Southend on Sea Mayday

[TwoFish]

As an SRC assesor, it's certainly NOT taught on VHF SRC courses, in fact it's the reverse!

From the RYA VHF Handbook ("officially supporting the SRC course")




To be fair, various RYA instructors have pointed out that it's neither helpful nor necessary to have C16 filled with radio checks.

 

[harvey38]

No problem calling the CG for a radio check if they're quiet and haven't got any jobs running. Apart from the fact that everyone else has to hear it!

There's not really much point in calling the marina for a radio check. At that range you could probably get a reply using a piece of wet string instead of an aerial.

I was calling a different marina than the one I was in

 

[westhinder]

No problem calling the CG for a radio check if they're quiet and haven't got any jobs running. Apart from the fact that everyone else has to hear it!

There's not really much point in calling the marina for a radio check. At that range you could probably get a reply using a piece of wet string instead of an aerial.

What people do not seem to realise is that the Coastguard transmissions are very powerful, so when sailing along the French and Belgian coasts you get a never ending stream of Coastguard replies that ‘station X, you’re good and readable’. This gets worse in the weekends and frankly unbearable as you get within range of Solent Coastguard ( which easily exceeds 100 NM). It comes on top of the normal traffic on 16 on our side of the Channel/North Sea. If the French, Belgians and Dutch did the same, which fortunately they don’t, 16 would become unusable.

 

[justanothersailboat]

My VHF course was pretty clear that you don't check on 16 and instead call the Coastwatch Institute on their own channel, which makes sense.

I wouldn't really make a frivolous use of VHF but I'm awfully tempted one day to reply to a check on 16 with "This is the Radio Check authority, radio check received, we will post you an official certificate for your radio check effective for ten years. Please do not make another radio check as this may delay certificate issue. Out"

 

[harvey38]

We are 'Fortunate' as we have to call on Channel 14 to leave the marina and again to leave the port.

 

[Daydream believer]

We are 'Fortunate' as we have to call on Channel 14 to leave the marina and again to leave the port.

That may not be as reliable as you may think.
I had friends in 2 different boats who called each other on their moorings prior to leaving on our club cruise one year. They also called Ramsgate port control, successfully, on arrival.
However, when we later became separated, no one could contact either of them. It turned out that one had a knackered aerial cable, that was 40 years old. The other had installed a new VHF & botched the installation.
The upshot was that neither had range beyond 2 miles & neither knew it, until we told them.

 

[harvey38]

That may not be as reliable as you may think.
I had friends in 2 different boats who called each other on their moorings prior to leaving on our club cruise one year. They also called Ramsgate port control, successfully, on arrival.
However, when we later became separated, no one could contact either of them. It turned out that one had a knackered aerial cable, that was 40 years old. The other had installed a new VHF & botched the installation.
The upshot was that neither had range beyond 2 miles & neither knew it, until we told them.

Ooops, I wouldn't want to cop the wrath of Port Control and enter without permission, I understand you can expect a visit to your boat in person if you do