WF36
Well-Known Member
I heard someone panpan'd on the RTIR 2013 due to the fact they lost a shoe overboard!
Eavesdropping on VHF
- Thread starter DanTribe
- Start date
prv
Well-Known Member
Indeed, they're always polite and accept them - even when people call to say they're going from Lymington to Yarmouth, which I have heard (for the non-locals, that's an epic passage of just over two miles).
What I have heard suggested is that for the trivial ones, if it's a quiet day they will sometimes (and always very politely) ask for lots and lots of information, including phonetically spelling out any boat names, people's names, etc - in an effort to make the whole thing such a hassle that the caller decides not to bother next time. No idea if that's true...
Pete
maby
Well-Known Member
Funny you should say that - the CG response to the call that is being discussed here was exactly that! They did ask for the phonetic spelling of the boat name and details of all persons aboard. They were wasting their time - the operator called back a couple of hours later to report that it had been a bit too breezy for them and they had picked up a buoy for the rest of the afternoon. The CG resisted the temptation to ask what they were going to have for supper.
Seajet
...
A while ago the USS Forestal - a rather big aircraft carrier - was anchored in ther Solent, too big to get into Portsmouth; it took us about an hour to sail past it.
When in Bursledon for the evening the VHF crackled into life, " Forestal, this is motor yacht **** "
I thought ' blimey, why's he calling the Forestal ?! ' as did thousands of others I'd guess, you could virtually hear the American radio operator bolting upright in his seat.
There was then a chat from the yacht on the lines of ' we're all on the same side, if any of your guys come ashore tell them the skipper of **** will buy them a beer '.
There were 5,000 people on that ship !
The radio operator was very professional and said " gee thanks Sir I'll pass the message on "
When they'd finished another, English voice came on, " ****, you're a prat ! "
When in Bursledon for the evening the VHF crackled into life, " Forestal, this is motor yacht **** "
I thought ' blimey, why's he calling the Forestal ?! ' as did thousands of others I'd guess, you could virtually hear the American radio operator bolting upright in his seat.
There was then a chat from the yacht on the lines of ' we're all on the same side, if any of your guys come ashore tell them the skipper of **** will buy them a beer '.
There were 5,000 people on that ship !
The radio operator was very professional and said " gee thanks Sir I'll pass the message on "
When they'd finished another, English voice came on, " ****, you're a prat ! "
