How would you make a pan pan type call in France when you cant speak French

There are multi language sailing terms, phrases available in booklet form. If going foreign I would have one onboard.

As we all carry code signal flags and the yellow book, you can easily communicate any matter by signal flags /-; after the VHF message is made.
 
BlowingOldBoots said:
There are multi language sailing terms, phrases available in booklet form. If going foreign I would have one onboard.

As we all carry code signal flags and the yellow book, you can easily communicate any matter by signal flags /-; after the VHF message is made.
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In non European waters the code book and VHF can be a useful combination.
 
Oldhairy said:
In non European waters the code book and VHF can be a useful combination.
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Indeed, I was not thinking about that, but your right, they all have their phonetic pronunciations for this exact purpose.

For anyone that is interested, The International Code of Signals, http://www.seasources.net/PDF/PUB102.pdf

1. The purpose of the International Code of Signals is to provide ways and means of communication in situations related essen- tially to safety of navigation and persons, especially when language difficulties arise. In the preparation of the Code, account was taken of the fact that wide application of radiotelephony and radiotelegraphy can provide simple and effective means of communication in plain language whenever language difficulties do not exist.
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Over the last few years we have visited a number of French Semaphores, stations about ever 20km set up to watch out for the English invading, and asked about this. The reply was simple. A MayDay and PanPan message is very structured so it is easy to understand.

The English spoken was excellent and they said if they had a problem with understanding the message they would call Falmouth for a translation from Janner or Glaswegian.
 
Earlier this year I was monitoring Ch12, So'ton VTS, in The Solent when two sister ships were communicating in their mother tounge regarding a passing situation. The VTS controller came on the radio very sharpish and told them both in no uncertain times that all transmissions on Ch12 whilst within the VTS controlled area MUST BE MADE IN ENGLISH!
 
Hi
As a Brit living in France with my own boat here too I assure you the Securité Maritime can speak English. You will hear a lot of chat on the radio in French but an emergency can be transmitted in either French or English. You can even call up a port for a visitors berth in English. I do because they cant understand my French over the radio just add a merci beaucoup at the end to be polite.
 
mickyp168 said:
Hi
As a Brit living in France with my own boat here too I assure you the Securité Maritime can speak English. You will hear a lot of chat on the radio in French but an emergency can be transmitted in either French or English. You can even call up a port for a visitors berth in English. I do because they cant understand my French over the radio just add a merci beaucoup at the end to be polite.
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You've been fortunate then. There are plenty of ports in France where, if the Capitanerie does not have an english-speaker on watch, you will not get a reply. Capitanerie staff are not obliged to have fluent English in order to be employed, but those who do are generally keen to help.

On the other hand, if you are in a Mayday or Pan situation, it is best to make the call in English if that is your native tongue. The Securité Maritime and French Navy controllers are all obliged to have English competence as they operate in international waters.
 
Ric said:
You've been fortunate then. There are plenty of ports in France where, if the Capitanerie does not have an english-speaker on watch, you will not get a reply. Capitanerie staff are not obliged to have fluent English in order to be employed, but those who do are generally keen to help.
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Not unreasonable, I would say.
How many UK ports or marinas would reply if I called them in French, let alone in my native Dutch? Don't we all try to adapt to the place where we happen to be?
 
But there is a difference between calling a local marina and sending a Mayday or Pan Pan.

As English is the international maritime language it would be sensible to broadcast a Mayday or Pan Pan in English.
 
Note that in France a Pan Pan will generally result in the SNSM sending out a boat to tow you into a port.

Since there was no life in danger (it was a Pan Pan and not a May Day), they will charge you for this quite heavily.

As a general rule French boat insurance covers this cost, but UK boat insurance probably does not.
 
PanPan is, in fact French, from "a panne".
As is MayDay "M'aidez".

The one occasion I've had occasion to use it, in French waters it took 23' for CROSS Corsen to reply, by then I had recovered the situation (albeit with very brown trousers).
The only time I've used it in Greek waters, the silence was overwhelming.

I've never used it in UK waters - except for a MayDay relay (which was IMHO spurious, as the claimant had just lost the motor drive on a MacWester). On that occasion Milford's reaction was immediate.

So don't expect any (rapid) reaction to PanPan calls outside UK waters.

I've found it's far easier, with French stations, to speak French. I used regularly to log in, on VHF, with Ushant control to see me through the TSS.
Mind you that was in the 80s before AIS.
 
Actually, a good start would be to learn to operate your DSC radio - that will remove a lot of the risk of confusion.
 
Looking from the other direction, I was a bit sad on reading this report that nobody in the port of Dartmouth was able to muster a few words of French - or even sign language - to explain that the tide was going to go out and strand two boats, wrecking one of them.

Apparently some far-sighted former harbourmaster had actually prepared a list of local residents with various language skills and a willingness to translate if needed, but nobody in the office knew it existed.

Pete
 
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