Marine Electronics
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You don’t have to be a boyscout to know the importance of being prepared. Though the worst situations don’t commonly manifest, it is always better to be ready for the worst than be completely caught off guard. When you are at sea, preparation could mean the difference between life and death. If you don’t have some basic essentials, then your chances of survival drop dramatically. That is why you should take the time to get these important items for your watercraft.
1. The one thing that you should have above all else is a floatation device. It could be a ring buoy, a life preserver, or even a lifeboat. If your boat sinks and you wind up without a floatation device, then you will soon run out of energy and won’t be able to swim anymore. I think you can guess what would happen after that.
2. If your boat has sunk in cold water, then it won’t matter much if you have a life preserver or a buoy ring. You will soon suffer from hypothermia or possibly something far worse. This is where an immersion suit or anti-exposure suit comes in handy. You will have to wear it before the boat goes down, otherwise it won’t do you much good. But wearing the suit when it is cold out will help keep you healthy, warm, and prepared for the worst case scenario. Of course, if you are in the Caribbean, then you won’t need to worry about this item as much.
3. No matter if you are in cold water or not, a Personal Locator Beacon is one thing that will ensure you are rescued quicker. When danger strikes, all you have to do is activate the PLB by pressing a button. Your location is then sent to a satellite and Search and Rescue is notified of your crisis.
4. When Search and Rescue is nearby, you want them to be able to find you as quick as possible. That is why strobe light buoys were created. They float in the water with you and flash a bright light so that SAR can locate you with greater ease. Before there were strobe light buoys, people would use whistles to help rescue boats locate survivors. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have both of these items just in case one of them fails.
5. Though you may have called for help with a PLB, it may take a while for help to arrive. This is why it is a good idea to have some water rations handy. Though help usually arrives within a day, it could take longer before help arrives. Your body needs water and sea water isn’t good for you at all.
It is a good idea to get all of these items together and keep them all together in an easy to access place. You may also want to get a few more items together for survival like signal flares, a first aid kit, rope, or anything else you can think of. It is also a good idea to talk with everyone on board about what to do in case of an emergency. Having these items and making sure everyone aboard understands what to do when the worst happens will make it more likely that everyone ends up safe.
