Maritime mobile nets in Med

[davidbains]

In 2001 there was an active morning net on 8104Khz.
This year I never heard it.
I know about the English net on 14303 at 8.00GMT but usually miss it
since that's 11.00am in Greece.
I've never heard the alleged E.Med net on 7080 or 7085 at 5.30 GMT.
Has anybody else any info for next year. These nets can be good sources
of weather info to supplement the Navtex. I haven't found Kerkira Navtex
to be reliable, although Split usually comes through anywhere.
Any suggestions apart from buying SatcomB!!!!!
I must say I haven't got the patience for wefax.

 

[HenryB]

Hi David,
The Med Cruisers net at 0530 UTC is on 8122 KHz and was going strong all this year until the end of October. Planned to start again next March or April.

There was also some activity at 0500 on 4417 KHz - the Greece/Turkey net - sometimes switching to 6224 KHz.

The 6 day weather forecast that is read out on the Med Cruisers net is transitted by the German Met at 0415 UTC on 10100.8 KHz in TTY format - easy to record via a laptop. If you are not familiar with it then it gives forecasts for 00.00 and 12.00 hrs for spots across the whole Med, for the next 6 days. The spots in the Eastern Med are North Aegean (near to Limnos), South Aegean (near to Santorini) and a point midway between Rhodes and Cyprus.

Hope this helps,

Best regards,

 

[davidbains]

Thanks Henry,
I wonder how these frequencies are selected, they seem to be neither ITU
channels or Ham bands.
I'll try the RTTY too if I can concentrate at 7.00am!
In my opinion Greece doesn't need to be two hours on from BST.
Where do you keep your boat?
David

 

[HenryB]

David,
I'll put you out of your early morning misery - I think the forecast is transmitted again at
0535 on 11039 KHz
1120 on 11039 KHz
1610 on 10100.8 KHz

I think that the ones on 11039 are in German but the format is the same as the English ones so they are easy to understand without being able to speak German.

I spent this year (and next) based in Finike. I will probably return to Greece at the end of next season.

How about you?

Regards,

 

[davidbains]

Thanks again Henry.
I must practice receiving some RTTY.
My boat Aqua Blue is hauled out at Preveza Marine.
We cruised the Adriatic this summer but next year I will
probably potter in the Ionian. Are you hauled or afloat at Finike,
which I believe is in southwest Turkey!?
Are the Turks as fanatical about discharges and holding tanks
as rumour would have it? I did fit one last year but I still remember
getting very ill on a flotilla in Turkey from sleeping over a holding tank!
David.

 

[HenryB]

David,
I know the Preveza area quite well as I was based based in Gouvia for a year. The Ionian is an excellent cruising area, particularly south of Lefkas.

Finike is SE Turkey and we are starting our second year there, hauled out for the winter. The marina is very good and reasonably priced ($1250 for the year including lifting and launching, for my 10 metre yacht, electricity and water included).

The Turks are strict about holding tanks, at least with visitors. There are places where the local day boats, which don't travel away from the coast, pump out and make a disgusting mess but that is rare. Yachts all seem to have and use holding tanks. We've never been checked nor asked about holding tanks by a Turkish official.

Unlike Greece, we've not needed to see an official since getting the transit log.

Hope that you have a good season next year,