dave_gibsea
Well-Known Member
Just wondering if folk still bother to notify the CG when crossing the channel ?
Notifying Coastguard of departure
- Thread starter dave_gibsea
- Start date
Twister_Ken
Well-Known Member
Not bothered for a long while. I seem to think that it has been eroded as comms and nav kit have improved. But I might be wrong.
maby
Well-Known Member
We do any time we are setting out on a passage that will take more than five or six hours. I did wonder if they viewed it as a nuisance, but we've just CG66 registered the boat and the information pack that came back from the CG included a page inviting us to lodge passage plans.
SimonD
Well-Known Member
Someone from Portland CG told me they do find it helpful to know who's out there. Probably a loss less irritating than radio checks...
maby
Well-Known Member
Good to know. I have to say that a few do seem to carry it to ridiculous extents - I remember a few months ago hearing someone call in to Thames coastguard, informing them that they were about to leave Stangate and head up river to Rochester - about 12 miles on a fairly narrow river! The Coast Guard were remarkably polite about it...
Ripster
Well-Known Member
We would for a passage like that.
AIDY
Well-Known Member
from memory I was told it was pointless unless you have a shore contact to sound the alarm.
maby
Well-Known Member
It is certainly the case that they will not launch a search simply because you fail to check in at your declared destination, but the notes that come with the CG66 indicate that they will keep the information supplied on record and refer to it to assist in a SAR operation if something else causes them to become concerned.
jerrytug
N/A
I was told the same thing by Dover CG, they like to know who's about. It does NOT "add to their workload", but can only diminish it in the event of any incidents.
So there are no arguments against, except squeamishness or the perfectly understandable feeling of wishing to remain 'incognito'.
D
Deleted member 36384
Guest
No, I don't and have only done so on very rare occasions in 30 odd years of sailing. I never saw the point for the reasons mentioned above but I also sailed in areas where VHF transmission could be sketchy and I also liked to change my mind without having to remember to notify some agency. However, the most important reason was that my yachts were well found and the safety equipment on board more than compensated for the CG being unaware of my passage plan. One can have too much safety, it leads to a false sense of security and notifying the CG falls into that bracket as far as I am concerned. It is none of their business anyway where I am going.
Spyro
Well-Known Member
I've done it a few times on a long solo passage of 60 miles or so but always worry that I might forget to notify the CG on arrival.
maby
Well-Known Member
They will not take any action on that alone, so although it is good manners, it's not mandatory.
jerrytug
N/A
This is another reason/excuse people quote, for not informing the CG about a passage.
However, it is not valid, the CG won't ever do anything just because they don't get notice of someone's safe arrival somewhere.
The only reason not to inform the CG of your passage is that you don't want to for personal reasons.
The CG will always be glad to know who is out there, as posted before.
sailorman
Well-Known Member
No never, whats the point
they do have my 66 it a relly phones them
jerrytug
N/A
There might be a point, for somebody else apart from you.. so why try and put them off doing it?
Iliade
Well-Known Member
I always notify. CG seem happy to get the message, and if something goes awry they will have had it from the horse's mouth when I left, how many were onboard and when I expected to be where. This could make searches and rescues quicker and simpler.
I carry (and use!) a satellite tracker. Additionally two GPS plb's, several old 121.5 plbs, a 242 plb, red & white flares, smokes, mobile phone, spare mobile phone, airband radio, main DSC radio and handheld VHFs!
If I'm crossing the channel, it's largely in conditions not overwhelming for a lifeboat, so I am happy to ask them to leave their beds if one of my keels should fall off. When I go to the Himalaya (think 'Southern Ocean for landlubbers'), I lean on my own resources and don't expect anyone to come and get me.
I'll still carry the tracker though, so they know where to find the bits come the spring...
I carry (and use!) a satellite tracker. Additionally two GPS plb's, several old 121.5 plbs, a 242 plb, red & white flares, smokes, mobile phone, spare mobile phone, airband radio, main DSC radio and handheld VHFs!
If I'm crossing the channel, it's largely in conditions not overwhelming for a lifeboat, so I am happy to ask them to leave their beds if one of my keels should fall off. When I go to the Himalaya (think 'Southern Ocean for landlubbers'), I lean on my own resources and don't expect anyone to come and get me.
I'll still carry the tracker though, so they know where to find the bits come the spring...
Shorn100
Well-Known Member
Lots of good reasons for doing this which are as much to help th CG and others as to helping yourself.
