marine flares

It’s a beautiful morning at HMB, harbor master Jacob rolled up super cool guy.  He had me fill out a sticker w my name and two relatives phone numbers and put it on the revo.  He also let me know that you are supposed to have 2 marine flares on board if fishing coastal waters, he let me slide but I’m picking them up at West Marine later. 

Tight lines kiddies

I never knew that thanks for the info

Good info , I also didn't know that .   Do you need a launcher with two marine flares or just flares ?

were is it written?
large boats I think have a requirment but not sure

Unfortunately, this isn't entirely true.  These sorts of requirements are called "carriage requirements."  They are regulated under 33 CFR Part 175.  Hopefully I can help clarify the requirements for everyone:

33 CFR § 175.110 requires all recreational vessels 16' or greater in length to carry one day/night flare or one day signal and one night signal, except[ during the period between sunrise and sunset (read: during the day).  Between sunset and sunrise (read: during the night), all vessels must carry a night signal. 

Okay, so some of us may have to carry them sometimes, but what qualifies as a visual distress signal that meets the requirements?  33 CFR § 175.130 gives us a handy table that I've copied below:

Device Description	Meets requirements for
Hand Held Red Flare Distress Signals	Day and Night
Floating Orange Smoke Distress Signals	Day only
Parachute Red Flare Distress Signals	Day and Night
Hand-Held Rocket-Propelled Parachute Red Flare Distress Signals	Day and Night
Hand-Held Orange Smoke Distress Signals	Day only
Distress Signal for Boats, Red Aerial Pyrotechnic Flare (meteor or parachute type)	Day and Night

How many do we need to carry if we're required to carry them?  Three in any combination.

Where do these requirements apply?  The requirements apply to coastal waters.  This is defined by the territorial seas and any bays/harbors/etc connected to those territorial seas that have an opening greater than 2 nautical miles.  So, places like Bodega Harbor, inside The Jaws, etc. do not apply.  Additionally, the San Francisco Bay doesn't apply since the Golden Gate is 1.1 nautical miles wide at its narrowest point.

What do I carry?  I carry a strobe, a red meteor flare setup, and a day smoke signal.  They live in/on my PFD full time so I don't need to worry about when to carry them or not.

Who am I and why should you trust what I say?  I cited the relevant CFR regulations.  I was USCG SAR/Law Enforcement for 10 years and conducted hundreds of boardings to inspect vessels to ensure they meet these safety requirements.

Thanks for the specifics Tedski

also key seems to be 16 ft or longer
Most fishing kayaks are shorter than that

also key seems to be 16 ft or longer
Most fishing kayaks are shorter than that

Exactly.  However, keep in mind there is no length exception at night.  _All_ vessels require visual distress signals after sunset and before sunrise.

Agree with having something for night use and belief most do have some light
Conversation started with requirement for flares
Flares spit out sparks and to me would actually be dangerous on a kayak IMO

Agree with having something for night use and belief most do have some light
Conversation started with requirement for flares
Flares spit out sparks and to me would actually be dangerous on a kayak IMO

Flares are one category of visual distress signal.  Also keep in mind if you're truly in distress, you're probably not in your kayak anymore.  The goal is to have a flare to indicate where you are as the helicopter is searching from above or a rescue vessel is searching from the surface.  It's extremely difficult to find a person in the water, let alone at night.  The idea is that you have flares or smoke signals and when you see rescue assets within your line of sight, you'd activate those (using a flare or smoke signal or strobe) to indicate precisely where you are.

I carry meteor flares (otherwise known as pencil flares).  They shoot up about 250' in the air and are bright red.  No parachute, but very visible against a night sky.  Once they saw the general direction of the meteor flare, they'd be able to see my strobe in between swells.  So, one signal to attract the attention and another to home in.  I also have a PLB on my PFD so I can activate that and give a precise GPS position to the SAR assets and broadcast a homing signal for them to tune into.

Amazing concise and authoritative post tedski.

Not to hijack, but is there any way to test flares without actually deploying them? 

I carry some model in a plastic bag that you pull an end cap and flare exits opposite end.  Few years old now, wondering ...

Amazing concise and authoritative post tedski.

Not to hijack, but is there any way to test flares without actually deploying them? 

I carry some model in a plastic bag that you pull an end cap and flare exits opposite end.  Few years old now, wondering ...

Short answer: no.

Long answer:  We used to host a Sea Scout Safety at Sea Weekend event where we'd fire off flares.  We'd use green flares to differentiate from real distress signals.  There was lots of coordination with the communications center, including notices to mariners on file with NOAA, advisory notices broadcast on 16 and 22.  Then we'd radio the comm center just before firing any off, then radio the exact count, direction, etc.

In other words, it's possible, but not realistic for civilians.  Your flares should have an expiration date on them to check.

Man I love this board.  Thanks Ted. 

I carry a Orion Kayak/Paddle Sport Aerial Signal Kit, which I purchased from BassPro, when I go lobster hoop netting during night time.
"The Orion® Kayak/Paddle Sport Aerial Signal Kit is lightweight and compact for quick access in emergencies and easy storage. The kit is U.S. Coast Guard Approved as a day or nighttime aerial signal. The kit includes 2 Skyblazer II self-contained red meteor aerial signals, whistle, and signal mirror. Size: 4" x 8" x 1.5"."

Paul

I carry a Orion Kayak/Paddle Sport Aerial Signal Kit, which I purchased from BassPro, when I go lobster hoop netting during night time.
"The Orion® Kayak/Paddle Sport Aerial Signal Kit is lightweight and compact for quick access in emergencies and easy storage. The kit is U.S. Coast Guard Approved as a day or nighttime aerial signal. The kit includes 2 Skyblazer II self-contained red meteor aerial signals, whistle, and signal mirror. Size: 4" x 8" x 1.5"."

Paul

A+, sir.  That is a great kit.