If You Are Going Offshore

Be prepared. Most of you have people that want you to get home safe.
PLB's and EPIRB's are so reasonable these days that there is no excuse not to have one.
Same with VHF radios with DSC networked to chart plotter.
Have a well stocked first aid kit with bleed control like Israeli bandages or the like. You are potentially hours away from help.
Invest in type 1 life jackets.
Might be extreme for some but with my spot my non-fishing relatives and people I trust not to steal my fishing holes can follow me. Especially nice when we are doing trips across the stream or the Bahamas. It pings my location approx. every 5 minutes.
I'll get off my soap box now but it is tough to watch a week long search get called off and now kids are being told that their dads aren't coming home.
PLB's and EPIRB's are so reasonable these days that there is no excuse not to have one.
Same with VHF radios with DSC networked to chart plotter.
Have a well stocked first aid kit with bleed control like Israeli bandages or the like. You are potentially hours away from help.
Invest in type 1 life jackets.
Might be extreme for some but with my spot my non-fishing relatives and people I trust not to steal my fishing holes can follow me. Especially nice when we are doing trips across the stream or the Bahamas. It pings my location approx. every 5 minutes.
I'll get off my soap box now but it is tough to watch a week long search get called off and now kids are being told that their dads aren't coming home.

[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Contender 27 Cuddy
Contender 27 Cuddy
Replies
Don't need to push my luck.
Contender 27 Cuddy
Put your vessel numbers and name on your life jackets and life raft if you have one.
If you travel more than 30 miles offshore you should have two forms of communication as well as an EPIRB. Hand held as well as parachute flares, also dye packs.
Have a Jim buoy life ring rigged with rope.
Strobes attached to each life vest.
Have a plan, make sure your crew know where everything is. You may not be conscious, everyone needs to know how to deal with an emergency.
No body looses a vessel to a slow developing problem, if you’re gonna go down it’s cause things happen fast and/or panic sets in.
When I went offshore early on I carried a rolled up rubber float. At least kept me out of the water
When I got my 36 Contender with friends and family running 100 miles offshore it was a must to have a life raft.. The older I got the more safety gear I had. Yes I had a EPIRB, but if you sink well offshore you are dead from hypothermia well before the Epitrb sends the rescue.
MY WORST FEAR......THAT WHEN I DIE MY WIFE WILL SELL ALL MY BOATS & FISHING GEAR FOR WHAT I TOLD HER I PAID FOR IT.......
I may not always agree with what you say,
but I will always respect your right to be wrong!