Sail Far Live Free

"The sea, the great unifier, is man's only hope. Now, as never before, the old phrase has a literal meaning: we are all in the same boat."  - Jacques Yves Cousteau Jacques may be right about all of us being in the same boat, but that no longer means we all carry the same kind of emergency distress signaling gear.  As I wrote a few years ago when Sirius Signal released their original A-1001 LED SOS distress light, conventional pyrotechnic flares have some serious competition for keeping boaters safe and complying with U.S. Coast Guard regulations. But before we dive into the details, you might be wondering just what is an LED SOS distress light and which USCG regs are relevant.  An LED SOS distress light, often referred to as an electronic Visual Distress Signal Device (eVDSD) in the industry, is simply a battery operated light that flashes SOS in Morse code.  The U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 175.130 states that an electric distress light meeting t...

Spring commissioning always involves taking inventory of spare parts, gear and safety equipment to make sure we're prepared for the season ahead. Invariably, it feels like our flares are expired every spring, though in reality I believe they have a shelf life of about 3 years. When they are truly expired, I'm always at loss for how to properly and safely dispose of them. Replacing them requires a $40 purchase. These are minor hassles for the inherent safety (and USCG compliance) that carrying the flares onboard provide. But have you read the what the USCG says about electronic alternatives? From Title 33 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Subpart 175.130: Any of the following signals, when carried in the number required, can be used to meet the requirements of 175.110: 1) An electric distress light meeting the standards of 46 CFR 161.013. One is required to meet the night only requirement. 2) An orange flag meeting the standards of 46 CFR 160.072. One is required to mee...