Conclusion

While the electronic alerting devices were very clever, we felt their limitations were significant. The truth of the matter is that we are forever missing phone calls when sailing either because we don’t hear the phone tucked away in our foulies or because the battery has died. Its effectiveness as an MOB alerting device is therefore open to question.

The AIS device with DSC alert on the other hand was incredibly effective, alerting not just your vessel but all those in the vicinity. If you can afford one, you will not regret it. When it came to finding the casualty, this same device was again the clear winner. The Exposure torch and FLIR night scope were wonderful pieces of kit that we’d love to have on board – but realistically the low cost, higheffectiveness of Spinlock’s Pylon light and Lume-on make this the kit we’d go for first.