Is your SOS eStrobe CG approved in lieu of hand red flares on inspected passenger vessels? If so what is the CFR citation indicating equivalency when paired with a distress flag? Answer: Our eVDSD electronic flares are not US Coast Guard approved for carriage on...
Starting off the season with a Vessel Safety Check is the best what to get started, offshore or otherwise. You can find Vessel Examiners near you with this link - https://wow.uscgaux.info/i_want_a_vsc/index.php Of course, government standards are really government...
COVID aside, nothing beats in-person training. You can use this link to find classes near you - http://cgaux.org/boatinged/class_finder/ Of course, infection rates in your area may still be sufficiently worrisome that online classes may be better. That same link can...
There are a lot of coloring-book-based educational materials for children available through the US Coast Guard Auxiliary. Reach out to your local US Coast Guard Auxiliary flotilla or email us here with information we can use to connect you with the local unit. We’ll...
The short answer is when you feel threatened by conditions at hand and forecasted to continue to deteriorate. That isn’t necessarily a “may-day” situation, when you definitely will be needing the Coast Guard to get underway. How do you communicate a sense of impending...
The easy answer is a USCG-approved life-jacket that you’re comfortable in – so you’ll wear it. But let’s apply some science. First, 80% of a person’s weight is water, which has no weight in the water, and about 15% is fat, which is lighter than water. Consequently, by...
Everyone should be aware that government regulations in most forms do not set a ceiling – they set a floor. So, “must have’s” in my mind are, first, a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB). While I used to say that I never went on a boat without a light and a knife on my...
Bob, you are correct, eVDSDs are only approved as a night visual distress signal, that is why in the package for both of the Sirius Signal products, the one color C-1003 and the two color C-1002, we include a Daytime Orange Distress flag that is USCG Approved as a...
Thanks for your question James. This is Steve Caldero from Sirius Signal. It seems like your question would be best answered by us — rather than the Commodore. How you would display the C-1003 depends a lot on your situation. Displaying the light at the highest...
Well, as with many things, it depends! If she has an engine, then she needs the lights that any motorized boat needs – red/green for port/starboard illumination and, for convenience, an all-around light that functions as both a stern and mast light. Being that you...
