Coastguard Weather Forecasts

[TimfromMersea]

A fellow sailor has referred to me, as RYA Coastal Navigation Panel Eastern rep, that as far as he is concerned, the normal schedule of Coastguard Maritime Safety Information Broadcasts has not generally been adhered to since Thames Coastguard closed and Dover or Fareham took over.

I have also noticed this since Thames Coastguard at Walton closed down. I keep my boat on a mooring at West Mersea and my O2 phone has (just!) 3G reception there, so I can look the forecast up on my phone, but when we anchored in Pyefleet for lunch the other day, there is no 3G coverage on the phone, as is the case in the majority of the East Coast rivers, so this is not available and one must depend on broadcasts.

On that day, once again the scheduled forecast time from the Coastguard came and went without the announcement on Channel 16, so to alert them to this, I called up 'UK Coastguard' on Channel 16, repeated the call four times, with no reply. My radio was working perfectly as then I called the Club Launch, who replied straight away......and heard the Coastguard talking to another boat later on.

This is a worrying development. Does anyone else have the same experience? Is there anyone listening on Channel 16? I wonder if a DSC call direct to the Coastguard would be better received ( tough luck if the mast's down and you're relying on the handheld though)

Has the contraction of the Coastguard service been a cut too far, I wonder? There's unfortunately no National Coast Watch station round here, it's either Felixstowe or Southend, both of which are out of normal VHF range from the Colne and Blackwater.

 

[PaulRainbow]

I have often heard calls for radio checks go unanswered and very often hear the CG announce a "delayed forecast".

 

[TimfromMersea]

That's part of the problem - there's no need to call the Coastguard for a radio check! Any marina or club station will do......

 

[Bru]

That's part of the problem - there's no need to call the Coastguard for a radio check! Any marina or club station will do......

Not if you want to verify range (or not usually). I do, when necessary, briefly radio check new installs and suspect installations with the Coastguard for that very reason |(if I just want to confirm that a set is transmitting I dig my hand held out of the tool bag!"

However, since Thames closed it's become a lottery whether I get a response or not. Dover does not acknowledge DSC test calls at all and on the three occasions I've tried to make a DSC call to Dover they've not responded once. They respond to "Dover Coastguard" and "UK Coastguard" most of the time but not always even when calling on sets that prove to be working fine and I may be wrong but they appear to have ceased responding to "Thames Coastguard" at all

I suspect Dover is simply too busy to cope with the extra workload of covering the Southern part of the old Thames area (in contrast, when I've been up beyond the Blackwater and had occasion to call the Coasties, Humber have been right on the ball every single time) - although I haven't tried a DSC test call in their patch come to think of it)

 

[PaulRainbow]

That's part of the problem - there's no need to call the Coastguard for a radio check! Any marina or club station will do......

I've only ever done radio checks if i've just fitted some new kit or i've had a problem. The marina will do sometimes, but not always. When i bought this boat i had the VHF on all weekend before we moved her to her permanent mooring and never heard a dicky bird. I did a radio check and the local marina replied with a "load and clear". It worked OK when i called the lock up at Shotley upon arrival. Still not happy with the reception i investigated the antenna connection and found five different lots of coax and three antennas. Three cables run up the mast, but there are only two antennas up there. One runs to an antenna on the pushpit, connected to the FM radios. The fifth one, which was connected to the VHF turned out to be a coil of several meters of coax, connected to nothing ! Once i'd unraveled it all i did a check with the CG as i wanted to be sure i had a decent range.

Dover may well have an issue with too many people doing totally unnecessary routine radio checks every time they put to sea.

 

[Supine Being]

Are constant radio checks really an issue on the East Coast? It's excessive on the Solent I have to agree but I don't hear that many coming through where we are. I did try instigating my start of season radio check via DSC last year, but got no response until I called it in on CH16. Never tried it since.

In response to the OP, I can certainly think of one instance this year when I was waiting for an MSIB that never happened.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Are constant radio checks really an issue on the East Coast? It's excessive on the Solent I have to agree but I don't hear that many coming through where we are. I did try instigating my start of season radio check via DSC last year, but got no response until I called it in on CH16. Never tried it since.

In response to the OP, I can certainly think of one instance this year when I was waiting for an MSIB that never happened.

As a newcomer to the East Coast, I was amazed at the number of requests to the CG for radio checks I heard in a short day sail. A lot of them I only heard the CG side of, because the yacht was out of range, I must have heard several dozen in a day. It all seems a bit unnecessary to me, except for testing a suspect installation - if the marina can hear me from several miles out, then it's OK. The Clyde is much quieter; you maybe hear two or three a day there - and most of them are probably unnecessary! People do seem to forget that the CG antenna might well be close to them - I understand the local one for Titchmarsh is at Walton (the CG responded "hearing you on the Walton antenna" quite frequently), so anyone out of Harwich or Hamford Water is very close to it.

 

[Habebty]

Got worse in the last 2-3 years

 

[ianfr]

Got worse in the last 2-3 years

Maybe people hear a call and think, perhaps I should do that as well?

There is one boat regularly calls as they leave the Colne for a radio check and to let the coastguard that they are going to Burnham. Without fail next day we get the radio check and leaving Burnham for the Colne, Sigh

So a maximum of about 5 miles range to the Bradwell aerial I guess.

