GPS position during Mayday

[hamburking]

I took my kids sailing with me when they were little. The first thing I taught them was how to do a mayday on the VHF. I knew that if something happened to me....they would know what to do. We practiced every day. I kept the vhf on 16, and the gps ON, so they could read the numbers, and they knew how to do it.

One day we did a real mayday relay for a powerboat in distress. We could hear their little handheld radio, but the CG could not. It was quite exciting for us. Fortunately, that ended well.

Although my boat is recently sold, I still have a brand new VHF with DSC that I will install immediately on my next boat, unless its already equipped with one. I also carry 2 VHF handhelds, which are backup for the main VHF, and are excellent in the dinghy.

In this age of smart/cell phones, I've met too many boaters who don't even have a VHF, or have no clue how to use it.

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Why the number of persons?
Solo sailors not worth rescuing?
Black couples are next.
Babies co-located with tv cameras very important to be rescued? (Provided rescuers look heroic?)

They also want to know

a vessel description
whether everyone is in pfd's
the exact nature of the distress
what assistance is required
extent of injuries, if any
are you staying with the vessel or abandoning to liferaft/dinghy
they may also ask to to call them on your cell phone


http://www.uscg.mil/d1/prevention/na...procedures.pdf

This description is not quite right; the phrase mayday should come between the call and the message.

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by CC45

I don't want to pay for a 15 min learning experience on a VHF.

I am a VHF examiner in Canada. Our course is three hours long and is followed by a 60 question multiple choice exam and and oral exam.

[topmast]

Woman's panicked voice,,, Mayday,we're on fire!! CG,, What is your position? ,,,We're over here!!!,,CG, calm down mam,,look out the window, what do you see? ,,,Smoke!!!!

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Why the number of persons?

So if they recover the expected number of casualties, they don't waste time looking for others. Hypothermic, exhausted, in shock, unconscious or dead casualties aren't reliable sources of that information.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

…..
Solo sailors not worth rescuing?
…..

Keep up to speed with ya Aussie accent and yur'll be right mate eh.

[four winds]

Originally Posted by jackdale

They also want to know

a vessel description
whether everyone is in pfd's
the exact nature of the distress
what assistance is required
extent of injuries, if any
are you staying with the vessel or abandoning to liferaft/dinghy
they may also ask to to call them on your cell phone


http://www.uscg.mil/d1/prevention/na...procedures.pdf

This description is not quite right; the phrase mayday should come between the call and the message.

Jackdale, forgive me, I don't understand the last sentence. What is the "call" in this context?

I thought it was as this:

1- mayday,mayday,mayday, three times..

2- this is sv whatever, three times.

3- my position is .....

4- nature of emergency, pob, etc.

Also I notice the pdf advises in the absence of an epirb, when abandoning the vessel, set the radio for "continuous emission" to act as homing becon. I assume this means tape down the mic key or equivilant. First time I've read that.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by four winds

Jackdale, forgive me, I don't understand the last sentence. What is the "call" in this context?

I thought it was as this:

1- mayday,mayday,mayday, three times..

2- this is sv whatever, three times.

2A. MAYDAY

3- my position is .....

4- nature of emergency, pob, etc.

Also I notice the pdf advises in the absence of an epirb, when abandoning the vessel, set the radio for "continuous emission" to act as homing becon. I assume this means tape down the mic key or equivilant. First time I've read that.

There, fixed!

I can't believe the bit about setting the radio to continuous Tx - must be very very old advice and poor practice IMO

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Wotname

There, fixed!

I can't believe the bit about setting the radio to continuous Tx - must be very very old advice and poor practice IMO

I'm an old fool. I can't imagine someone off shore without epirb. All the talk about bells and whistles electronically.

[four winds]

Agree wotname, wouldn't that walk all over anyone in the area who might be trying to relay message or help in some way?

And to be clear, start with mayday mayday mayday X 3, then also state mayday one time in step 2a above?

[four winds]

Originally Posted by Cadence

I'm an old fool. I can't imagine someone off shore without epirb. All the talk about bells and whistles electronically.

Wish I had an epirb. But in all the sailboats I've been around or aboard in the last five years I have only rarely seen an epirb aboard. Granted mostly coastal cruisers and dock queens.

Probably the greatest distance offshore I've been is near 100 miles.

The epirbs I have seen are sailors I know to have traveled much futher or commercial, charter, dolphin cruise types.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by four winds

Wish I had an epirb. But in all the sailboats I've been around or aboard in the last five years I have only rarely seen an epirb aboard. Granted mostly coastal cruisers and dock queens.

Probably the greatest distance offshore I've been is near 100 miles.

The epirbs I have seen are sailors I know to have traveled much futher or commercial, charter, dolphin cruise types.

They are not that expensive. A great insurance investment for your life. As I recall the one I bought was about $500 12 year ago, or so. I have it unregistered. It needs a battery I'm sure.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Not new - still funny

While knowing your lat/long is good a bit of spatial awareness also helps.....

At 03dark quite a few years ago I heard a young Melbourne bloke just back from a solo circumnav . Lonsdale had just asked where he was... '4 miles SSW of Lonsdale' was all the coast station wished for... he was given a position to the third decimal place of minutes of arc.... I felt like asking what end of the boat he was talking about.....

I blame the GPS/plotter manufacturers

I've even seen some with a display of ddd mm.mmmm and people just read that back automatically when giving a position without realising that they are giving a location down to about 18 cm (7 inches).

FWIW, the Delorme Inreach tracking map page gives locations as ddd.dddddd i.e. to approx 10cm (4 in).

[Goodall_M1]

Originally Posted by jackdale

It also alerts folks in the neighbourhood, without them having to check their geographical position.

I totally agree, I am more likely to realise that I am in a position to help when I hear someone reporting that they are 2 miles NE of Bembridge when I am somewhere close to that area than I am to someone giving the GPS co-ordinates, especially f I am battling bad weather at the time.

Perhaps, if time permits, using both ways of reporting the position would be useful.

[Goodall_M1]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Why the number of persons?
Solo sailors not worth rescuing?
Black couples are next.
Babies co-located with tv cameras very important to be rescued? (Provided rescuers look heroic?)

Possibly because once the rescuers have recovered two bodies of people who didn't bother to have life-jackets on they know it is time to call off the search...

Or for them to know that it is worth continuing to search as there are actually more casualties out there somewhere...