Exposure Marine Fastnet Race Kit Video Review
by Mark Jardine 14 May 14:30 BST
Fastnet Race Pack © Exposure Marine
It's a huge year for offshore sailing, and arguably the biggest event of the summer is the Rolex Fastnet Race. Within an hour of entries opening the Royal Ocean Racing Club had received a record 435 yacht registrations.
The fleet will include weekend racers, all the way up to the mighty Ultim trimarans, and the spectacle of them leaving the Solent is one not to miss.
Offshore racing can be dangerous, particularly at night, which Exposure Marine have recognised, and released a 'Fastnet Race Kit' of torches specifically designed for crews in races like this, with three essential lighting tools to enhance visibility, safety, and functionality at sea.
Today we take a look at the three lights to understand the purpose of each and their advantages.
Let's start with the RAW Pro 2, as this is the light you'll most likely be using during night operations on board.
Preserving your night vision is paramount when sailing offshore, and the key to that is red light. This is due to rhodopsin, which is the light receptor of the rod photoreceptor cells of the retina, being insensitive to longer red wavelength light. A pure red LED helps maintain night vision, while also providing enough light to view charts or operate winches and trim sails on deck.
The RAW Pro 2 comes with a headband, adjustable for your head size with velcro, and a rubberised strip on the inside to help it maintain position. The light itself is removable from the headband by taking it out of its clip.
Operation is via a single button, with a short press activating the red mode and a longer press switching on its white light. Once the torch is on you can toggle between three different brightness settings in both red and white modes.
Charging is via USB, but using its proprietary cable which holds to the light with a magnetic connector. You can't attach it the wrong way round as the magnet will repel.
Runtime from the 850 mAh lithium-ion battery in red mode is 2 hours at high brightness, 8 hours at medium and 40 hours at low. In white mode it's 1 hour at high brightness, 4 at medium and 20 hours at low. These figures are written on the back of the light as a reminder.
Next up is the Crew Carbon, which has the dual role of acting as a torch and a Man Overboard light. The first thing you notice is that it's really lightweight at 95 grams, thanks to its carbon and marine grade anodised 6063 aluminium construction, and somehow packs in a 2600 mAh battery and a 1000 lumen LED. This light weight means the Crew Carbon floats, an essential feature for its MOB function.
Its operation is via a button on the back, with a double press switching it on and then single presses to toggle through the three brightness settings. High gives a run time of 1.5 hours, medium 3 hours and low 6 hours. On high mode it is seriously bright, and you can feel the heat on your fingers if you put them close to the beam.
The MOB function automatically activates when it's thrown into water, emitting a flash every second for up to 20 hours. The idea is if you have this on you, it can help a yacht or rescue service locate you, or if someone falls overboard then you throw the torch towards their position where they can grab it if they're able, or it can highlight where the approximate location is of the person when you circle back to recover them.
Charging is via another proprietary USB lead, this time with a more chunky connector. Charge time is 4 hours.
Finally we take a look at the Spot Me SOS Strobe, which is a compact, waterproof safety device designed to enhance visibility in search and rescue operations, Again, this is made with marine grade anodised 6063 aluminium and weighs only 33 grams.
This isn't rechargeable like the other two lights, instead having a single CR123 battery and comes with a lanyard and clip, so you can attach it to your clothing.
The light is activated by pressing down on the top, at which point it will emit an 80 lumens red SOS strobe for up to six hours.
Overall, these are three highly-capable, extremely well-made and engineered devices which will prove invaluable to any offshore racing team.
It's worth having a read of the Exposure Marine Offshore Special Regulations Lighting Guide, designed to help crews ensure they meet OSR compliance.
You can purchase the Fastnet Race Kit direct from Exposure Marine at exposuremarine.com/products/offshore-race-pack-1