like to set off the various devices found in a typical emergency signaling kit. All flares we tested were made by Orion (one of only two manufacturers) and were supplied by West Marine. Here are the types we tested:
Red and White Handheld Flares
These are long-duration sea-level flares that help rescuers already in the general area pinpoint your location. The fine-print instructions on the Orion coastal flares we launched were difficult to read, even on a sunny day, so it pays to study them in advance. To ignite these flares, first remove the bottom cap, then use it as a striker to light the flare as you would a match. Many of these flares are waterproof and will ignite in the rain.
Our flare burned for approximately three minutes while dripping molten slag and emitting plenty of heat—which we felt even while wearing heavy gloves—so you should hold them at arm’s length. Their brightness was unimpressive during the day, but would be satisfactory at night. We set off a couple of handhelds that were six months out of date and these burned less brightly and for a shorter time. The flares were difficult to extinguish, even when fully immersed in a bucket of water, so exercise extreme caution when using them.
Red SOLAS Handheld Flares
The flares manufactured to the SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) commercial regulations burned much brighter and hotter than the other Orion handhelds we tested. In fact, they were almost too bright to look at directly. They are lit the same way as coastal flares, but give off more smoke and burn only for a minute. Despite having a steel casing to help contain the hot slag, the label on the casing still became extremely hot, even catching fire at one point, so be sure to hold the flare over the side of the boat to prevent burns. It makes a lot of sense to wear a heavy-duty work-style glove with a cuff to protect your hand and wrist when handling these kinds of flares. A SOLAS flare is a serious piece of pyrotechnics. Offshore cruisers will want to have these aboard their boats in order to be seen by rescuers from a fair distance away.
