Personal Rescue Beacons

For some time I have been interested in EPIRB’s but considered the cost to be prohibitive, especially the 406 types which retail at about £500. Although these appear to be very successful, they have the disadvantage of being registered to a particular boat so it would not be appropriate to take this type along on a canoe or kayak trip or when crewing on another boat. This leaves the cheaper 121.5MHz versions that are unregistered and can be taken aboard any vessel one chooses. The disadvantages are that, due to the number of false alarms, the rescue services may be reluctant to mount a search unless there is some supporting evidence of distress. Also they have decided to stop monitoring for these in 2009 although I would hope that something else will have been produced to take their place. However, helicopters etc. should still be carrying equipment to locate such beacons for many more years.

Somewhat reluctant to part with my £120 or so for this latter type I phoned round the makers and discovered that the new owners of Sea Marshall are willing to give substantial discounts to clubs or associations like the DCA. They are located at Commercial Finance (UK) Ltd, 36 Market Place, Beverley, E. Yorks HU17 9AG. Tel: 01482 679780 and you should quote reference DC15 if you contact them in order to obtain the discount. I have no commercial connection with this company.

The Sea Marshall is about the size of a matchbox and uses a 9v lithium battery that can transmit for up to 40 hours. The aerial is within a plastic tube forming a loop which can be worn around the neck and which flashes when the unit is activated making it ideal for night location. My idea is that, if in trouble, I would alert the authorities by mobile phone, handheld VHF or flare rather than wait for the transmission to be picked up and investigated. This should enable them to quickly find me.... I only hope that I never need to find out if my theory is correct and that my investment in modern technology has been worthwhile. Andrew Gillies