Incessant radio checks really annoy me, especially when the caller doesn't at least say thank you!


Ian

 

[ex-Gladys]

What has happened this year is when someone has called for a radio check, and there's been no CG response, another vessel has responded...

I installed a new VHF a few weeks back, and called the WMYC launch for a check.

 

[benw]

On passage to Southwold from the R Orwell today had a few hours to observe/listen in to the radio traffic. A couple of interesting points:
I think the coastguard are struggling with the move to Dover as much as joe sailor is - Humber CG replied using Humber CG correction Dover CG on a number of occasions. Must be tough getting out of a routine response too.
Only once did I hear a radio check and that was to Southwold Harbour and not the coast guard.
In the early hours I sent a DSC call to advise of my passage plan, I got a response within 20 secs and the CG were as polite and interested as always.
All a bit odd calling up Dover CG when your nearer the Humber than Nth Foreland!

 

[Cantata]

.........................I think the coastguard are struggling with the move to Dover as much as joe sailor is - Humber CG replied using Humber CG correction Dover CG on a number of occasions. Must be tough getting out of a routine response too...................................

That sounds to me like CG watch keepers at the centre at Fareham stepping in to share the load. CG's based at Dover or Humber know where they are, after all.

 

[ZoeImogen]

I have noticed similar - missing forecasts where last year you'd be able to set your watch by them, and no acknowledgement to DSC calls on any published MMSI. (It's not clear which they're currently using, however)

Most concerning was the failure to respond to repeated calls from the RNLI.

 

[Cantata]

We were out on passages in the Estuary Thurs and Friday this week, all the MSI broadcasts popped up pretty well on time.
Loads of radio check calls. Many people out there seem not to believe there is no Thames CG, 14 months after it closed, even using the Thames call sign again when acknowledging Dover's response.

 

[Boz]

We were out on passages in the Estuary Thurs and Friday this week, all the MSI broadcasts popped up pretty well on time.
Loads of radio check calls. Many people out there seem not to believe there is no Thames CG, 14 months after it closed, even using the Thames call sign again when acknowledging Dover's response.

I still get horrible interference on one of the frequencies, I think it's the Bradwell aerial ( I'm not local at the moment). is it just me?

Surely most Yachties and Mobos are aware of the changes to the CG set-up, or do some operate in a bubble. Is not the best bet 'UK Coastguard'

 

[Lucky Duck]

I reported similar interference around that aerial a while back, they didn't seem particularly interested.

Have had similar issues on Ch 80 at Limehouse and Chi

 

[Cantata]

?..............Surely most Yachties and Mobos are aware of the changes to the CG set-up, or do some operate in a bubble. Is not the best bet 'UK Coastguard'

You'd think so, wouldn't you, but I am starting think there must be many who never read anything, listen and take note, or indeed discuss with others.
I gather that YM may be doing a feature on the changes following earlier comments on here, although perhaps it will actually be preaching to the converted.
And yes, if in doubt, 'UK Coastguard' is who to call.

 

[Javelin]

My worry is the loss of local knowledge.
I heard a call earlier this year for help from an obviously untrained, inexperienced sailor on a mono who's engine had failed. Coastguard responded and tried to get a position but no Lat and long was offered, only "we're in sole bay".
The cg didn't have a clue where sole bay was so I stepped in and acted as a middle man, jumped into our work rib with a colleague and found them within 15 minutes.
Had it been night and or no locals were on I wonder how long it would have been before that boat would have been located.

 

[Burnham Bob]

We were in the Orwell and tuned to the Walton aerial for the broadcast but we never heard it. So I called the Coastguard in case I should have been on another aerial and they tested whch aerial - Walton or Bawdsey I was on - and I was received on both. In the Blackwater this week and the announcement was horribly distorted.

I suspect the forecast never got broadcast as I didn't even get the squelch noise of a carrier signal. I know the radio is receiving fine as Ostend Radio comes throuh as clear as a bell and I have spoken to boats in the Crouch from the Blackwater. .

 

[Boz]

My worry is the loss of local knowledge.
I heard a call earlier this year for help from an obviously untrained, inexperienced sailor on a mono who's engine had failed. Coastguard responded and tried to get a position but no Lat and long was offered, only "we're in sole bay".
The cg didn't have a clue where sole bay was so I stepped in and acted as a middle man, jumped into our work rib with a colleague and found them within 15 minutes.
Had it been night and or no locals were on I wonder how long it would have been before that boat would have been located.

I must confess that I would have struggled with Sole Bay :nonchalance: ...... But 20 seconds on Google extended my knowledge of that stretch of Coastline - Perhaps the CG need to be educated in thinking 'outsde the box' as they say?

This is all a bit worrying, particularly for us somewhat elderly short handed sailors. Do we know if any of this discussion reaches relevant screens? Is it worth putting forward a collective complaint?

We blame the Coastguard, but I was at Shotley recently when a team of volunteers, all with Coast Guard on their Kit, together with the RNLI (Harwich) brought in a MoBo with Engine failure. They even manhandled the boat through the lock into a berth....

These are the real Coast guards, not the office bound people sat in their Whiteley Park Ivory Tower 5 miles from the sea......

Rant over, but the bottom line is it may save money, but will it cost lives......