Redkite mayday relay Solent Sat 9th Aug

[Sans Bateau]

Did anyone else hear the lady on the VHF conducting a Maday relay on Sat for the yacht Gemini?

If you did I hope you can agree with me how cool and professional she was was, she may as well have been a CG watch officer. She was brilliant. If anyone on the forum knows her, she should be congratulated for her high degree of profesionalism.

 

[KevinT1]

+ 1 we fully agree, very calm and repeated verbatim the coast guards requests.

 

[mcframe]

I may or may not have heard some radio transmissions today, but if I did, then I'd probably agree.

(Ed: please proofread for WT act '49 compliance, and don't take away my certificate *or* revoke my authority to operate.)

 

[ShinyShoe]

I may or may not have heard some radio transmissions today, but if I did, then I'd probably agree.

(Ed: please proofread for WT act '49 compliance, and don't take away my certificate *or* revoke my authority to operate.)

Section 48(1) of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 states:

48Interception and disclosure of messages

(1)A person commits an offence if, otherwise than under the authority of a designated person—
(a)he uses wireless telegraphy apparatus with intent to obtain information as to the contents, sender or addressee of a message (whether sent by means of wireless telegraphy or not) of which neither he nor a person on whose behalf he is acting is an intended recipient, or
(b)he discloses information as to the contents, sender or addressee of such a message.

Pretty sure if its a MayDay its an all ships message so you were an intended recipient.

However there is nothing in the legislation that prevents you reporting the demeaner of the call - that is different to the content...

 

[chubby]

What time was this an where? was out yesterday and heard several pan pans, what I found curious was the CG not apparently asking what type of craft was involved

Did anyone else hear the lady on the VHF conducting a Maday relay on Sat for the yacht Gemini?

If you did I hope you can agree with me how cool and professional she was was, she may as well have been a CG watch officer. She was brilliant. If anyone on the forum knows her, she should be congratulated for her high degree of profesionalism.

 

[Sans Bateau]

About 1300,

 

[Howardnp]

The distress was off Ryde around 2 ish in the afternoon on Saturday 9th Aug. Red Kite lady did an excellent job relaying the info and the CG did eventually ask what sort of keel the distress boat had.
I understand they were pulled clear by Gosport ILB.

Three quarters of an hour later we were nearly an incident ourselves when a 15m powerboat passed us within 10-12m doing a good 20+kn.... that has resulted in a little note to Southampton harbourmaster, although I doubt if anything will come of it....and by the way that isn't a sail v power thing as I was in a 7.8m RIB!

 

[ShinyShoe]

The distress was off Ryde around 2 ish in the afternoon on Saturday 9th Aug. Red Kite lady did an excellent job relaying the info and the CG did eventually ask what sort of keel the distress boat had.

So did the distressed boat have a VHF? Not sure how you could be at Ryde and not be heard on VHF at Lee on Solent...

 

[Sans Bateau]

So did the distressed boat have a VHF? Not sure how you could be at Ryde and not be heard on VHF at Lee on Solent...

We did wonder that, perhaps they should have done a radio check earlier in the day.

 

[DJE]

Presumably the casualty had only a handheld vhf which was shielded from the Ventnor aerial by the hills. I've often wondered, do Solent Coastguard have any aerials on the mainland side of the Solent? They don't list one for their safety and weather broadcasts and often reception of their single-aerial broadcasts is poor in the Solent when compared to their normal channel 16 traffic (which presumably goes out on all their aerials).

I remember having great difficulty talking to Portland Coastguard from within Poole Harbour once some years ago, perhaps this is a similar problem with aerials on seaward facing sites.

 

[Howardnp]

The distressed boat must have had a VHF as RedKite was relaying info. In fact RedKite began by asking Solent CG if they had picked up the Mayday. At one point Solent cg asked RedKite to check if the distress boat had a mobile phone and asked them to dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard! We could only hear RedKite and Solent cg.

 

[CFarr]

Ok, at the risk of appearing a bit dim, how does a relay get started?
I've never heard one in operation so am in the dark.
Assuming the boat in distress puts out a call on C16 but gets no reply, what happens next.

I can't remember this bring covered on my SR VHF course.

