"Larry" wrote

Mine is a strobe! It makes your eyes go buggy it's so bright if you dare
look at it, destroying your night vision, of course.

And that's going to make the panicked and difficult operation of getting a
possibly semi-consious and helpless person back aboard a lot easier isn't
it? Ever noticed how hard it is to think straight around emergency vehicle
lights at night if you aren't used to it?

Another reason I don't want a mega bright strobe on the MOB pole.

--
Roger Long

"Roger Long" wrote in
:

The light on the pole is just to help the PIW get to it in the dark.
It's plenty bright enough for that. If they don't get to it, it isn't
going to be much use.



You can even spot the strobe in sunlight. It just makes it easier to see
after your unfledge "crew", that hasn't a notion of how to come about to
get you, finally figures out how to get it turned around in their panic
and you're 2 miles astern of it.

-----------------------------

Roger, while out crusing with your family and friends, totally
unannounced while they're not standing there talking to you, SLIDE
OVERBOARD QUIETLY. Just slip over the side and let them all sail away
without you. See how long you have to float before they even notice
you're gone and have conducted the "cabin search" for your carcass. It's
really hilarious to watch the Chinese Fire Drill.

Don't do it on a nearly calm day, either. Do it in a nice, stiff breeze
where you're fighting the sheets and coming about is a problem. Uh, uh,
no fair waiting until 3 other captains from down the dock are sailing
with you, either! Regular crew ONLY. This is a realtime, unplanned
drill.....or at least it will be until you see them sail over the
horizon...(c;

The MOB pole will never be deployed because noone noticed you falling
overboard in the first place, so there'll have to be a real search to
find you. Just to be fair, please do hide your Sospenders in your pants
so you won't tire and drown before they get their act together. The
drill is well worth that nearly-out-of-date CO2 cartridge you were going
to replace anyways. The MOB pole ASSUMES someone saw someone falling
overboard.

Noone goes on deck untethered after dark......ESPECIALLY the captain!

Larry
--
Next overnight cruise, throw a floating cushion overboard and shout "MAN
OVERBOARD" at 3AM and ring the bell until all hands are ready to retrieve
"him". If that doesn't get the message across to be firmly tied to the
boat in your harness EVERY TIME, nothing will...(c;
After you get the pole fixed, throw it overboard at 3AM instead of the
cushion and see if they can find it with your little bicycle light on it.
Test that on a MOONLIT night when the moon's reflection is flashing in
your faces off the water. The moon flashes drive me crazy searching at
night.

On Aug 8, 7:54 am, "Roger Long" wrote:
"Larry" wrote

Mine is a strobe! It makes your eyes go buggy it's so bright if you dare
look at it, destroying your night vision, of course.

And that's going to make the panicked and difficult operation of getting a
possibly semi-consious and helpless person back aboard a lot easier isn't
it? Ever noticed how hard it is to think straight around emergency vehicle
lights at night if you aren't used to it?

Another reason I don't want a mega bright strobe on the MOB pole.

--
Roger Long

IIRC USCG standards require a strobe to be seen 3 miles.
If you go to e-bay you can buy a 5 pack for 40 dollars.

LED's just do not have the power to be of much use IMO.

You need a Xenon strobe. They are cheap and very effective. So cheap
everyone aboard should have one.

http://cgi.ebay.com/STROBE-RESCUE-LI...QQcmdZViewItem

You need a strobe on your life ring IMO to be tossed at the same time
as the MOB pole. The only ptatical LED is an IR LED strobe. They are
very effective for IR night vision used by the USCG.

I guess it would not be a bad ideal to strap a light to the MOB as
long as it will not effect bouyancy and drift rate, as MOB poles are
designed to drift at the rate a human will drift. Some expensive MOB
poles have strobes buildt into them.

I've thought about taping one of these to a MOB pole:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ofh37qcFuk4

It would be very effective with any spray as a beacon.

Going overboard at night in bad seas is a very bad thing.

Joe

On Wed, 08 Aug 2007 07:16:25 -0700, Joe
wrote:

If you go to e-bay you can buy a 5 pack for 40 dollars.

Those are OK for life jackets where they can be turned on manually by
an experienced person but a MOB pole or a life ring should have a
STROBE which turns on automagically.

On Aug 8, 4:31 pm, Wayne.B wrote:
On Wed, 08 Aug 2007 07:16:25 -0700, Joe
wrote:

If you go to e-bay you can buy a 5 pack for 40 dollars.

Those are OK for life jackets where they can be turned on manually by
an experienced person

How experienced do you have to be to turn on a switch?
As Captain of your vessel when anyone steps aboard that you will be
taking out/offshore you need to make sure they understand where all
safety and survival equipment is located and how to properly use, and
deploy it. Everything from dunnage


but a MOB pole or a life ring should have a
STROBE which turns on automagically.

Agreeded, and many companies make them that do just that. I have a
self launching ACR that when turned upright turns on. It is spliced
onto the life ring with a 20 ft poly line. It's 20+ years old but
works like new.

Joe