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Preparations for the LongPac

We will have two trackers onboard....George's DeLorme and my SPOT. The SPOT was on my boat when I bought it. The guy I bought it from said it didn't work. I opened it up last week and one of the batter leads was bent. It wouldn't touch the end of the battery so the battery circuit was incomplete. So I bent it back. Son of a gun, now I have a sat tracker.

What say, race committee? Do you want dual position pings?
 
waypoint: 126/40

Okay, I've got this down. I've charted my course and it is 217.94 nm from my house here in N Oakland.

trip plotted.jpg

No worries, Philippe! We're all set. Race Committee, can you see us now?
 
Daydreamer said:
On the inReach click settings, then tracking...
Click to expand...

Greg, thanks for the help. There's not much for a manual and even on Garmin's web pages, the FAQ and Help info is skimpy. I downloaded their Earthmate app into my iPhone and the units are talking to each other via Bluetooth, but the screens and functions are different in the app so it's pretty confusing.

One question: I changed the content of the preset messages on Garmin's site and it says to sync my devices. I don't see how to request syncing on the InReach. I connected (via Iridium) but the preset messages in the InReach didn't change to the new content.
 
BobJ said:
Greg, thanks for the help. There's not much for a manual and even on Garmin's web pages, the FAQ and Help info is skimpy. I downloaded their Earthmate app into my iPhone and the units are talking to each other via Bluetooth, but the screens and functions are different in the app so it's pretty confusing.



One question: I changed the content of the preset messages on Garmin's site and it says to sync my devices. I don't see how to request syncing on the InReach. I connected (via Iridium) but the preset messages in the InReach didn't change to the new content.
Click to expand...

Yes, the app, inReach and website all look and function differently and have differing capabilities.

I have done the same thing, adding a preset message that says "checking in, everything is ok"
I entered this on the in reach.garmin web page under the messages tab.
After that I performed "sync" with the inreach plugged into my desktop computer.
Those preset messages don't appear available within the earthmate app on my phone.
I access them on the inreach preset icon.

Mostly, I use the app on the phone to send text messages home and to friends, It is much easier to type on than the inReach.
Syncing the phone just seems to update the app, maybe contact as well.


As I've written this I've double checked the actions on my devices and found myself looking at messages to my wife and friends at home during the SHTP return.
Brings back a lot of memories and emotions of what I saw and experienced and shared along the way. Whew!
 
SPOT tales. I would rather have spent the $$ for the Delorme, as it uses Iridium, whereas SPOT uses Globalstar. However, there was a SPOT Gen2 on the Wildcat when I bought her. Flash forward to last week. I've never turned the thing on, it's sat on my dresser for four years. So I go buy some lithium AAA batteries. Stinker is, you can't test the unit without activating the basic 1 year contract. grrr....so I shell out the $$ for the 1 -Year contract. This morning I spent 4 hours mucking with it to get it to work. It won't sent GPS-less "HELP" messages, nor will the GPS receiver pull down a signal. I chat on tech support...conclusion, it's dead.

BUT

for $30 plus the $18 If you break it we replace if for free insurance they will send me a band-new sample of the current Gen3 SPOT. Well, this is cool. That's pretty good customer service, the Gen 2 unit was over ten years old. So there will be a SPOT aboard Skye, and aboard the Wildcat for future coastal ramblings.

However, if I were starting all over again...I'd rather have the DeLorme, 'cause the SPOT doesn't quite make it all the way to Hawaii. Oh, well.
 
A suggestion, might be redundant: make the ping rate the same across the fleet - and start the ping rate at a prearranged time before the start. That way the tracker makes more sense for those following along...all update at the same time, at the same rate.
 
Just a note to AlanH: my Spot Gen 2 has made it twice on round trips to Hawaii with uninterrupted service. Good luck with yours.
 
Safety Equipment Personal 3.1.1 "If the life jacket is inflatable, it shall be regularly checked for air retention." Looked at my life jacket canister and it was RED! Drove to West Marine/Richmond and Dave looked dubious.

"How old is that?"

