bedouin
Well-Known Member
I am afraid just because you can receive - even from a distant station - does not mean you can transmit any distance.
Channel 16
- Thread starter billyfish
- Start date
Biggles Wader
Well-Known Member
Yes but 29000 of them never leave their mooring.
jaminb
Well-Known Member
Now I have replaced my vhf aerial and my radio is working great I find I now have to turn it off in the Solent. The DSC alarm keeps frightening the life out of me and cancelling it means going down below to switch off - not great at the weekend with my first solo spinnaker run.
Refueler
Well-Known Member
Yes but 29000 of them never leave their mooring.
Same mag funnily enough conducted a survey of boat owners ..... and the conclusion was as we all know :
Small boats do more.
So many of the large marina based were berth queens - based on owners having to organise crew / gear to go sailing.
Its also interesting that I found similar to what was reported ..... when I was on a swinging mooring - I used the boat more than when it was in a marina. I think it may have been due to humping gear back and forth ... on a mooring I tended to leave more gear on to avoid loading up dinghy, but with pontoon - gear could be on / off ...
Spirit (of Glenans)
Well-Known Member
We don't seem to have this custom in Ireland. Can't say I've ever heard a radio check.....................
KevinV
Well-Known Member
Time to do a radio check perhaps?
Refueler
Well-Known Member
Maybe have a think on this :
How many ships do you hear doing 'Radio Checks' ?? If you think they have completely different VHF radio to yachties ... in fact they don't. The only usual difference (on tankers) is that they often have two VHF sets ... one on bridge, other in cargo control room ..... with change-over switch.
How many ships do you hear doing 'Radio Checks' ?? If you think they have completely different VHF radio to yachties ... in fact they don't. The only usual difference (on tankers) is that they often have two VHF sets ... one on bridge, other in cargo control room ..... with change-over switch.
dslittle
Well-Known Member
I’m not sure of the density of boats in Quiberon Bay but the density of boats out sailing in Quiberon Bay easily equals the Solent - regardless of weather conditions or radio reception…
franksingleton
Well-Known Member
My impression is that the number of radio check calls in France per boat exceeds that even of the Solent.
Many years ago a group of us were sheltering from a strong Westerly in Sudland Bay. Solent CG broadcast the forecast and warnings. No sooner had he finished, a Solent yuppie voice came on the radio, “Solent Coastguard, could you give me the Weather please.” Pregnant pause. “Yacht XXX, I have just broadcast the forecadt on both my aerials. There is a sting wind warning in force. My next broadcast is in 4 hours time (as it was then). I cannot spend my time repeating the Weather forecast. Solent Coastguard, out.” You could almost hear the cheers.
On another occasion in the Lymington area, we heard the same yuppies discussing on VHF, where to meet for dinner. The following day, some of the same yachts were asking for radio checks.
In well over 60,000 miles cruising, I have never had reason to doubt my radio was working. I have a strong antipathy to those that waste CG r time totally unnecessarily - whatever nationality.
LittleSister
Well-Known Member
Around 28,000 boat berths* in the wider Solent area, according to some official or semi-official organisation's estimate that I relied on for work purposes circa 2009. (I can't remember the exact term used, but I took it to include both marina berths and moorings.)
Who knows how accurate that was. (Probably no one.) I doubt the numbers have changed much in the decade or so since. The modest increase in developments providing new or additional berths would, I imagine be somewhat countered by the growing average size of boats and hence berths.
I also don't know whether the various numbers bandied about are intended to include dinghies etc. stored ashore. I imagine the number of sailing dinghies has reduced over recent decades, while the number of RIBS, dry-launched mobos etc. has mushroomed.
