Does anyone sail without VHF ?

[25931]

It must be forty years since I last sailed without VHF. Does anyone do so today ?

 

[Bobc]

Well, I usually have it switched off unless I need to call someone, so I guess that's no different to not having one really.

 

[25931]

Well, I usually have it switched off unless I need to call someone, so I guess that's no different to not having one really.

It is in Portugal where a vhf is legally required.

 

[STILL AFLOAT]

Well, I usually have it switched off unless I need to call someone, so I guess that's no different to not having one really.

That is an interesting comment ? Where do you sail ?

 

[scruff]

As above, ours is mostly off/the volume tuned right down unless no internet reception and awaiting a weather forecast.

 

[STILL AFLOAT]

As above, ours is mostly off/the volume tuned right down unless no internet reception and awaiting a weather forecast.

Sorry, my question was aimed at BobC, who does not mention, where he is based ?
Then an earlier answer came from 25931, saying it was a requirement in Portugal, where you are.
Im just curious, if Bobc, runs a Falmouth Oyster Dredger, or mebbe sails somewhere remote ? Outer Hebridies etc ?
I do not think anyone, sailing the channel, or Dover Straights, can afford to turn their VHF off ??

 

[rogerthebodger]

Most Ocean going boats must have VHF available so they can call any harbour/marina they may need to enter and to may be to make an emergency call if need be.

Small day sailors, dingy and sailing Cats don't need VHF radios as they generally don't do far away from safety.

I have 2 fixed VHF and 2 HH VHF but I am a coastal cruiser where you can be 100nm from any harbour.

 

[Seastoke]

That is an interesting comment ? Where do you sail ?

He sails around Portugal.

 

[Poignard]

Having got a VHF set on board I feel I should have it on in case I am ever in a position to help someone in difficulty or distress.

I would never forgive myself if someone did need help and I had done nothing.

BUT I sail exclusively on the French Atlantic coast and there is little VHF traffic, and none of that endless maddening babble of "Radio check, please" that is such a nuisance in the Solent. I could sympathise with anyone there who felt like tearing his VHF off its bracket and hurling it into the sea.

 

[Seastoke]

Having got a VHF set on board I feel I should have it on in case I am ever in a position to help someone in difficulty or distress.

I would never forgive myself if someone did need help and I had done nothing.

BUT I sail exclusively on the French Atlantic coast and there is little VHF traffic, and none of that endless maddening babble of "Radio check, please" that is such a nuisance in the Solent. I could sympathise with anyone there who felt like tearing his VHF off its bracket and hurling it into the sea.

I c now bob

 

[Wansworth]

Having got a VHF set on board I feel I should have it on in case I am ever in a position to help someone in difficulty or distress.

I would never forgive myself if someone did need help and I had done nothing.

BUT I sail exclusively on the French Atlantic coast and there is little VHF traffic, and none of that endless maddening babble of "Radio check, please" that is such a nuisance in the Solent. I could sympathise with anyone there who felt like tearing his VHF off its bracket and hurling it into the sea.

Someone told me if you are licensed to have a vhf you are required by law to have it on,maybe wrong,long time ago.

 

[25931]

Someone told me if you are licensed to have a vhf you are required by law to have it on,maybe wrong,long time ago.

Was that the boat licence or the operators ?

 

[greeny]

In my opinion it's an essential piece of safety equipment for both yourself and for others.
If you sail without one then you put your own life and potentially the life of others at risk.
If you have one and deliberately have it turned off then that is even worse. Of course you can turn it on if you need it but you won't hear any distress calls from others and therefore be unable to respond.
Irresponsible and poor seamanship.

 

[LittleSister]

Someone told me if you are licensed to have a vhf you are required by law to have it on,maybe wrong,long time ago.

I think not, but would instead fall under the Col Regs requirement to 'keep a good look out by all available means'.

Like Poignard, from my personal point of view I'd want to be able to respond to any calls for help, but I admit I have turned it off on occasions when the constant chatter got too much.

