I have heard that it is an FCC, but not Coast Guard, requirement that the VHF be turned on whenever the vessel is underway.
Can anyone confirm that? Norm S/V Bandersnatch Lying Julington Creek FL 30 07.72N 081 38.4W > [Original Message] > From: capteric36 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[email protected]> > Date: 1/15/2008 12:37:31 AM > Subject: Re: [Liveaboard] Near death experience - remember to monitor Ch 16whenonboard > > Ed, > Any time you have your VHF radio turned on you > are supposed to monitor channel 16. > There is no requirement that you turn it ON > though... > > Eric Thompson > S/V Procrastinator > South San Francisco > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Ed Kelly" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Monday, January 14, 2008 12:27 PM > Subject: [Liveaboard] Near death experience - > remember to monitor Ch 16 whenonboard > > > >I wanted to share an email from a friend of mine > >who may have helped > > save someone's life at sea, due to his > > monitoring VHF Channel 16. My > > friend is Mike Clark on Fidelio and his action > > deserves credit for > > performing like a hero in my book. You may see > > them in Cape > > Canaveral or elsewhere going south. > > > > I believe there may be a requirement that you > > monitor Channel 16 > > while sailing. When some friends were leaving > > Charleston for Florida > > the week after New Years they discussed staying > > on Channel 69. I > > suggested also monitoring 16 as well, just in > > case some traffic might > > be trying to reach them. He did not know how to > > set the radio to scan > > two channels. (Most radios will do this) I > > figured out how to set > > his to monitor that channel too as he was > > warming up the engine to > > leave. I am glad I did. Here's what he told me > > in his own words: > > > > --------- > > > > The following is strange but true. > > > > We left St Augustine at 6 am in the dark and > > fog. The forecast was > > for winds 10-15 kt out of the NW and seas 2-3 > > ft. The rumb line > > course to Cape Canaveral inlet was a heading of > > 151degrees. After > > going about 7 miles off shore we decided to set > > the sails and shut > > down the engine. By now the wind was from our > > bow so we bore off on > > a heading of 125 degrees. The wind piped up to > > 15-20 kt and we were > > really moving along at 7+ kts. I was really > > enjoying the sail after > > so much motoring and we were really making good > > progress. All went > > well for about 3 hours and we ended up much > > further off shore than > > originally planed. However, DeAnn and Danna (on > > Quequige) both > > became seasick and as the wind was continuing to > > increase Danna > > suggested we turn around and go back to St. > > Augustine. We were > > communicating with Quequige on Ch 69 on the VHF > > and monitoring Ch16 > > at the same time (Ed had shown DeAnn how to do > > this on our radio > > while we were in Charleston). We decided to reef > > in the sails and > > come about when we received a very faint > > distress call on Channel > > 16. The call was to the Coast Guard but they > > were out so far they > > could not be received. The person on the radio > > was on a trawler and > > young and inexperienced. It turned out he was > > on the bridge and > > heard there dog who was in the cabin with his > > father and the fathers > > girlfriend start yapping. He went down stairs > > and both the father > > and girlfriend were unconscious and then the dog > > went unconscious. > > The girlfriend started convulsions bit her toung > > and was bleeding > > from the mouth and both father and girl friend > > were having difficulty > > breathing. The boy smelled an exhaust leak into > > the cabin. He shut > > down the engines and was trying to get some > > medical assistance. We > > were the only boat who could here them so we > > turned again and relayed > > their call into the Coast Guard. The Guard > > could hear us and we > > could hear the boat in distress. I told the boy > > to keep the engine > > turned off and try and drag the people and dog > > out into fresh air. > > He was able to give me his GPS coordinates and > > we headed for his > > position. In the mean time we relayed all the > > information requested > > by the Guard to them and Seatow who immediately > > headed out. To make > > a long story short, Seatow arrived first and got > > the father and > > girlfriend onboard and immediately headed back > > to St. Augustine for > > medical assistance. Quequige had seen us turn > > around and did not > > know what was going on as they were on Channel > > 69, later they > > switched to 16 and were there to assist as well. > > > > What was unusual about all of this is that if > > the winds were as > > forecast we would not have gone far enough off > > shore to hear their > > distress call. If Danna had not wanted to turn > > around and De wanted > > to bring in the sails we would not have heard > > the faint call on our > > radio. If Ed had not shown De in Charleston how > > to monitor 2 radio > > frequencies at the same time we would not have > > received the call and > > had we not relayed the call into the Coast Guard > > there would not have > > been any medical assistance. Even had the > > people on the trawler not > > had a dog to make the noise which alerted the > > boy, the problem would > > not have been detected in time. > > > > We are back in St. Augustine and will depart > > again tomorrow morning > > for Cape Canaveral. > > > > ------ ###### ------- > > > > I guess we should all make sure we keep Ch 16 on > > and the volume up in > > the future. It can make a difference. > > > > Ed Kelly (& Sue Kelly) > > currently lying Charleston, SC > > USSV Angel Louise - a Catalac catamaran > > Our Skype Phone (202) 657-6357 > > Email: EdKelly ("at" symbol) netins.net > > > > > > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Liveaboard mailing list > > [email protected] > > To adjust your membership settings over the web > > http://www.liveaboardnow.org/mailman/listinfo/liveaboard > > To subscribe send an email to > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > To unsubscribe send an email to > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > The archives are at > > http://www.liveaboardnow.org/pipermail/liveaboard/ > > > > To search the archives > > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] > > > > The Mailman Users Guide can be found here > > http://www.gnu.org/software/mailman/mailman-member/index.html > > _______________________________________________ > Liveaboard mailing list > [email protected] > To adjust your membership settings over the web http://www.liveaboardnow.org/mailman/listinfo/liveaboard > To subscribe send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To unsubscribe send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > The archives are at http://www.liveaboardnow.org/pipermail/liveaboard/ > > To search the archives http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] > > The Mailman Users Guide can be found here http://www.gnu.org/software/mailman/mailman-member/index.html _______________________________________________ Liveaboard mailing list [email protected] To adjust your membership settings over the web http://www.liveaboardnow.org/mailman/listinfo/liveaboard To subscribe send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] The archives are at http://www.liveaboardnow.org/pipermail/liveaboard/ To search the archives http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] The Mailman Users Guide can be found here http://www.gnu.org/software/mailman/mailman-member/index.html
