New VHF Mayday Distress Procedure

[Ubergeekian]

9[/b] (niner)

Novenine now, innit?

 

[Bilgediver]

I've seen pictures of Coastguard control rooms, they've got lots of computers in them. If those computers don't immediately pull up the registered station details from the MMSI when they receive a DSC Distress message, then someone isn't doing their job right.

(Of course, it's government IT, so someone probably isn't doing their job right )

Would be good to hear confirmation from ChanelYacht or one of his colleagues how this works.

Pete

One would think so however in an incident last year it I believe it took the coastgusrd about 5/10 minutes to reconcile an MMSI to a boats name. Before calling it back on 16. Although Distress calls are few and far between up here I can see the reason behing wanting the MMSI in calls in busy areas to confirm the verbal calll and the DSC distress are the same incident.

The system is not perfect however they are trying to improve it. This especially applies to the lack of International standards regarding the numbering of Hand held DSC sets and PLB's.

 

[Bilgediver]

In case of false EPIRB alarms, I've got a sticker with Falmouth phone number & my hex ID *behind* where my PLB usually lives.

Good idea...It saves them ringing you to ask if you really have sunk! After all they might not have YOUR number..... Don t laugh....A certain rig working of Tel Aviv did receive such a call. The Installation Manager then noticed the activation light flashing on the bridge mounted EPIRB !!!!! Quick apology to his pal who happens to work at MRCC in Falmouth and the EPIRB was de activated. (Rain had leaked through a switch seal)

 

[Skysail]

Talking to a coastguard about this, he said there was no automatic link between boat name and MMSI on his system; though the capability is there, it is not linked to MARS or anything similar.

One way of doing is to wait for a routine DSC check, then ask the boat for its name....

But UK Coastguard do not yet expect the Call Sign in a Mayday message, I think the RYA will need to clarify this.

 

[colingr]

As far as I can see the main, and, may I say significant, advantage of DSC is that it immediately alerts the CG and everyone else that someone is up the creek and gives their position.

The voice mayday afterwards can give the details.

If you have an inexperienced crew all you have to tell them to do is get to the radio and press the red button for 5 seconds. Gives you time to sort everything else out.

I doubt if the CG are going to tell you off if you can't reel off your MMSI and call sign in the voice version. It's more important to get the position, nature of distress and no of bods on board info out.

 

[Bilgediver]

I doubt if the CG are going to tell you off if you can't reel off your MMSI and call sign in the voice version. It's more important to get the position, nature of distress and no of bods on board info out.

Many moons ago I rmemeber being on deck working and seeing one of my youngsters invite a stranger on board. Going aft to investigate I was amused to see my young son down in the main cabin pointing to the VHF.

I asked the strnger who he was. He was the man from Ofcoms forrunner and was checking we really had the SHips Call sign displayed as required by the regulations. He did accept them being in a smallter type face than specified for ships due to a lack of space Surely this is still the rule!

 

[colingr]

Not sure if it's still compulsory but I have a mayday card stuck by the radio with the mmsi and call sign on it just in case.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

We were taught that distance and bearing from a point is okay for location, as long as it's a clearly identifiable point.

E.g it would be no good me saying we are 3 miles west of Tarbet, as there are at least half a dozen Tarbet's in Scotland, but 3 miles NE of the Kessock Bridge is a unique location.

Another point perhaps is a small boat like we sail can get into trouble a lot quicker than a large ship. If a large ship has an engine fire, then there's going to be plenty of time for the radio operator to convey the nature of the emergency. The ship isn't going to sink quickly. So no doubt the procedures are thought out for that situation.

But in a small sailing boat, an engine fire is likely to even prevent you getting near the radio. If you can get near the radio, your mayday may need to be very brief indeed.

And if CG services get de-localized as they seem to be planning, then the potential for duplicate placenames increases. I looked up Puffin Island, expecting there to be lots - but in this case, it looks like there's only one. But you can see why I checked, and I bet it is an unofficially used name for many other small islets. But Tarbert, Sgeir Dubh, Eilean Glas, Newport, Yarmouth (!), Kingston and so on are all duplicated too a greater of lesser extent.

 

[Searush]

And if CG services get de-localized as they seem to be planning, then the potential for duplicate placenames increases. I looked up Puffin Island, expecting there to be lots - but in this case, it looks like there's only one. But you can see why I checked, and I bet it is an unofficially used name for many other small islets. But Tarbert, Sgeir Dubh, Eilean Glas, Newport, Yarmouth (!), Kingston and so on are all duplicated too a greater of lesser extent.

Yes, it's a big problem on the West Coast of Scotland, they don't seem to have been that imaginative do they?

 

[Bosun Higgs]

As far as I can see the main, and, may I say significant, advantage of DSC is that it immediately alerts the CG and everyone else that someone is up the creek and gives their position.

