[Rhodes22-list] Mayday

[Joseph Hadzima]

Gee you'd think they'd want to use their cell phones to
contact their friends, rather than the radio :-)

That is most of what I hear out on the Bay, people hailing
their friends,and then switching to another channel to
chat, or to give position to hook up.  You'd think they'd
used the cell phone for that, and avoid all the extra
noise, and missed connections (I sometimes hear both
parties, when they can't hear each other).

This past Summer I was on LIS, I didn't think it was too
bad .. but I was out on the East end and in RI most of the
time.

I have head and read about the chatter closer to NYC & NJ
and understand they're using channel 9 to announce new
warnings; makes sense if there is so much chatter on 16 you
can't get a break to announce anything.

Back to your original post -- I guess you'll need to hold
"crew training" when you bring out non-sailors, or buy some
expensive equipment like COB enabled GPS & VHF networked to
your GPS.  I guess you can try 9-1-1 and they should
contact the USCG for you within a reasonable time.

good luck Bill


--- Bill Effros <bill at effros.com> wrote:

> Rummy,
> 
> I have to assume this is the result of cutbacks in
> government spending.  
> There is really no excuse for it.
> 
> You can't give emergency information on a list like this
> because what's 
> right for one region will get you killed in another.
> 
> The beauty of the *CG was that at least it was
> standardized--it didn't 
> matter what cellphone company, or what region.  I don't
> even think you 
> had to have an active account with any cell phone
> company.  If you were 
> in trouble on the water you could press *CG and get
> directly connected 
> to the Coast Guard.
> 
> You can't imagine how many boats are out on LIS on a
> summer 
> weekend--each with an expensive radio and a high mounted
> antenna.  The 
> radio traffic is incessant and inane on every channel.
> 
> Bill Effros
> 
> R22RumRunner at aol.com wrote:
> > Bill,
> > On our lake (region) channel nine is ONLY used for
> emergency contact.  
> > Channel 16 is for hailing only. My VHS has the weather
> channels and will  
> > automatically switch to it if there is a weather alert
> issued. It happened to us  a 
> > couple of years ago waiting on the boat for the fourth
> of July fireworks. The  
> > alarm went off and we just made it to our dock as the
> squall roared through.  
> > Many boaters were not as lucky. In fact, we were chased
> down by the CG for  
> > speeding in a slow no wake zone. He didn't have a clue
> the storm was  coming.
> >  
> > R
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