Coastguard Maritime Safety Information Broadcasts

[TimfromMersea]

I posted a thread about this last year.

Sadly the problem of 'missing maritime safety information broadcasts' ' not being announced on Channel 16 has recurred. I was afloat myself on Saturday 27th and Monday 29th and on both days the 13.10 broadcast, including the weather forecast, was simply missed. There was no announcement of any delay, it simply wasn't broadcast.

As one of the local reps on the RYA Planning, Environment and Coastal Navigation Support Network, I have referred this to Professor Richard Card, the RYA East Regional Committee Chairman, to raise it with RYA H/O in Hamble.

I know that it's hard for RYA Hamble to imagine a world without high speed 4G coverage, so you can look the weather up on your phone, but sadly that's the reality with large parts of the East Coast, where there's no 2G, much less 4G, and the phone merely says 'no network' or 'GPRS'.

The Coastguard service seems to have deteriorated markedly since Thames CG closed down and whilst Dover are, I'm sure, doing their best, it seems that they are simply too busy to do things that used to be done. I have also had anecdotal evidence of the lack of local knowledge leading to the wrong lifeboat being sent to casualties, and so on.

If anyone else shares these concerns, please post on here, or email me at cnp.er@rya.org.uk

Thanks

 

[Javelin]

I have also had anecdotal evidence of the lack of local knowledge leading to the wrong lifeboat being sent to casualties, and so on.

I can certainly confirm this as I know of at least three occasions where the coastguard simply didn't know which lifeboat to send.
Land based coastguard are not much better relying on vehicle gps and postcodes which send them down dead ends or having to detour back the way they came to round a river as there is no bridge.

The radio broadcasts are a joke, I hear the announcement on ch16 and select the appropriate channel but then hear nothing but static.
The annoying thing is that I often pick up Oostende radio so I know its not my radio reception.

On the plus side I get Mobile connection with EE up to 5 miles out from Southwold.

 

[sailorman]

I can certainly confirm this as I know of at least three occasions where the coastguard simply didn't know which lifeboat to send.
Land based coastguard are not much better relying on vehicle gps and postcodes which send them down dead ends or having to detour back the way they came to round a river as there is no bridge.

The radio broadcasts are a joke, I hear the announcement on ch16 and select the appropriate channel but then hear nothing but static.
The annoying thing is that I often pick up Oostende radio so I know its not my radio reception.

On the plus side I get Mobile connection with EE up to 5 miles out from Southwold.

I got Den Helder rescue on our Sunday crossing

 

[pks1702]

I heard a yacht call up CG last weekend (not this one just gone) and ask where they intending to Broacast the Martime Forecast as he was on passage wind speeds were above forecast and he wanted to consider options forecast being one of them. CG went quiet and then came back and informed him they had been very busy (certainly Radio chatter did not seem to indicate this) and forecast would follow when they had time. Two minutes later they Broadcast the forecast.

The whole system seems less than joined up.

 

[dennyjc]

I heard a yacht call up CG last weekend (not this one just gone) and ask where they intending to Broacast the Martime Forecast as he was on passage wind speeds were above forecast and he wanted to consider options forecast being one of them. CG went quiet and then came back and informed him they had been very busy (certainly Radio chatter did not seem to indicate this) and forecast would follow when they had time. Two minutes later they Broadcast the forecast.

The whole system seems less than joined up.

I've been told that, since the new system was introduced, that they don't yet have the capability to pre-record the forecast as they used to. They transmit them live "when they have time".
This leads to poorer quality, rushed announcements at random points in time.

I was told that the ability to pre-record was imminent..... but that was last November.
I would have expected better of the new, supposedly joined up system.
Perhaps all the good rats have abandoned the sinking ship.

 

[Boz]

I've been told that, since the new system was introduced, that they don't yet have the capability to pre-record the forecast as they used to. They transmit them live "when they have time".
This leads to poorer quality, rushed announcements at random points in time.

I was told that the ability to pre-record was imminent..... but that was last November.
I would have expected better of the new, supposedly joined up system.
Perhaps all the good rats have abandoned the sinking ship.

Talking of RATS

The RATS (Regulation and Technical Services group) of the Cruising Association also have this topic on their Radar, having completed a study last year, they are also reviewing this year...

 

[Cantata]

...........
Land based coastguard are not much better relying on vehicle gps and postcodes which send them down dead ends or having to detour back the way they came to round a river as there is no bridge.................

I'm really surprised at this comment, I presume it's based on knowledge of actual occurrences? Until I retired a few years ago I was deputy in charge of a CG Rescue Team and all team members were required to gain and maintain detailed knowledge of land access to every part of the patch, and we did this by regularly driving the CG truck the length and breadth of the area. I don't know how the CG reorganisation would have changed this unless the guys are simply not allowed to do that any more for budget reasons. If so, that's just plain daft.
(Edit afterthought) There are occasions when the flank (next door) team might get called in to help. They would probably not have that detailed knowledge of every nook and cranny of their neighbouring team's patch of coastline, not unreasonably.

 

[ex-Gladys]

Not that I've been aboard much yet this season, but I have yet to hear a CG broadcast at all...

 

[PeterWright]

I've noticed that a significant proportion of the forecasts are just not broadcast since the reorganisation - this drop in quality doesn't seem to match the advertised reason for reorganising (to take advantage of modern technology). The effect of this is to leave mariners listening to the designated channels for ages awaiting a forecast which the CG seem to have no intention to broadcast. While teething problems may have been expected, it's even more disappointing that the issue is still unresolved. A missed forecast was a rarity before the reorg, and only happened if some serious issue was being dealt with, which most would probably know about through monitoring ch. 16.

Well done, TimfromMersea for raising this through the RYA and many thanks.

Peter

 

[Bru]

From listening to the traffic on 16 over the last few days it seems clear to me that Dover are struggling to cope with the extra workload at busy times

 

[TangaraToo]

From listening to the traffic on 16 over the last few days it seems clear to me that Dover are struggling to cope with the extra workload at busy times

not helped by the number of unnecessary calls for radio check. Weekend seemed to be full of them.

 

[ex-Gladys]

1310 Saturday, heard the first one of the year... Is it going to be a bit like the cuckoo's appearance used to be?

 

[dennyjc]

not helped by the number of unnecessary calls for radio check. Weekend seemed to be full of them.

Yes - Last week we heard a chap call up for a radio check
and
The following morning he did it again

Are folk hearing these and thinking that it's the seaman like thing to do ? A radio check before every journey ?
If so it's just going to get worse.....

 

[Bru]

I didn't have an issue with the handful of radio checks heard over the last few days however the bloke who, for over an hour, was trying to call up two other vessels who weren't responding got right on my wick! I was very close to going on air and asking him to shut the (insert expletive of choice) up