Bandit
Well-Known Member
I have DSC problems.
1/ it gives me alerts for south coast uk and Cherbourg to Brest area when I am near Guernsey, on a busy sunny day in August this can be real pain, a continual list of emergencies and updates for 100's of miles away.
2/ the coast station should start with mayday , mayday relay or pan pan and then the rough area,
Eg guernsey east coast, east Solent , x miles N of St Cast etc then all the other details otherwise I spend 5 minutes writing down casualty position , working out distance relative to my boat etc to note that its 2 hours steaming from me on a busy August day.
3/I speak reasonable French but French stations only TX in French and they speak so fast it's difficult to work out what they are saying, the fact is a motor boat is most likely to be able to render assistance fast due to speed, most motor boats in bay of St Malo are likely to be English a lot of whom would not understand the message so in likely areas why not TX in English as well the international language of the sea?
4/ I have a VHF on fly and saloon and can only cancel the alarm from saloon, a pain?
5/ I am quite happy to attend when able and capable, I received a mayday a boat on fire 5 miles off Dielette when I was on route s of Sark to Carteret, I responded and asked to attend, 15 miles away so did so at 27 knots (old boat was faster) got there one other boat in attendance an 5 people on fly while boat was still smoking but fire out, I was waved away by casualty, required to wait 25 mins while Dielette life boat arrived so hour 10 mins since mayday, I assume lifeboat crew did not want to miss happy hour and had some beers lined up, so then i was stood down not even a thank you from casualty. So about 25 miles extra running .
1/ it gives me alerts for south coast uk and Cherbourg to Brest area when I am near Guernsey, on a busy sunny day in August this can be real pain, a continual list of emergencies and updates for 100's of miles away.
2/ the coast station should start with mayday , mayday relay or pan pan and then the rough area,
Eg guernsey east coast, east Solent , x miles N of St Cast etc then all the other details otherwise I spend 5 minutes writing down casualty position , working out distance relative to my boat etc to note that its 2 hours steaming from me on a busy August day.
3/I speak reasonable French but French stations only TX in French and they speak so fast it's difficult to work out what they are saying, the fact is a motor boat is most likely to be able to render assistance fast due to speed, most motor boats in bay of St Malo are likely to be English a lot of whom would not understand the message so in likely areas why not TX in English as well the international language of the sea?
4/ I have a VHF on fly and saloon and can only cancel the alarm from saloon, a pain?
5/ I am quite happy to attend when able and capable, I received a mayday a boat on fire 5 miles off Dielette when I was on route s of Sark to Carteret, I responded and asked to attend, 15 miles away so did so at 27 knots (old boat was faster) got there one other boat in attendance an 5 people on fly while boat was still smoking but fire out, I was waved away by casualty, required to wait 25 mins while Dielette life boat arrived so hour 10 mins since mayday, I assume lifeboat crew did not want to miss happy hour and had some beers lined up, so then i was stood down not even a thank you from casualty. So about 25 miles extra running .
