Mobilarm returns as a supporter of Heaven Can Wait 2010

by HCW Media on 8 Oct 2010 Mobilarm, the manufacturer and distributor of the Australian-designed V100 VHF locator beacon, has returned as a supporter of the 2010 Heaven Can Wait charity yacht race.

Held on Lake Macquarie during the October long weekend of October 2-3, this event – now in its fifth year – has raised close to $35,000 for men's cancer support and research programs.

It included the Heaven Can Wait (HCW) 24 Hour Yacht Race, in which boats sail around Lake Macquarie as many times as they can over 24 hours, and the daylight only One Lap Dash, which is a single circuit of the lake.

Mobilarm is offering a V100 as a prize to Heaven Can Wait (HCW) participants, along with a 10% discount on V100s purchased by any HCW participants or HCW Yacht Club members until the end of March 2011. In addition, a further 10% of the purchase price will be donated to the Cancer Council NSW, the main charity supported by the event.

The V100 is a water-activated VHF locator beacon which, upon activation, simultaneously activates a strobe, transmits the person overboard's exact GPS location and signals a 'crew overboard alert' via DSC and digitised voice over VHF Channel 16.

This means that every VHF radio with DSC in range (including commercial traffic) will immediately know there is a crew overboard emergency and where it is.

Details are logged by the receiver and the alarm is only disabled once the distress message is acknowledged.

Furthermore every vessel that has a listening watch on Channel 16 (DSC and non-DSC radios) will also hear the mayday in clear English with a repeat of the position at regular intervals.

The beacon can be fitted to PFDs, to make carrying it as commonplace as wearing a life jacket.

'The tragic events in the Sydney Flinders race just after last year's Heaven Can Wait race reinforced how quickly a crew overboard incident can turn to tragedy,' said Mark Hastings, Sponsorship Captain of the HCW Yacht Club.

'Although the HCW 24 Hour Race is conducted on the sheltered waters of Lake Macquarie, it is no less important that we remain vigilant and prepare for an unexpected situation as best we can.

'The V100 is a very impressive bit of gear, and makes an ideal complement to other safety devices such as PFD lights and personal EPIRBs, rather than a replacement system.

'During this year's HCW regatta, we will have a demo unit available to show off its features to anyone who is interested,' said Mark.

For more information about Mobilarm's V100, please go to www.mobilarm.com/page/about_mobilarm_v100.html.

For more information about the 2010 Heaven Can Wait Charity Regatta, please go to www.heavencanwait.com.au.