Mid North Sea VHF/EPIRB MOB questions

[Fascadale]

Here's a pessimistic mid winter question..........

If I were half way across the North Sea from the Forth to Denmark the midpoint of the voyage puts me at least 160 nms from any land.

Should some incident such as a lost MOB occur could I be certain out there that a Mayday from the mast top of a 26ft yacht would be heard by anybody or should I just pull the string on the EPIRB at once?

HNY to all

 

[Swagman]

Might be an idea to issue the mayday first and only action the EPIRB if you don't get a response.
JOHN

 

[Searush]

The point of the Mayday is to grab the attention of any other vessel that maybe nearby - assuming they happen to be switched on AND listening. If a comercial vessel picks up your VHF Mayday, it will be relayed - possibly over SSB.

Then you can save your epirb for another day.

 

[peterb]

If you're in the middle of that bit of North Sea then the most likely people to hear you are probably one of the gas or oil rigs. I understand (unless anyone knows better) that they keep a listening watch on 16.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

i'd be amazed if there wasn't a vessel with radio range in that bit of water.....

 

[Athene V30]

With the water as cold as it is currently I'd do the lot and get whatever help moving as quickly as possible. Life expectancy in the water today would be measured in minutes I would think.

 

[Bilgediver]

Tell me your eta at this position and I shall give you a phone call to raise your moral!!! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

There are a string of oil rigs all the way down the north sea and I would suggest you familiarise yourself with their locations . They all keep VHF watch however in line with the current regs this is GMDSS so you will have more chance of a responce on DSC which is designed for this purpose than ch 16 ...There is also the chance of ships being close.

The rigs could relay the dsc to Aberdeen or Forth CC by satlink as they have dial tone as the yanks say on all these vessels...If you know the number you can call them .

I have on a couple of occasions called friends and family in mid North sea ie Mobil Race thanks to the help of an obliging radio officer on a platform or supply ship.

DSC should trigger off nearby vessels however the rescue could take a while unless there is a suitably equiped copper in th field or rescue boat. All oil rigs have a rescue ship on location at all times so this could be worth considering when doing passage plans if concerned about safety in mid North Sea.

 

[beneteau_305_553]

Definitely deploy the epirb in the water immediately.
Then mayday call.
An oil rig safety vessel will be nearby as the place is littered with gas and oil platforms.

 

[oceandrive]

press the MOB button on GPS and hold for three seconds to mark position. then VHFDSC. At least this way you have the position of the MOB and The vessel. you are the nearest vessel to your MOB so it's for you to try and recover. There is no fully correct answer but the right thing is to do what you think is best as the skipper on board. If it was me I dont think I would hesitate if I lost sight of a person in the water or was not confident of a pick up. the EPERB switch would be thrown over.

 

[oceandrive]

Hypothermia will set in in three mins in UK water in March. The best you can do is try and recover whilst getting assistance via all other methods. Make sure that all crew on board understand that they should not try to swim rather keep legs and arms close to the body( arm pits groin area arturies near surface). And float with hands covering mouth and nose to try and minimise salt ingestion
(Secondry drowning) Prevention.

Its not the golden hour now its the golden minuets!

 

[AliM]

"Then you can save your epirb for another day. "

I am amazed at that comment. What worse situation are you saving your EPIRB for? Isn't this exactly what you bought it for?

An MOB in the North Sea (even in summer) isn't going to last long - as others have said use all methods at your disposal to get help as quickly as possible, and that includes the EPIRB.

 

[Searush]

The whole thread is a pretty hypothetical question really "What if . . . )

"save Epirb for another day" was a throw away tease. That's the problem with e-mails, you don't get any of the facial expressions/ body language that you would in the pub/ club. Please remember; Forums contain nuts - and lots of stuff is said that isn't intended to be taken seriously.