Are you still sailing with an old-style EPIRB, or was your last safety certificate obtained with an older EPIRB?
121.5 EPIRB devices will not work after 1 February 2009, and boat owners that had a 121.5 EPIRB at the time of their last safety inspection (ie Cat 1, 2 3) should note that their Safety Certificate Expiry Dates will be amended to say January 2009.
However, if you have purchased a 406 EPIRB since your last inspection, please provide Yachting NZ with the hexadecimal number and confirm that you have registered the EPIRB with Rescue Co-ordination Centre. Your certificate will then be valid for the full three years.
On Cat 4 and 5 yachts, which voluntarily carry an EPIRB or PLB, please be aware that from 1 February 2009, your distress signal from a 121.5 EPIRB will not be picked up by satellite. This means that you will almost certainly not be rescued unless you have another way of signalling distress.
Please note that 406 EPIRBs and PLBs need to be registered. Full details are online at www.beacons.org.nz.
No comments:
Post a Comment