I will never understand why OAs don't require this, especially for distance races, but certainly for buoy racing in heavy air. And, we shouldn't need the OAs to tell us to do this...
We all know this, but apparently think it could never happen to us:
Regardless of the minimum requirements for any regatta, EACH person on a catamaran should have a fully charged, submersible VHF ON THEIR PERSON.
It only takes nanoseconds to fall off a boat, and very few seconds to be significantly separated from the boat.
If the boat capsizes, there is an excellent chance that the wind will blow it away from you faster than you can swim back to it. Even if you have a partner who can right it solo, your head bobbing in the water can be impossible to see in nasty enough conditions, and whistles are hard to hear.
