Captain Richard Rodriguez over at BitterEnd seems to be featuring gear and gadgets recently. He periodically posts quick reviews of products he uses under the heading “Things That Work.”

Today, he directs our attention to the AquaSpec PFD strobe lights; specifically, the tiny AQ98. I’ve got an older ACR Firefly2 strobe attached to my PFD, but it’s kind of bulky, and it requires manual activation. It looks like the AquaSpec AQ98 might be a good upgrade. Here’s what the manufacturer says:

The smallest lifejacket light in the world, the Aquaspec AQ98 is a compact, tamper proof unit that combines both battery and light source in one. Its unique size and shape, combined with ease of attachment, has made the AQ98 the ideal light for fitment within an inflatable lifejacket.

“Fitment within an inflatable lifejacket,” eh? That’s what I need! Not that I have anything against ACR, by the way. Far from it. The other PFD strobe I’m considering is the ACR Hemilight 2.

Anyway, here’s what Captain Richard says about the AQ98:

The last five seasons this little light has been attached to my PFD. This season, it was time for a new one as battery life has expired. The old one still worked, for what it’s worth.  I was able to find one for $35 vs $80 on most websites.

$35, eh? Not bad for a strobe with automatic or manual operation, minimum 8 hours burn time, and a 5-year shelf life.

I’m always learning something new from Captain Richard Rodriguez of the BitterEnd blog.

For instance, did you know that “DC” stands for “damage control”? Oh, you did? Well, I didn’t!

In any case, I’m intrigued by a product he mentioned today, the TruPlug. Let’s see what the TruPlug folks say about it:

TruPlug is a tapered circular cone shaped plug made of foam that is a solid, spongy cellular material which is coated with a flexible sealer adding strength and color.

TruPlug is used as a temporary or emergency plug in boating applications where water would enter a circular, oval, or irregular hole caused by emergency maintenance or hull breach due to impact. TruPlug is compressed by hand and inserted into the hole stopping or reducing the inward flow of water as the foam returns to its original shape.

TruPlug can also be cut with a razor knife and forced into elongated openings using a putty knife or
similar tool.

TruPlug can be inserted into the ends of broken pipes by twist compressing before inserting and will need to be held in place.

Sounds pretty useful! They’ve even got a video showing how it’s supposed to work.

You know, folks, I do my best, but there is just an awful lot of marine technology to keep up with these days! Thank goodness there’s Panbo, without which I wouldn’t be nearly as up-to-date on some very interesting product technology.

Take the Jotron AIS-SART Ben discusses here:

I once heard a gentleman who probably knew what he was talking about complain fairly bitterly about the electronic radar reflectors called SARTs.  He said they’d been pushed on the GMDSS by a member nation where they were made and that they’d never proven themselves effective in search and rescue operations.  Which is just one reason why the new Jotron AIS SART is an interesting development…

Read more

Wow! I’m VERY interested in this product line. So I’ll echo Ben Ellison’s query over at Panbo this morning: Any of our readers have any experience with the NaviCom RT650 VHF/DSC/MOB/AIS?

An interesting new product I didn’t see at the Miami Boat Show is this NaviCom RT650 MOB.  The company site is mostly in French, but MyBoatsGear.com links to a catalog PDF in English, and Foxtrot Marine has the most detail I can find.  This DSC VHF seems to have an integrated AIS receiver much like the Standard Horizon GX2100, plus optional wireless handsets like the Uniden Whams, plus integrated MOB fobs that seem to work a lot like Raymarine LifeTags (with more here).  The latter can apparently even trigger a DSC alert, and, in fact, all the parts make a lot of sense together, at least for some boats.  Has anyone out there tried an RT650, or know why the company hasn’t come to the USA?

Go to Panbo, where the discussion in the comments section is already underway.

[It’s a press release from the US Coast Guard, but it contains powerful reminders of the sort of thing I’m always harping on here at Navagear. Consider yourselves harped at! —Tim]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Coast Guard is still in the process of completing the tow of a 24-foot disabled vessel after late night and early morning searches resulted in the rescue of three people Sunday, approximately 40-miles northwest of Anclote Key.

