You dont have to make stuff up

[nhschneider]

Heard a few years ago on the Chaguaramas, Trinidad, morning VHF Net:

Luna Pearl: "Info"
Net Controller: "Info, go."
Luna Pearl: "I can't remember what Sun Dog was looking for, but I have one."

The names have been changed to protect the forgetful.]

[DEAN2140]

This is best done with an Asian accent, but here goes: In 1988, we were doing a shakedown cruise offshore in the California Channel Islands. We were equipped with SATNAV, no GPS at the time, and wanted to get a confirmation of our position from a freighter about 1/2 mile away. We hailed them on 16 and asked them for their position. There was a 10 second pause before the response came back: "PACEEFEEC OCEAN"! (No offense intended.)

[Calif.Ted]

From a large powerboat just outside Newport Beach, CA "We just got the boat and wanted to try the anchor and it won't come back up".

[Dogscout]

How long until someone posts the Aircraft Carrier and the Litehouse joke?

[JPA Cate]

There have been many smiles for me above.

However, a Kiwi friend of ours has maintained for years, that all of us should keep our VHFs on, even while asleep. The reason is that it is we, who are out at anchor, who will be able to go quickly to the person in distress. It means giving up on a lot of comfort, to commit oneself to go whenever the need is there. But how would you feel about yourself if you didn't?

Tricky.

Ann

[Sojourner]

10, 20 minutes of a fisherman drunkenly singing on CH16 off Sicily, with occasional attempts to break in by other fishermen cheering him on and the coast guard suggesting the opposite. No avail, he sang till he was tired or passed out

[CaptTom]

Drunk fishermen are not confined to the coast of Sicily.

In Down East Maine, cell phone coverage is only now becoming common along the coast. Everyone in a fishing community had a VHF radio in their home and truck. It was the way to communicate.

We'd pick up all kinds of conversations. One particularly long one we followed for what seemed like hours still has us laughing whenever the subject comes up. Basically, two guys catching up, airing all their health and family woes. It was like listening to an old Bert and I record.

It's frustrating when we hear a distress call, but pass out of range before finding out what happened in the end. Or when we can only hear the CG's side of the conversation, not the vessel in distress. They ought to publish the outcome so we can see how it turned out.

[chris mac]

Last year, we heard a request for a radio check. No one replied. After about 15 seconds we heard mayday, mayday, mayday! Of course the coast guard answered immediately with" vessel calling mayday, what is the nature of your distress" or something like that
The vessel replied with, no distress, I just needed to make sure my radio worked.
Coast guard suggested they stay put, we have a vessel on route to your location
I hope they found the guy! But it did provide some entertainment.

[sv_pelagia]

Many years ago, we were out in the middle of BC's Georgia Strait and the winds and seas had picked up. A woman frantically for help on Chan 16, and the CCG responded. She was on a Cat 27 with her young son, and was feeling very uncomfortable and scared with the winds and seas and wanted help. (It wasn't THAT bad, we were in the same weather on our good ol' Cal 29.)

After much back and forth, the CCG said they were sending a helicopter out. As the woman saw it in the distance, she radio'd the CCG, asking "can it please drop us off in Nanaimo?"


[After a moment, the very surprised CCG operator replied the helicopter was only coming out to check the situation and an actual vessel was on its way if needed....]

That was 1999. We've never forgotten it. Oh, and nothing serious seemed to have occurred in the end to the pair on the Cat 27.

[JPA Cate]

It was a foggy day on San Francisco Bay.

We were anchored at Paradise Cove.

All of a sudden a frantic male voice blared out on Ch. 16: "HELP, HELP! I'm lost in the fog! I'm lost in the fog!"

No mention of anything untoward after that.

Ann

[Sam Woodbridge]

Just this summer.

Fisherman says on 16 to a pleasure boater. No whale watching here! I’m fishing!

Fisherman says on 16 to a pleasure boater. Those are my F**cking nets! That was a gut wrenching exchange between the fisherman and pleasure boater. I had to stop listening to it. I’m really sure that pleasure boat ran into his nets. He was soooo sooooo Pissed off.

Thank you for the thread!

Sam

[5BTM]

Don't know if it still happens but 40 years ago you could call Gibraltar radio and tell them your destination. It made for interesting listening.

I got a rush, being a freshly minted 3rd Officer barely out of my teens, telling anyone within ear shot mine was Rangoon.

[chrisr]

this one is almost as old as the aircraft carrier / lighthouse one, but still worth throwing into the mix

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR0lWICH3rY

cheers,

[SV Confianza]

Originally Posted by Shrew

Over the years, I think I've heard it all. The most chilling was an exchange we'd been listening too for some time. We were about 30 miles off-shore though we could hear both sides of the conversation between a recreational power boat taking on water and the CG. The power boat was out of site of land, no GPS, and they had no idea of their location. (Two adult males and two children on board) We listened for probably 2 hrs. until the last broadcast...

"CG be advised, this will be our last broadcast.....we're getting into the water now"

None of us said a word for at least 30+ min.

That's...horrifying. We were in a similar situation 150 miles offshore and actually happened upon the boat. They were able to save the boat, and we towed them until we could get in proper radio range to get help.

Worst overheard on the radio was a powerboat lost at sea in the Gulf Stream with 12 on board. We were out of range before we heard any resolution...

[Franziska]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

There have been many smiles for me above.

However, a Kiwi friend of ours has maintained for years, that all of us should keep our VHFs on, even while asleep. The reason is that it is we, who are out at anchor, who will be able to go quickly to the person in distress. It means giving up on a lot of comfort, to commit oneself to go whenever the need is there. But how would you feel about yourself if you didn't?

Tricky.

Ann

Please everyone excuse the slightly off topic comment.
Maybe we should open a separate thread on this.

On a more serious note, I noticed that hardly anyone has the VHF switched on anymore at anchor.
While there are other more direct means of communication available, like various messengers like Whatsapp or Navily or others, I feel leaving the VHF on at 16 has definitely advantages.

Say everyone is asleep and one of them lies awake and sees bad weather rolling in (like the severe thunderstorm hitting Corsica this summer). She could pick up the mic and put out a sécurité message for everyone.

Say someone bathing just starts to go adrift in the current and there are other boats close by, call on VHF and they can assist.

I also feel VHF still has advantages over group communications via messager apps as you do not need to become a member first and you can reach a local community easily...

Anyway, maybe I am starting to get old fashioned?