Let me just say the official word on the equipment. Read the rules and if you have any questions what so ever, please contact Billy Richnow or Trey Garrison. They will gladly answer any questions in detail. They are the official guardians of safety in the race and will be doing a strict review of all equipment.
It is my suggestion that you review all your equipment with Billy or Trey several weeks before leaving for the race. We have an equipment check out the day before the race and it sure makes everyone feel good if this goes quick and easily.
Now, let me give you some unofficial insights into various components (again, the official word is from Billy).
EPIRBS: I have bought ACR personal EPRIBs and carry them on my person during most regattas. These are incredibly cheap for what they allow. I recommend getting the GPS functionality.
Sat Phone: Although not required, rent a Sat Phone for the event! If something goes wrong, you are going to want to talk to your ground crew. We always carry one and it has saved our butts many times.
VHF: We carry VHF's on us at all times. We have them turned on at all times. If you get separated from the boat, how is your crew going to find you? The waves are big and they will not see you.
GPS: We also have a GPS on each of us. If you get separated, we would talk on VHF and exchange coordinates so we could find each other.
Safety Line: We put our safety lines on before the start and only take them off as we enter the surf going to the beach at the finish. Safety lines are like seat belts. You are a damn fool if you don't wear them and you never notice that they are on. They have to have a quick release that will allow you to release under load. Again, Billy can give you details.
Spot: We carry a spot in the hull primarily so that people can track us on-line. It is a back up safety device but primarily we have it for tracking. The race will not be supplying spots so if you want your friends to following you, buy a Spot 2 and a plan (or rent one).
Back in 2001, I got separated from my boat while practicing for the Worrell in Galveston Bay. It was blowing about 25 out of the north and 35 degrees out. I spend three hours in the water before I got rescued. It was a very bad situation. After that incident, I decided that I would never get separated from my boat ever again and if it ever did happen, I was going to have multiple communication devices to allow me to get out the problem most importantly a VHF. (I never ever leave the beach without a VHF.)
Steve