"Ummmm. Dunno."

He inflated it as it lay on the counter and then helped me strap it 'round my neck so I could get the whole experience.

life jacket.jpg

Whoooh! That's tight! And, more importantly, I realized that I would have a difficult time reaching for my PLB, tucked into the side pocket as it is. So that was good timing. The life jacket is inflated in the back of my car now. Dave told me to leave it inflated overnight, he'll install the new cartridge later today. Have you checked your life jacket recently?

Now I'm off to see why that bilge pump keeps blowing its fuse. Re-wired it yesterday. Huh. Must be something. Invitation extended to anyone who would like to help with that. Bring your anemone or whatever that doohickey is to test wires. Mine died.
 
Seeing this, I tossed my anemone in the car but I won't be at the boat until 1815 (then back again tomorrow). Does the pump have a screen on it and is the impeller clear? BTW, this is mostly why I thoroughly clean the cabin before going to sea - bits of stuff end up in the bilge and then in the pump. Vanity is only the minor part of it!
 
speaking of "how old is that?" ... i presume the (now) required crotch straps are attached but not pictured?
DH
 
DaveH said:
speaking of "how old is that?" ... i presume the (now) required crotch straps are attached but not pictured?DH
Click to expand...

Dave is a gentleman. He hesitated when I asked him to clip me in. Once the jacket inflates it is difficult to reach down there. It felt rude to ask him to adjust my crotch straps.
 
Jackie, Does your PFD have a hood? If you are in the water, you're pretty immobile. Not only are the front airbags tight and difficult to reach around, the wind and wave action will turn you so your face is into the wind and those waves. People drown because their face is toward the waves and they can't breath. A hood helps protect you from that. If you don't have a hood, you can buy one to hook on. If you have a PLB or handheld AIS radio attached to you or your vest, make sure the lanyards are long enough for you to use the device. If they are too short you'll have to risk cutting the lanyard and chance losing the PLB or radio. Anything in a foul weather jacket pocket under the vest is almost inaccessible.

While the vest is inflated jump in a swimming pool and discover just how helpless you are. I did it alongside the boat in the berth (with friends on the dock to help me ) and during my SOS training, both were sobering experiences. I was essentially helpless and the water was calm.
 
The LongPac SER doesn't allow this but SSS/OYRA (NCORC) does: You can have a non-inflatable if it has 22# of buoyancy. I have a separate harness so I'm thinking about testing it with one of these:

https://www.coleman.com/deluxe-merchant-mate-ii-life-vest/I600-IND.html

After SAS training and things I've read, I don't trust the inflatables to (1) always inflate or (2) enable me to maneuver in the water to reach my etriers and re-board. I also like having a bit of padding when it's rough. Maybe one of these with a light windbreaker wouldn't be too uncomfortable.
 
BobJ said:
https://www.coleman.com/deluxe-merchant-mate-ii-life-vest/I600-IND.html

After SAS training and things I've read, I don't trust the inflatables to (1) always inflate or (2) enable me to maneuver in the water to reach my etriers and re-board. I also like having a bit of padding when it's rough. Maybe one of these with a light windbreaker wouldn't be too uncomfortable.
Click to expand...

We have no inflatable life jackets aboard. I don't trust them either; just another thing to go wrong or expire. I can wear mine under or over foulies, hoodies, or over both.
 
BobJ said:
The LongPac SER doesn't allow this but SSS/OYRA (NCORC) does: You can have a non-inflatable if it has 22# of buoyancy. I have a separate harness so I'm thinking about testing it with one of these:

https://www.coleman.com/deluxe-merchant-mate-ii-life-vest/I600-IND.html

After SAS training and things I've read, I don't trust the inflatables to (1) always inflate or (2) enable me to maneuver in the water to reach my etriers and re-board. I also like having a bit of padding when it's rough. Maybe one of these with a light windbreaker wouldn't be too uncomfortable.
Click to expand...

Steve Katzman has one of those. It’s faded and ripped and twenty years old but he defends it fiercely. It also has lots of pockets for snacks and radio etc
 
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