After reading an article in Sail magazine Feb 2011 {On Deck] it got me thinking about Mayday calls.I know proper way to hail Coast Guard but do guest?I made this sheet,laminated and plan to affix to interior next to radio,also plan on going over procedure with everyone on board before heading out.Hoping never to have to make such a call but feel safer with this if ever needed.
Mayday calls
- Thread starter DJN51
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Great idea ... I haven't ever rehearsed that call so I would probably stumble over it myself (especially since I don't even have VHF on the boat at this point).
I thought I was the only one who needed that. The wife and I created one for the 21' when we first got her and when we bought the 37' we created an entirely new card for that boat. We did include the hull description on ours. It is stuck on the bulkhead right next to the VHF radio where you have to see it while making a call.
This is a really good idea. In over 30 yrs of sailing, I have (thankfully) never had to issue a distress call. I have only heard one "MayDay" in that same period. It was a pretty frantic call from a small fishing boat taking on water. While the suggested format for such a call was not followed, the USCG and nearby recreational vessels understood the urgency, but it took a number of calls back and forth to get a location that was understood by all in the vicinity. All aboard were rescued; the boat was lost.
FWIW, whenever I have people on my boat who do not have sailing/boating safety knowledge, I sort of walk them thru basic procedures, i.e., MOB, location of PFDs and fire extnguishers ,how to start/stop the engine, and basic VHF calls. I'll now add a form like the one above and post it near the radio.
FWIW, whenever I have people on my boat who do not have sailing/boating safety knowledge, I sort of walk them thru basic procedures, i.e., MOB, location of PFDs and fire extnguishers ,how to start/stop the engine, and basic VHF calls. I'll now add a form like the one above and post it near the radio.
Absolutely great idea for all boats. This is the type of great stuff you pick up at this site. I will be adding this right away. Thanks for the great post. Happy sailing.
Get a Free Stcker Just For This
Get a free Vessel Safety Check from the Coast Guard Auxiliary they should be able to provide you with a sticker that looks like this one or one very close to it.
http://safetyseal.net/
If they can't get you one let me know and I'll get one to you
Get a free Vessel Safety Check from the Coast Guard Auxiliary they should be able to provide you with a sticker that looks like this one or one very close to it.
http://safetyseal.net/
If they can't get you one let me know and I'll get one to you
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Get a Radio!
Scott,
I'm a Yankee, cheap as the day is long, but even I have a radio. $89 for a submersible handheld that could save the life of you and the pretty miss with you. I wouldn't leave the dock without it!
Don
Scott,
I'm a Yankee, cheap as the day is long, but even I have a radio. $89 for a submersible handheld that could save the life of you and the pretty miss with you. I wouldn't leave the dock without it!
Don
I also keep Coast Guard phone numbers handy. The one time I have made contact (diabetic medical emergency) we used the phone and it worked much better. People are used to phones and comunication is generally more clear and detailed. In the above case a huicane had moved numerous markers off-station, I needed to use an inlet that would other wise have been unsafe, and the telephone was better for confirming a long list of GPS locations.
I am NOT saying this replaces proper VHF use. I am saying it has proven, many times for many people, to be a very useful supliment.
I am NOT saying this replaces proper VHF use. I am saying it has proven, many times for many people, to be a very useful supliment.
Speaking of laminated papers, we also have a laminated copy of the opening and closing items. Open/close seacocks, switch battery on/off, drop the power cord, verify bilge pumps. There is a hole punched in one corner to accept the companionway lock so that we have to hold the checklist in hand to unlock the lock so we can leave the boat. The lock and the list go in the nav station desk while we're onboard.
I sleep sound all week long.
I sleep sound all week long.
Ha! You don't know Lake Hopatcong! ...
swimming to shore is a viable option from any point in the lake. Besides that, it is a very rare occurence when we don't have a boat passing within 100' of us within any 5 minute interval, day, night, weekday or off-season. It is much more likely that there is nobody monitoring a VHF. A cell phone call to the Mt. Arlington, Jefferson or State Police would give us instantaneous response.
That said, I want a hand-held toy and the next time I remove the mast for transport to a new location, a hard-wired antennae will go back up (the old one seems to be toast).
swimming to shore is a viable option from any point in the lake. Besides that, it is a very rare occurence when we don't have a boat passing within 100' of us within any 5 minute interval, day, night, weekday or off-season. It is much more likely that there is nobody monitoring a VHF. A cell phone call to the Mt. Arlington, Jefferson or State Police would give us instantaneous response.That said, I want a hand-held toy and the next time I remove the mast for transport to a new location, a hard-wired antennae will go back up (the old one seems to be toast).
The Punta Gorda Boaters Alliance has produced a laminated card free to everyone with all of the emergency numbers for about every on the water agency you can think of including the sheriff's dept and reporting oil spills. Very useful since the entire harbor is covered by cell phone.
I had a medical emergency once on the water and had to call 911 for a guest. Wrong number! They had no clue where I was. I needed to call the water patrol and didn't have the number. Luckily everything turned out OK but I learned a lesson the hard way.
I would also suggest that any emergency card include how to read your position on the GPS.
Such as __ degrees North ___ minutes ____ seconds. A panicked guest might not really know how.
I had a medical emergency once on the water and had to call 911 for a guest. Wrong number! They had no clue where I was. I needed to call the water patrol and didn't have the number. Luckily everything turned out OK but I learned a lesson the hard way.
I would also suggest that any emergency card include how to read your position on the GPS.
Such as __ degrees North ___ minutes ____ seconds. A panicked guest might not really know how.
Hey Scott,
That said, I want a hand-held toy and the next time I remove the mast for transport to a new location, a hard-wired antennae will go back up (the old one seems to be toast).
As a fellow NJ guy I understand what and why you say what you do.
Yours is a situation that I'm sure applies to many sailors on "bigger" lakes not being a Great Lake. I know Lake Hopatcong sort of.... live in Morris Plains and have boated there before. Yeah traffic on the lake is brutal.
Do most big lake sailors have VHF or do they use cell phones??? Interesting question. What is the recommended procedure for the lakes that the coast guard doesn't patrol. I'm sure every jurisdiction is different as far as who is responsible. State police, local sheriff or police, etc..... What do the guys on, say, lake Tahoe do????
Do you call Nev. or Ca.????
As the OP showed I included the NJ State police Ocean station phone # on my new card that I will post by the VHF. I can get cell signal anywhere on the Barnegat bay but would call the CG first on VHF as others nearby would be monitoring (I Hope).
Wayne,I did the same with starting motor,where everything is in lockers,also included Marine police # as there is a station right on marina grounds with 2 boats,two wave runners to patrol beaches.They handle most calls on our part of Lake Michigan anyway.Great guys.Also made a drawing of lockers inside so I know where I put everything.60 yrs old,retired,mind kind of wonders.Nice thing our Marina is at the southern most part of lake,so I know just head due South,either home or a beach!!!
I can think of many places they don't work on the beach.
Go 20 miles and the VHF won't work.
The biggest drawback with cell phones is that the CG cannot apply direction finding. If you don't know where you are, they have little to go on. The second problem is that during an actual rescue, on-site units will use the VHF as a common channel.
That card is an excellent idea. I may have to compose one of those for my boat because it would help guests and also those stammered by stress in a time of need.
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