Just seen HowardP reply typed at same time which sheds some light. Ta

 

[prv]

I've often wondered, do Solent Coastguard have any aerials on the mainland side of the Solent?

Well, they have a dirty great tower in the front garden of their three-bed semi at Lee on Solent

Ok, at the risk of appearing a bit dim, how does a relay get started?
[...]
I can't remember this bring covered on my SR VHF course.

It should have been!

Must admit I can't remember the official form of words precisely, but essentially you call Mayday Relay giving your name and then repeat the details (including their name) of the original mayday you heard. To reduce the risk of mixing up which boat is which and where they are, I would be very clear with "this is" me and "distressed vessel is" them.

For DSC, big ship systems can transmit a special relay message but with our Class D sets we are supposed to transmit an Urgency alert followed by the voice relay on 16 as before.

Pete

 

[Sans Bateau]

I would think a Mayday Relay is fairly intuitive, as demonstrated by Red Kite. You hear a vessel calling MD, no response, so you step in and offer assistance, by doing what Red Kite did, "Solent CG, can you not hear Gemini calling MD?" Once it was established that Solent could not hear Gemini, RK then followed the MD relay procedure. What was so good, on occasions she pre-empted what the CG might ask, and asked Gemini herself, gathering information the CG would need.

Pete means this:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.8...ata=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sZlWMFq3MgWMuj0roQeE7SA!2e0


Should give reasonable range.

 

[Georgio]

I had the VHF on in the background having just returned from a sail, the lady on Red Kite did a fantastic job, well done her. I hope that I would be as competent and professional as she was if the situation presented itself.

 

[chanelyacht]

Presumably the casualty had only a handheld vhf which was shielded from the Ventnor aerial by the hills. I've often wondered, do Solent Coastguard have any aerials on the mainland side of the Solent? They don't list one for their safety and weather broadcasts and often reception of their single-aerial broadcasts is poor in the Solent when compared to their normal channel 16 traffic (which presumably goes out on all their aerials).

I remember having great difficulty talking to Portland Coastguard from within Poole Harbour once some years ago, perhaps this is a similar problem with aerials on seaward facing sites.

Solent's aerials are Newhaven, Selsey, Lee, Boniface Down, Needles.

Portland's (well, till 15 Sept anyway then they close) are Hengistbury, Nine Barrow Down (looks back into Poole Harbour, a new one), St Albans Hd, Portland (Grove), Beer Head.

 

[DJE]

Solent's aerials are Newhaven, Selsey, Lee, Boniface Down, Needles.

Portland's (well, till 15 Sept anyway then they close) are Hengistbury, Nine Barrow Down (looks back into Poole Harbour, a new one), St Albans Hd, Portland (Grove), Beer Head.

Thanks for that. You would think that the Lee on Solent Aerial would have a clear line of sight to Ryde. Maybe the casualty had very low transmission power.


I wonder why they don't use Lee for weather broadcasts.

 

[chanelyacht]

Thanks for that. You would think that the Lee on Solent Aerial would have a clear line of sight to Ryde. Maybe the casualty had very low transmission power.


I wonder why they don't use Lee for weather broadcasts.

All "major" aeriels have 4 antenna - in order of height (descending) -

AIS
Ch16
X (Usually set to 67 changeable)
Y (ChO)

When the MSI runs, that locks out that mast's X antenna for the duration. Because Solent listen on 67 as well as 16, you couldn't lock that antenna out.

I assume the calculations are that the other masts give good enough covering into the Solent.

 

[BlueSkyNick]

All "major" aeriels have 4 antenna - in order of height (descending) -

AIS
Ch16
X (Usually set to 67 changeable)
Y (ChO)

When the MSI runs, that locks out that mast's X antenna for the duration. Because Solent listen on 67 as well as 16, you couldn't lock that antenna out.

I assume the calculations are that the other masts give good enough covering into the Solent.

Thanks - that explains a lot!

 

[prv]

All "major" aeriels have 4 antenna - in order of height (descending) -

AIS
Ch16
X (Usually set to 67 changeable)
Y (ChO)

Surprising that AIS is higher than Ch16.

Where is Ch70?

Pete