As someone has already pointed out, it doesnt alert everyone else. Most boats are still non DSC so the verbal mayday can be vital if there is a nearby non DSC boat who could help you.

As for the procedure, the basics that Ofcom want you to say are just that - the basics that are needed. Sure the coastguard will respond with lots of questions and checks anyway but it is still better to give the full basics as soon as you can.

And you need to remember how un fluent people are with a mike in their hands - I teach the SRC course and I always find that even the most self confident type stumble when given the practise mike of the simulator sets. How much worse will it be with water rising over the boots and panic setting in? So thats why you need to have the call details fixed in your mind by rote.

 

[Ubergeekian]

Yes, it's a big problem on the West Coast of Scotland, they don't seem to have been that imaginative do they?

As a retired West of Scotland coastguard said to me recently: "It was different in the old days. If you got yourself into trouble, you got yourself out of trouble - and if you couldn't, you died like a gentleman."

 

[prv]

Thats why you need to have the call details fixed in your mind by rote.

Except that, as mentioned upthread, it's likely to be the person who'd be least useful on deck that gets delegated to the radio.

Pete

 

[Searush]

As a retired West of Scotland coastguard said to me recently: "It was different in the old days. If you got yourself into trouble, you got yourself out of trouble - and if you couldn't, you died like a gentleman."

Ahh, yes, the Slocum, Blondie Hasler & Tilman philosophy. So far I have managed to live by the first 2/3rds of that & hope to continue the same way. Not quite so convinced by the last part tho, at least not just yet anyway.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Thanks for that, Pete,

You confirm my belief that DSC is another gismo that we don't need. What a shame that the CG re-organisation assumes we will all have it!

I'm also doubtful about giving positions in Lat/Long. I can't visualise where a Lat long is - can anyone? That means it MUST be looked up, and it has to be read, transmitted & written down without error (unless DSC wired up). For verbal comms & instant understanding, I would always prefer to state 12m NE Puffin Island or similar. Anyone hearing that would know roughly where to look & how far away they are, without even looking at the chart.

And thanks for that, too.

Our San Francisco Bay is three miles by three miles, a postage stamp for you skippers.

We were at anchor a few years ago when a 42 foot motoryacht left our anchorage and headed east towards Berkeley (aka Bezerkeley).

It promptly caught fire, with huge black plumes of smoke pouring into the sky.

Radio chatter:

from CG - "What is your position?"

reply: "I'm the big motoryacht on fire, five hundred yards north of the east span of the Bay Bridge. The black smoke should give you a position!"

from CG: "What is your lat/lon?"

You can just imagine the rest of the conversation.

Fortunately, many good Samaritans came over to rescue the four folks on board.

Oh, BTW, the CG station was in visible distance of the huge plume of black smoke.

If only they'd looked out their window...

We knew they eventually showed up with the fireboat when the smoke turned to white. And then the boat sank.

Assuming everyone has DSC or even a GPS makes little sense, even these days.

We hear of so many skippers who complain about the "pins" in their RAM mics with a fully functioning base radio down below who haven't yet figured out that a $100 or 100 pounds will get you a good handheld above decks, that it makes me wonder about why folks don't just put their base radios above decks.

 

[prv]

it makes me wonder about why folks don't just put their base radios above decks.

Mostly habit, from the days when they were delicate instruments that needed to be kept safe and dry.

In some cases lack of a suitable location, especially where the dangly mic cord won't get tangled in stuff.

Concerns about theft.

A vague sense that you might need to be in front of the chart table writing things down (though it's not clear what).

Wanting to be able to turn it on for the Shipping Forecast first thing in the morning without getting dressed

But mostly habit.

Mine is immediately inside the hatch, so I can operate it above or below deck.

Pete

 

[colingr]

As someone has already pointed out, it doesnt alert everyone else. Most boats are still non DSC so the verbal mayday can be vital if there is a nearby non DSC boat who could help you.

As for the procedure, the basics that Ofcom want you to say are just that - the basics that are needed. Sure the coastguard will respond with lots of questions and checks anyway but it is still better to give the full basics as soon as you can.

And you need to remember how un fluent people are with a mike in their hands - I teach the SRC course and I always find that even the most self confident type stumble when given the practise mike of the simulator sets. How much worse will it be with water rising over the boots and panic setting in? So thats why you need to have the call details fixed in your mind by rote.

Good points but where I'm based The CG (either Solent or Portland) should pick up the DSC so it's a good starting point. I was not advocating that the verbal mayday should be delayed or omitted.

Your comment on fluency is absolutely spot on. When we did our DSC top up last year we had a number of experienced bods on the course who were barely coherent. I must admit to disliking using the VHF but am getting better the more I use it. Nothing worse than making a mess of a marina call up then walking into the office knowing that everyone there has heard every word

Wouldn't care about a mayday though, I doubt anyone would care if the precise procedure was not adhered to.