 

[Ningaloo]

I recently completed an "emergency seminar" at Fremantle Sailing Club, Western Australia. I was astonished to lean that the majority of boat owners have never heard of DSC and on digging deeper this is because they use 27MHz and not VHF.
I find this astonishing. I couldn't find ANY boat owners who had a radio operators license, even the club official running the seminar!
It is even more surprising because it it pretty much mandatory to log in with either your own sailing club or Sea Rescue (equivalent of RNLI) before leaving your marina.
However it must be said that the vast majority of boat owners never go further than Rottnest, about 10 miles offshore, although the swell off the west end does get pretty big.

Personally I keep my VHF on 16. The main radio set is below decks with a cockpit repeater and a wireless handheld to control it. I am alarmed by the number of incidents (in the Solent and South Coast). I have been closest vessel (by distance but not time) to two Maydays however both were responded to by better equipped (and faster) vessels. Before I had AIS I have used VHF to call commercial ships to advise them of my intentions. And I don't think I'd want to sail past Europoort without VHF and AIS.

 

[Boathook]

In my opinion it's an essential piece of safety equipment for both yourself and for others.
If you sail without one then you put your own life and potentially the life of others at risk.
If you have one and deliberately have it turned off then that is even worse. Of course you can turn it on if you need it but you won't hear any distress calls from others and therefore be unable to respond.
Irresponsible and poor seamanship.

I have a VHF and normally keep it turned off when in the vicinity of the Solent. Not irresponsible or even bad seamanship. Those abusing the VHF are the ones being irresponsible and showing bad seamanship as too many boats doing constant radio checks and calling each other up on 16. As I move away from the Solent I start to turn the VHF on but possibly go to a working channel such as used by Lulworth firing range. Further West or south I normally listen on 16 as there is much less chatter.

 

[Graham376]

Someone told me if you are licensed to have a vhf you are required by law to have it on,maybe wrong,long time ago.

I seem to remember that something in IRPCS requires lookout to be kept by all available means including sound. There's also a point that if radar is fitted it must be switched on. Ours is usually on except when in range of Tarifa who like to set the DSC alarm off about every 20 mins, requesting all ships to keep a lookout for an inflatable with ** persons on board.

 

[PilotWolf]

I recently completed an "emergency seminar" at Fremantle Sailing Club, Western Australia. I was astonished to lean that the majority of boat owners have never heard of DSC and on digging deeper this is because they use 27MHz and not VHF.
I find this astonishing. I couldn't find ANY boat owners who had a radio operators license, even the club official running the seminar!
It is even more surprising because it it pretty much mandatory to log in with either your own sailing club or Sea Rescue (equivalent of RNLI) before leaving your marina.
However it must be said that the vast majority of boat owners never go further than Rottnest, about 10 miles offshore, although the swell off the west end does get pretty big.

Personally I keep my VHF on 16. The main radio set is below decks with a cockpit repeater and a wireless handheld to control it. I am alarmed by the number of incidents (in the Solent and South Coast). I have been closest vessel (by distance but not time) to two Maydays however both were responded to by better equipped (and faster) vessels. Before I had AIS I have used VHF to call commercial ships to advise them of my intentions. And I don't think I'd want to sail past Europoort without VHF and AIS.

same here in the US - most I’ve worked with don’t know what GMDSS is.

Evebs the coastguard survey disnt want to believe my licence was real As he’d never heard of it!

W

 

[25931]

In my opinion it's an essential piece of safety equipment for both yourself and for others.
If you sail without one then you put your own life and potentially the life of others at risk.
If you have one and deliberately have it turned off then that is even worse. Of course you can turn it on if you need it but you won't hear any distress calls from others and therefore be unable to respond.
Irresponsible and poor seamanship.

 

[Ohlin Karcher]

Someone told me if you are licensed to have a vhf you are required by law to have it on,maybe wrong,long time ago.

I reckon it comes under, " keeping a lookout" so I would definitely ask WHY you are under way with the VHF turned off.
There might be a variety of very good reasons of course, but keeping a listening watch on 16, plus another suitable local channel ( eg 11 Dover Strait) seems sensible... and in my interpretation, obligatory under the *spirit* of the Colregs.