1. A member of public reports what they believe to be a boat struggling. If the CG knows you are on the same route they can call and ask if you can see anything. Or maybe the vessel thought to be struggling is you and you can let them know all is well.
2. CG receives reports of lost dinghy , diver, debris etc in the vicinity of your route. Again they can call you and ask if you can see anything.
3. Similarly if another vessel requires assistance and they know your route, you couldbe asked to assist.
4. CG are having problems contacting a vessel on your route, they can ask you to relay message either by VHF or voice.
As you can see, it's not only about your safety but also the safety of others.
Shorn
1. A member of public reports what they believe to be a boat struggling. If the CG knows you are on the same route they can call and ask if you can see anything. Or maybe the vessel thought to be struggling is you and you can let them know all is well.
2. CG receives reports of lost dinghy , diver, debris etc in the vicinity of your route. Again they can call you and ask if you can see anything.
3. Similarly if another vessel requires assistance and they know your route, you couldbe asked to assist.
4. CG are having problems contacting a vessel on your route, they can ask you to relay message either by VHF or voice.
As you can see, it's not only about your safety but also the safety of others.
Shorn
alant
Well-Known Member
What is the point of notifying the CG on arrival, since they do not pass that onto the departure CG.
D
Deleted member 36384
Guest
Shorn, they would do all this via VHF anyway, it is not dependent on registering so called 'safety traffic'. I have assisted the CG on a few occasions and registering my intended voyage would have contributed nothing to the decisions the CG made to request assistance.
ShinyShoe
Well-Known Member
As said notifying the CG is not a concern. You need to notify your land contact. It is your land comtact's job to report you overdue.
Well it will depend on a number of things. who you land contact is. When u last spoke to them. So here is a scenario for you... you tell your rellys that you are going to Calais tomorrow and will be there by 6pm. You'll call them when you arrive. if you don't they should call the coast guard. In fact you were hoping to be there about 4.30-5pm but you don't want them panicking if you are a wee bit late. You also know they'll call your mobile before calling CG so even if you aren't quite ashore by 6pm you probably will have mobile reception.
Something goes wrong and you haven't arrived by 6pm. You have no mobile coverage. Chances are your rellys are not watching the clock but at 6.30 notice you've not called in. But they assume you are running late and don't start to panic just yet. By 7pm they send you a text. No response. They call - no signal. So they wait. By 7.30 they are starting to think its not as simple as no signal. They call someone else to ask what to do. They say give it another half hour. By 8pm they have decided they will need to call the CG. Thats 3.5 hours after you should have arrived. Its now dark. And to make matters worse the call will be something like...
"I am a bit worried about my relative who is sailing to Calais and hasn't called to say he arrived."
"When did he leave and where from?"
"I presume he was leaving his usual marina at XXX, and he left early this morning to go to the boat".
"How many people on board?"
"I think it was just him, he didn't say."
"Do you know the details of the boat?"
"I think its called ABC"
Unless you have given a very specific crib sheet for your shore contact to follow there will be lots of "I think", "I assume", "I'm not sure". Made worse by panic that things have gone wrong. A crib sheet would be very useful. That would have your passage plan, PoB, safety kit etc as per CG66, reference to being CG66 registered which then provides MMSI etc.
So your poor CG now has no idea if you definitely left, where in Calais you were going to or when you left. All the answers to that could be answered from that one call. They can tell how likely you are to be delayed vs missing.
I've certainly heard people call in passage plans and then call when they have aborted and CG say something like "We have noticed that on AIS / Radar... ...is everything OK?" fortunately always followed by a response that meant they maybe had a minor technical fault but nothing that needs outside intervention. The wouldn't have known what they were looking at if they didn't have a plan... I got the impression that if someone was to change course having given a plan they MAY get a call...
Question for the people on the inside... lets assume I'm on passage up the East coast moving from Humber to Aberdeen coverage. I lodge my plan with Humber. I'm headed to the Forth. My shore contact lives in Solent so is connected to SolentCG by a 999 call (or maybe they should dial direct? My shore contact info sheet says CALL 999) - how is that then handled? How does Forth identify that Humber have a passage plan? Easy if my shore contact says they left Amble. You know to check with Humber. If my shore contact says that I was somewhere on the East coast of Scotland (Geography not a strong point!) how is it all interlinked? From my understanding it is all just in a timeline log - but timeline for each CG not nationally...? So searching for my boatname in Forth might give nothing...?