At approximately 10:00 p.m. Saturday, Coast Guard watch standers at Station Sand Key received a call from a concerned friend of three men who had failed to return from a fishing trip Saturday afternoon, as expected.  Alberto Rodriguez, Raul Estrada, and Albert Valdez left for a fishing trip 60-miles northwest of Anclote Key, and were unable to return after experiencing mechanical problems with their 24-foot Proline boat.  The men were able to contact a friend to report their distress, but were not able to give their exact location.

At 10:20 p.m., watch standers at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg directed the launch of an HH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Fla., to search for the men.  Unable to locate the boat throughout the night, additional searches were continued from the air station this morning, with the launch of an HC-130 Hercules flight crew.  At approximately 8:45 a.m., a 47-foot motor life boat was launched from Station Sand Key, after search crews aboard the HC-130 airplane spotted a flare set off by the three men, approximately 40 miles northwest of Anclote Key.

The vessel is being towed to Coast Guard Station Sand Key, and the three men are reportedly in good condition.

"This is a good example of why all boaters should file float plans and have several signaling devices available to them,” said Capt. Timothy Close, commander, Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg.  "Float plans work, and signaling devices work.  We were able to find them largely because they filed a float plan, and brought means of communication and signaling devices with them."

The Coast Guard reminds boaters to follow these 10 simple steps to be safe and responsible on the water:
1.   Always wear your life jacket.
2.   Avoid mixing alcohol and boating.
3.   Check your flares, fire extinguisher and other safety equipment to be certain it is in good condition and up-to-date.  The Coast Guard Auxiliary and U.S. Power Squadrons offer free vessel safety checks that can help identify these or any other potential programs.  Know your boat and its passengers.
4.  Familiarize yourself with an online weather service so it becomes a routine part of your pre-departure planning. Knowing potential conditions before you go makes float planning easier.  The National Weather Service broadcasts marine weather forecasts regularly.  Tune your VHF marine radio to 162.4 MHz or log onto the National Weather Service website at:www.nws.noaa.gov.
5.  Tell a friend, family member or marina harbormaster where you are going and file a float plan.  If you change plans, let them know.
6.  Purchase an emergency positioning indicating radio beacon, or EPIRB.  Register it with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  Registration is mandatory, improves response and reduces false alarms.  It can also be completed online at www.beaconregistration.noaa.gov.
7.  Keep updated navigational charts on your boat and use them.   
8.  Register your marine radio and obtain a free MMSI number that is assigned to a DSC radio.
9.  Shut off your engines when approaching swimmers or divers.
10.  Take at least one certified boating safety course.

[It’s another MadMariner feature from a few weeks back. —Tim]

The first major pleasure boat rescue operation of 2010 occurred on January 2. Dennis Clements, 55, was forced to abandon his Cal 39 sailboat Gloria A Dios when it was dismasted and holed in severe weather about 300 miles off the coast of North Carolina.

Gloria A Dios means "Glory to God," and Clements believes he owes his survival to divine intervention. Watching the Coast Guard interview with him, it’s difficult to disagree. His account is moving; very few of us will ever experience the many tiny miracles with which our own lives are blessed in such an unequivocal way as did Clements.

But even the sort of divine intervention Clements received would not have saved him had it not been for the professionalism and cooperation of two powerful organizations, along with a tremendous amount of technology.

[Clements on solid ground once more. USCG photo]

Navagear is a gear and gadgets blog, so I’d like to examine the technology side of this amazing rescue. I admit that this is the least glamorous aspect of the incident. It’s tough to compete with Navy and Coast Guard heroism, let alone divine intervention from the Almighty! So I won’t try. Instead, I’m going to recount the incident as I understand it, focusing on the tools and gear involved.

