Flares, MOB and buckets may not be necessary but if push comes to shove they have their use in dire cases of emergencies. What harm is it to have equipement required by govt laws especially if for some reason you end up in Admiralty court and it is discovered that you did not have the required off-shore equipement. The excuse of being expensive or redundant does not come into play. I can understand the NAR organizers asking that this stuff be on board because of liability and safety concerns. Regard. Leonard Stern, Indifference.