To VHF or not to VHF...

[conormurray]

Last night at approximately 20:00 a sea kayaker was reported (by a member of the public) to be in trouble in choppy F5 SSE conditions 500m off shore of Killiney bay. A 999 call was placed and forwarded to Dublin Coast Guard.
In the normal course of events, a rescue would have been undertaken but....
The kayaker had logged a TR (Track Report) with Dublin Coast Guard. The CG were able to establish communication and verify that the kayaker was not in difficulty and so the call out was averted and too the efforts of many volunteers of Dun Laoghaire lifeboat station.

Also, as the following article from the New South Wales Kayak Club website highlighted that the incorrect use of VHF procedures led to delays in Andrew McAuley\'s rescue on his attempt to cross the Tasman sea in 2007.

\'\'Andrew should have had a radio call sign in his plan, which would have identified him easily and would have alleviated the confusion regarding the family\'s initial doubt as to the caller\'s identity. He did not use the international emergency call of ‘mayday\' to convey his urgent need for assistance. There had been a vessel a couple of hours\' sailing time away which could have provided immediate assistance.\'\'

http://www.nswseakayaker.asn.au/magazine/70/inquest.htm


To VHF or not to VHF - is it still a question?

[ciarancarthy]

Should people who have the VHF but have NO call sign contact the coastguard to make a track report?

[ciaran]

Was it ever a question?

A VHF is a very useful piece of kit, both for routine group management and communication and as a safety net. While I hesitate to say \"everyone should have one\", anyone who paddles regularly should have one.

It\'s a piece of safety gear that you get good value out of day-to-day. Well worth having.

No question

Ciaran

[martinguilfoyle]

thanks for raising this issue. it is vry informative. Ther is a whole lot of issues regarding vhfs and contact with coastguards. I have my own views on this {as on all things} but would like to see it discussed more fully and be more informed,
Brian you will be \"called upon\" when I get back from holiday.
Martin

[alanhorner]

To be clear about it
YES - always file a TR no matter whether you are registered or not.

Trip / Group Leaders
Best practice - file a TR.

There was another incident a few years ago where a few kayakers went to an off shore island overnight.
They left their car on a lonely quayside.
They didn\'t file a TR.
The weather that evening/overnight was bad.
The local Gardai found their lonely car and initiated a search
and although the Kayakers were safe and tucked up in their tent
the S&R teams were out looking for them.

So let the Coastguard know you are out there they are usually more than happy to hear from you.

Alan

[ciaran]

Of course, doing a VHF course is simple. The course itself is rather dull, and clearly not aimed specifically at kayakers (the one I did was really for yachties). But it\'s trivially simple, just takes up a few evenings of your time.

The courses are usually available somewhere fairly handy (I did mine in Bray, but they happen in Wicklow, Arklow, Bray and I presume in/around Dun Laoghaire).

I\'d encourage everyone to take the course, get the EI number (one-off payment of 30 or 40 euro for a lifetime registration) and then you\'re all sorted.

But in the meantime, get a VHF and learn the basics (TR, mayday, panpan, working channels, Ch16, appropriate use, etc.)

Ciaran

[niallmadden]

There seems to be a negative perception of SRC courses: that they are expensive, boring, and nothing more than a hoop to jump through.

This is partly due to the fact that most courses are not aimed at kayakers, for whom the SRC1 - which covers hand-helds, but not fixed radios - is sufficient. (And partly due to the fact that they are expensive, boring, ...)

But doing the SRC1 is more than learning your alpha-bravo-charlies, and getting a piece of paper. You learn how the thing works, and most importantly, practice the correct protocol to use. When trying to communicate a vitally important message over a noisy channel, it is much easier to understand what is being said if it is said in the correct order.
Moreover, if you are the one in distress, it is best if you don\'t have to stop to think about what to say.

All that said, all you really need to know is summarised neatly here:
http://vhf.ie/SRC1only_Syllabus.pdf
In particular, pay attention to the format for calling a Mayday:
MAYDAY – MAYDAY – MAYDAY – This is - MyBoat - MyBoat - MyBoat - MAYDAY – MyBoat – location – nature of distress – Require immediate assistance – – Over.


FYI, a full list of course providers can be found at
http://www.transport.ie/upload/general/11604-0.PDF

The form get getting a ships licence is at
http://www.transport.ie/viewitem.asp?id ... G&loc=2058
Cost €100, but lasts forever. It is not designed with kayaks in mind. For example, you have to give your \"vessel name\" \"as it appears on the hull or superstructure\". \"Sea Scrapes\" and \"Pirate Queen\" aside, if this was take literally, most of the kayaks in Ireland would be registered as \"Explorer\"!

Out,
Niall.Post edited by: niallmadden, at: 2009/06/19 01:21