THE RESPONSE

At the risk of seeming glib, let me refer to the punchline of an old joke. In the joke, a recently deceased flood victim, about to enter heaven’s pearly gates, can’t understand why God didn’t intervene to save him, to which St. Peter responds, "We sent two boats and a helicopter!"

Clements is not like the fellow in the joke, which is probably why he’s alive today. When things became dangerous aboard Gloria A Dios, his ACR Satellite 2 Category II EPIRB was activated. This is an older model, not equipped with integral GPS like the newer units, so it took a bit longer for satellites associated with the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) to zero in on the vessel’s position. EPIRBs are great, but for the record: GPS-equipped EPIRBS are even better.

Once the EPIRB was activated, the U.S. Coast Guard Fifth District went into action. Air Station Elizabeth City launched a HC-130J Hercules aircraft to search for the sailboat. An Urgent Marine Information Broadcast was transmitted, and satellite Enhanced Group Calls were used to identify other vessels in the area that might be able to assist. A commercial vessel participating in the Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue System (AMVER) was diverted toward the stricken sailboat.

The US Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) was conducting air operations not far away, and immediately changed course and sailed at high speed toward the distressed mariner. Meanwhile, the Coast Guard’s Hercules crew was enroute to the source of the EPIRB signal.

The Coast Guard’s HC-130J variant of the familiar Lockheed C-130 aircraft is optimized as a long-range surveillance aircraft. It is equipped with a rich array of sophisticated electronics, including FLIR’s Star Safire III electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) imaging system, which generated the visuals you see in the Coast Guard video of the sailboat and the liferaft drop. Keep in mind this video was taken in the midst of severe weather conditions including mixed rain, sleet and snow, yet the sailboat shows up clearly.

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In my previous posts on this topic (see especially Refill Disposable Propane Cylinders and How to refill disposable propane cylinders), one obstacle keeps recurring: It might be illegal!

First, let’s be clear: The (typically green) 16.4-oz disposable propane cylinders under discussion are designated “DOT-39 NRC 232/290”, and they come with this warning:

Federal Law forbids transportation if refilled – penalty up to $500,000 fine and five years imprisonment (49 U.S.C. 5124)

I’m no lawyer, but this is a pretty straightforward English sentence: A federal statute says you can’t transport them. You need to look a little deeper, though.

Title 49 of the US Code, entitled “Transportation”, has as it’s stated purpose the following:

The purpose of this chapter is to protect against the risks to life, property, and the environment that are inherent in the transportation of hazardous material in intrastate, interstate, and foreign commerce.

As I read it, it is NOT illegal to refill them, under Title 49 of the US Code. But it is illegal to transport them commercially. Some state or local laws may apply, of course, and again, you should prob’ly check with a real criminal defense attorney! I’d be very interested in hearing about any prosecutions of this law, of either private or commercial entities. Anyone? Anyone?

Civil actions, of course, are a completely separate matter: Anybody can sue anybody for anything, whether a law was broken or not, to seek redress for damages. Navagear reader and über-fan Robert Meyer brought a civil case to my attention in the comments section of one of those earlier Navagear posts. Robert tells us about a civil (CIVIL, not CRIMINAL; some folks are confused about the distinction) case involving a fatality related to propane cylinder refilling. Anybody contemplating refilling these cylinders needs to be aware of this tragic case.

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Time for another Navagear feature at MadMariner. This time, I talk about one of the first major maritime rescue operations of the year. Before anybody knew anything about an earthquake in Haiti, a lone offshore sailor was pulled from a liferaft about 250 miles off the coast of North Carolina.

What the heck’s a “DTLP”?!? Turns out it’s a special kind of PFD for law enforcement and military personnel. DTLP stands for Damage-Tolerant Life Preserver. I learned about these during my visit to the Pacific Marine Expo last week.

It seems that maritime law enforcement folks have really embraced the concept of comfortable, compact inflatable PFDs, which permit relatively unrestricted movement. The trouble is that inflatable PFDs are fragile, compared to the bulky foam-vest alternative. When you add the fact that law enforcement and military personnel already carry a lot of bulky gear, the PFD problem becomes even more challenging!

