Communication and safety at sea specialist Ocean Signal has joined forces with 3Si Group company Ocean Safety to supply vital lifesaving equipment for two brothers preparing to row the Atlantic Ocean in memory of their father.
Jude Massey and Dr Greg Bailey are preparing to set off from Gran Canaria in January 2018 for the unsupported 3000-mile crossing to Barbados to raise funds for the British Skin Foundation. Two years ago, the brothers launched their campaign to raise £100,000 for skin cancer research and generate awareness after Peter Massey, Jude’s father and Greg’s stepfather, passed away after a 16-year battle with the disease.
Ocean Signal is supporting the rowers with a package of essential products for the eight to 11 week challenge, all developed to be easily activated in an emergency to provide reassurance that assistance is at hand. The brothers will be equipped with three Ocean Signal rescueME MOB1 man overboard devices, three Ocean Signal rescueME PLB1 personal locator beacons, an Ocean Signal SafeSea S100 SART (Search and Rescue Transponder) and two Ocean Signal rescueME EDF1 electronic distress flares. Ocean Safety, UK distributor for Ocean Signal, will also be providing an Ocean ISO 4-man liferaft.
The row will take Jude and Greg many miles from any potential rescuers, so the PLBs and SART are essential devices for alerting search and rescue services quickly and for providing an accurate position in the event of a capsize or if someone falls overboard. The brothers also wanted the award-winning MOB1 devices with AIS technology to locate a man overboard using the on-board chart plotter.
James Hewitt, Ocean Signal’s Sales and Marketing Manager, said: “We hope our products provide Jude and Greg with reassurance that they can reach the rescue authorities at the press of a button, as well as alert each other or nearby vessels. All our devices are developed to be exceptionally light, compact and easy to use, so they are ideally suited for such a small boat in which the rowers have to think about the weight of every item.”
Rowing day and night in one-hour shifts, the rowers will rely on freeze-dried meals to fulfil their high calorific needs, with the extra complication of opting to follow a vegan diet for personal and ethical reasons.
Greg explained the driving factor behind their challenge, which has particular relevance to everyone who enjoys spending time at sea, explaining: “Skin cancer is not listed as the number one most common cancer in the UK on cancer research stats. This is because they separate skin cancer into melanoma and non-melanoma categories. When combined, skin cancer is four times more common than breast which is the second most common. We hope to make a change to that.”
The compact and light Ocean Signal devices can be easily integrated into lifejackets or other clothing without hampering movement. In the event of a person falling into the sea, the rescueME MOB1 is automatically triggered the moment the life jacket is inflated, sending the first alert within 15 seconds. The device transmits an alert to all AIS receivers and AIS-enabled plotters in the vicinity, with the integrated 66-channel GPS ensuring accurate position data is sent back to the boat and any other assisting vessels for at least 24 hours. The integrated strobe light with moulded lens ensures the survivor is easily spotted in poor light conditions.
Ocean Signal’s rescueME PLB1 is the world’s smallest personal locator beacon and is specifically designed to be small and light enough to carry or attach to clothing for instant access to emergency services at the press of a button. Once activated, the PLB1 provides three methods of communicating the location of a survivor to search and rescue services – the designated 406MHz Cospas-Sarsat satellite system with position provided by a 66 channel GPS, a 121.5MHz homing beacon, plus high intensity (1 candela) strobe light.
The rescueME EDF1 flare burns for six hours and is suitable for one-handed operation in difficult conditions and waterproof to 10 metres. It has a visibility range of up to seven miles and up to six hours’ operation.
The SafeSeaS100 SART is designed to assist in the rescue and recovery of the crew in liferafts and survival craft and transmits a series of pulses which provide a bearing.
The equipment will be presented to Jude Massey and Dr Greg Bailey at the Southampton Boat Show on the Ocean Brothers Stand A010 on Friday 15th September at 12:45.
For more information about Ocean Brothers, go to https://www.oceanbrothers.co.uk/.
For further information about Ocean Signal’s products, visit www.oceansignal.com, or visit the Ocean Safety (J272), Cactus (J417), Force 4 (B017/J227) and Marine Super Store (F006) stands at Southampton Boat Show from 15th to 24th September.