This is part of a series of articles on the subject of sailing safety. The articles will attempt to combine different ideas on safety from sources such as the Red Cross, personal experience, computer programming and other outdoor pursuits.

If you get in a situation where rescue or evacuation becomes necessary, having proper illumination is crucial. The 10 essentials list has illumination on it.

Part of the Coast Guard’s required equipment list is flares. Typically, flares are pyrotechnic. They ignite and burn for a certain length of time and then must be disposed of and replaced.

New to the market are flares based on laser technology. These flares have a burn time of up to 72 hours and take just 2 AA batteries. The laser can be visible up to 20 miles.

In addtion the laser flare can be used to illuminate reflective material on buoys and personal gear like PFD’s. For night sailing you can use the device to look at sail trim.

Currently these flares are not USCG approved. So, to meet regs you must carry appropriate pyrotechnic flares. In this case getting ahead of the curve and adding laser flares is a good safety measure and is “heartily encouraged by the Coast Guard.”

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