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VISUAL DISTRESS SIGNALS (VDS)
| Visual Distress Signals are required on coastal waters, the Great Lakes, territorial seas, and those
waters connected directly to them, up to a point where a body of water is less
than two miles wide. |
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Exemptions These vessels are not required to carry day signals but
must carry night signals when operating from sunset to sunrise:
- Recreational boats less than 16 feet in length.
- Boats participating in organized events such as races, regattas, or
marine parades.
- Open sailboats less than 26 feet in length not equipped with propulsion
machinery.
- Manually propelled boats.
Pyrotechnic Devices
Pyrotechnic Visual Distress Signals must be USCG approved, in serviceable
condition, and readily accessible.
USCG Approved Pyrotechnic Visual Distress Signals and associated devices
include:
- Pyrotechnic red flares - hand-held or aerial.
- Pyrotechnic orange smoke, hand-held or floating.
- Pistol launched and hand-held parachute flares and meteors.
- Launchers for aerial red meteors or parachute flares.
General Information
- Pyrotechnic devices are marked with an expiration date. Most tickets issued by
law enforcement for VDS violations are because of expired flares!
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- Launchers manufactured before January 1, 1981 and intended for use with
approved signals are not required to be Coast Guard-approved.
- If pyrotechnic devices are selected a minimum of three are
required. That is, three signals for day use and three signals for night.
Some pyrotechnic signals meet both day and night use requirements (called
combination flares).
- Pyrotechnic devices should be stored in a cool, dry location, if
possible. A watertight container painted red or orange and prominently
marked "DISTRESS SIGNALS" or "FLARES" is recommended.
Non-Pyrotechnic Devices
Non-Pyrotechnic Visual Distress Signals must be in serviceable condition, readily accessible, and certified by the manufacturer as complying with USCG requirements. They include:
Orange distress flag - Day signal only.
- Must be at least 3 x 3 feet with a black square and ball on an orange background.
- Must be marked with an indication that it meets Coast Guard requirements in 46 CFR 160.072.
- This signal is most distinctive when attached and waved on a paddle, boathook, or flown from a mast.
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Electric distress light - night signal only
- Automatically flashes the international SOS distress signal: (... — — — ...)
- Must be marked with an indication that it meets Coast Guard requirements in 46 CFR 161.013.
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Regulations prohibit display of visual distress signals on the water under any circumstances except when assistance is required to prevent immediate or potential danger to persons onboard a vessel.
Advantages and Disadvantages
No single device is best for all conditions or suitable for all purposes.
- Pyrotechnics are universally recognized as excellent distress signals.
However, they produce a very hot flame and the residue can cause burns and
ignite flammable materials and need to be handled carefully.
- Pistol launched and hand-held parachute flares and meteors have many
characteristics of a firearm and must be handled with caution. In some
states they are considered a firearm and prohibited from use.
Examples of the variety and combination of devices which can be carried in
order to meet the requirements:
- Three hand-held red flares (day and night).
- One hand-held red flare and two parachute flares (day and night).
- One hand-held orange smoke signal, two floating orange smoke signals
(day) and one electric distress light (night only).
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