Journal · Gear Review
Every lifejacket aboard Gran Blau is now fitted with an MOB3 locator beacon, backed by a vessel EPIRB — because a lifejacket keeps someone afloat, but it takes a beacon to get them found.
A man-overboard situation is one of the few genuine emergencies where every second matters, especially at night, in a seaway, or with any distance already open between the boat and the person in the water. A lifejacket solves half of that problem — keeping someone afloat and breathing — but it does nothing on its own to solve the other half: being found again, quickly, before darkness, distance or weather make the search far harder than it needs to be. The EPIRB covers the equivalent problem one level up: if it's the whole boat and crew in trouble, not just one person overboard.
What's Fitted
Every lifejacket aboard Gran Blau carries its own MOB3 locator beacon, fitted directly to the jacket rather than stowed separately — so the moment it's worn, the means of being found is already attached and ready. Rather than fitting beacons to a handful of jackets, every single one aboard is equipped, guest and crew alike, so there's no jacket in the locker that's a lesser option in a real emergency.
A registered EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) is mounted aboard, covering the scenario one level up from a single person overboard: a genuine vessel emergency, where Gran Blau herself and everyone aboard need to be found. Manually activated or automatically triggered if it's ever submerged, it transmits a distress signal and GPS position direct to search and rescue authorities, worldwide.
Why It Matters
Locating a person in the water gets harder by the minute — a head is a genuinely small thing to spot against waves, glare or darkness, even from close range and even with a full crew searching. A beacon fitted to every lifejacket means the search starts with a bearing and a position rather than a visual scan of open water, cutting a recovery that could take a dangerously long time down to minutes. The EPIRB solves the same problem at vessel scale: if Gran Blau herself is in genuine distress, it puts an exact position in front of search and rescue authorities without anyone needing to make a call or send a message first. Between the two, every level of emergency — one person overboard, or the whole boat in trouble — has a fast, automatic way of being found.
Installation Notes
Every lifejacket aboard was fully serviced in April 2026, and the EPIRB's battery was replaced in September 2026 — keeping both safety systems current and ready, well within their service life.
Living With It
Every guest is shown where the lifejackets are and how the MOB3 beacons work as part of the safety briefing before their first passage — the hope, as with the liferaft, is that this is one system nobody aboard ever needs to rely on in earnest.
More From the Refit
This is one of the safety systems covered on the Boat & Safety page — see the rest of the safety inventory.
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