MacGregorSailors.com

Hi. I’m thinking about cruising Andros island in the nearish future. It will be a solo trip as usual for me. The location is isolated and help may be several days away. I’d like a device, whereby if something happened to me, in three days of me not resetting a timer, an epirb will be activated. Is there such a device being sold?
Thanks
Ix

Hi Ixneigh!

I haven’t heard of something like that as such…. Barring making up some sort of electro/mechanical thingmabob doodad.

What one might consider as an alternative is setting up an email with your anticipate destination and related information with a delayed automatic send. I believe Outlook has that sort of email feature that I use to employ at work for various reasons. It would allow me to cancel the outbound message if the situation changed. Hope that might be of some use.

Best Regards,
Over Easy

Boat Trip

As far as I know Erpirb activates manually or by sinking . Maybe an inReach or Spot can let people follow you at all times and you will be able to send/receive text and emails. With a Starlink you’ll be connected to the web always and be able call in with WhatsApp. Not sure if they rent Epirbs, sell the starlink when you’re back.
Been awhile since a Mac made the trip.

Andros is pretty remote and I may not have a set destination per sey. It might be a week or two before anyone notices they haven’t heard from me. I could probably rig a three day timer which would activate the epirb if I didn’t reset it, but before doing that I wanted to see if the concept already existed. Thanks.

Ix

Timer on an EPIRB? Sounds expensive if you forget you set it. Do you have any idea what the cost of recovery is if an EPIRB is activated? Especially a false activation. Besides, if you are three days from your EPIRB how would they know where to look? If you were two minutes from your EPIRB but too sick to activate it you are probably already dead after three days. Rent a sat phone if it is that worrying to you, they aren't expensive compared to triggering an EPIRB. On a trip like that what concerns do you have that are vaguely survivable that wouldn't place you near your EPIRB? Three days overboard with no EPIRB out there and no one will find you, geez whole groups of Navy aircraft have bee lost out there and never found.

Protocol would normally be to log SAR time with your destination including expected travel route. Cancel SAR time when you arrive, install a good VHF radio with decent antenna, they are generally good for at least 100klm's, looks like your trip is about 200klm's so you either radio mainland or the island coast guard depending on which half you are in. Lastly, be 100% confident with the weather forecast for the duration, don't be scared to go old school and keep an eye on your barometer.

Actually, this post has got me wondering....... Do you not have to HAVE an EPIRB in USA waters?

By law in Australia all vessels greater than 7.5 meters MUST carry a registered and in date EPIRB when travelling more than 2nm from land, so everyone here has one.

https://www.amsa.gov.au/safety-navigati ... -operation

sunshinecoasting wrote: ↑Mon Jan 27, 2025 5:35 pm Actually, this post has got me wondering....... Do you not have to HAVE an EPIRB in USA waters?

By law in Australia all vessels greater than 7.5 meters MUST carry a registered and in date EPIRB when travelling more than 2nm from land, so everyone here has one.

https://www.amsa.gov.au/safety-navigati ... -operation

The official rules on EPIRBs from the US Coast Guard:

Commercial fishing industry vessels operating on the high seas (beyond the three mile territorial sea line) or beyond three miles from the coastline of the Great Lakes (unless exempted) must carry a 406 MHz EPIRB. A Category 1 EPIRB that will float-free and automatically activate is required on vessels 36 feet or more in length. A Category 2 EPIRB thatmust be manually activated is allowed on vessels less than 36 feet in length and on vessels which have a builder’s certification that it is constructed with sufficient inherently buoyant material to keep the flooded vessel afloat.

So... given nearly all MacGregor boats are less than 36 feet, there is no requirement to carry an EPIRB, however a Category 2 EPIRB *may* be carried on a Mac, given it is certified to stay afloat when flooded.

No we don’t need epirbs but the coastguard does encourage having them. Maybe I’ll investigate the satellite phone option. Thanks for all the suggestions!

Ix

Ixneigh wrote: ↑Tue Jan 28, 2025 3:01 am No we don’t need epirbs but the coastguard does encourage having them. Maybe I’ll investigate the satellite phone option. Thanks for all the suggestions!

Ix

New iPhones have satellite calling for emergency.