So Mustang Survival has developed the MD4020 Damage Tolerant Life Preserver and the MD4030 Compact Damage Tolerant Life Preserver, shown above (in tan), mounted to MOLLE gear. What’s MOLLE? Read on!

Both are designed to withstand a direct hit from a firearm or ballistic fragment and still inflate when submerged in water. (US Patent 6,453,840, Canadian Patent 2,392,416)

Using Hydrostatic Inflator Technology (HIT™), these DTLPs will automatically inflate within seconds when submerged in 4 or more inches of water and will not inflate prematurely due to rain, humidity or wind-driven sea spray. Both units provide 65 pounds of buoyancy to compensate for nearly all configurations of personal equipment and small arms carried on missions.

The MD4030’s one-size-fits-all design integrates with almost any tactical vest or armor plate carrier that uses Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment (MOLLE) system. The four-point attachment system incorporates side release buckles to permit emergency doffing of the life preserver and allows quick-release vests to fall away.

The MD4020 comes with a harness and can be integrated with most ballistic vests. It contains two inflatable cells. If one cell is compromised prior to inflation, the other cell can be inflated to provide full flotation performance.

The cost? About twice that of a top-of-the-line civilian inflatable PFD.

It turns out Mustang has several lines of industry- and application-specific  flotation products. The Fisheries Supply Emergency Equipment catalog, which I picked up at the show, is a veritable treasure trove of serious safety, rescue, and emergency gear.

[Forgive the goofy title…I couldn’t resist! Anyway, it’s another MadMariner features from a few weeks back. —Tim]

Coast Guard statistics tell us that more than two-thirds of all fatal boating accident victims drown, and of those, 90 percent were not wearing a life jacket. That’s just one reason I treat falls overboard as the top safety issue aboard my boat.

In such incidents, happy outcomes generally require successful execution in four key areas: Keeping the person afloat, bringing the boat alongside the victim safely, bringing the victim aboard safely, and providing warmth and first aid as needed.

Over the years here at Navagear, we’ve discussed all of these priorities. Some are relatively easy to address. For instance, on my boat everybody wears a PFD while the boat is underway, which goes a long way toward keeping a potential PIW (person in the water) afloat.

One of the more difficult tasks is to get the victim, exhausted and waterlogged, back into the boat without endangering the rest of the crew. In rough seas, this can be especially difficult. And while there are several solutions available for smaller and low-freeboard boats, where the crew can easily reach a PIW, there are fewer solutions appropriate for larger, high-sided power yachts.

GETTING ABOARD

On such boats, often the only place to bring a PIW aboard is on the swim platform at the transom. The trouble is that this is one of the most dangerous places to be in heavy seas. Swim platforms can hammer up and down as the boat rolls, possibly striking a person in the water. In addition, crewmembers must leave the safety of the boat and venture out onto the platform to assist the PIW, where they could be swept into the water as well.

[The C Rescue MOB Recovery Cage is especially well-suited for use aboard high-sided vessels equipped with some sort of powered hoist or crane.]

There’s got to be a safer way to bring a PIW aboard a high-freeboard boat; preferably one that allows the PIW to remain alongside the vessel until pulled out of the water, and allows the rest of the crew to remain safely aboard.

Thanks to Robert Reid, a retired commercial fisherman from Scotland, there is: The C Rescue MOB recovery cage is especially well-suited for use aboard high-sided vessels equipped with some sort of powered hoist or crane. It ought to be; it was designed for use aboard commercial fishing boats.

I recently met Alex Reid, Rob’s nephew, at Seattle’s famous Fisherman’s Terminal, home port to our own nautical daredevils, the crews of the Deadliest Catch fleet. Alex was showing off a sample of his uncle’s design, which is currently only manufactured in the United Kingdom.

The C Rescue is an impressive bit of "kit", as they say in the UK.

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