Seamanship: Do You Know Your VHF Radio?

“Charles, are you OK?” A pause. “Charles?!” Although a stranger to us, the person’s panic was universal. Something’s wrong, said the look my partner, Phillip, and I shared before darting our eyes to the splashing in the water by the power cat next to us. “Is he? OK?” Phillip and I implored, as we watched one diver shake the shoulders of the other. His strangled shout answered our inquiry. “I NEED HELP!” the diver cried.

We knocked over our coffee tumblers launching the dink off of Ubiquitous faster than ever and raced over to find Charles’ head lolling, his words garbled, before he lost consciousness altogether and his dive buddy struggled to keep him afloat. While pulling his limp body from the water, the cat’s owner grabbed my shoulder. He pointed to a woman in his cockpit, her shaky hands struggling with a cell phone. “Please help my wife,” he pleaded. “She doesn’t know how to use the radio.”

Doesn’t know how to use the radio?

Was I shocked? A little. But mostly, I felt sympathy for her. And trepidation. What if her husband had a heart attack on passage? Or he fell overboard at night? She already looked terrified. Not knowing how to summon help on the water could only add to her fear. Her voice was all nerves and stutters as she tried to respond to the 911 operator who asked, “Ma’am, where are you?” Not ashore, I thought as I went to assist her. We were in the middle of a mooring field. No ambulance could help us out here.

In the debrief, Phillip and I both agreed, the “diver down” should have been hailed over the VHF immediately, in addition to the call to 911. Why? Because it’s like screaming “Emergency!” to a room of 20, versus one. Over the radio, anyone within a 15-mile radius is alerted and can offer help.

What if you’re out of cell phone range, or the 911 responders don’t have water rescue capabilities? What if there’s a boat nearby with a doctor aboard? Or, as in this case, a marina with a fast water taxi they deployed in response to the emergency call we placed on Channel 16. Our ability to alert the entire local marine neighborhood—rather than a single dispatcher ashore—likely saved Charles, who had to be Life-Flighted to a hyperbaric chamber.

But I understand that terrified woman’s first instinct. We are all so dependent on our cell phones these days that the VHF radio may seem like an archaic device, like trying to make a gramophone play. However, when it may be the only tool capable of saving human life on the water, it’s worth keeping the rust off. In a maritime emergency, the cell phone is simply no substitute for the radio.

And the VHF is much more than a lifeline. It’s phone-a-friend. It’s intel. It’s entertainment. On the water, it’s connection. You’re no longer alone out there. If you’re new to sailing, or if you just need some refreshing as you head into the sailing season, here are some tips on what to know and what to look forward to.

What to Know

On your own boat or any boat you board, find the DC panel and know how to turn the VHF on. If you’re using a handheld in the cockpit, make sure it is charged and turned on.

Tune to Channel 16, which is constantly monitored by the Coast Guard and used for hailing and emergencies. Leave it on. Chances are you won’t have to use it, but being able to listen keeps you informed of what’s happening on the water nearby, and if anyone is trying to contact you, you’ll hear them.

VHFs operate on low or high power, and you can switch between them. Learn how to do this and how to identify which one you’re on. Generally low power is fine for everyday use; you’ll want to be on high power if you ever need to call for help.

Remember it’s not a cell phone. Your call is public. Anyone within a 15-mile radius tuned to your channel can hear you.

Be hyper-efficient with your time on air because no one can speak over you when your mic button is pressed, and vice versa. This is particularly true when speaking on Channel 16, as it needs to remain as open as possible for reporting emergencies. This isn’t a place for chatting; it’s a place to make your intentions or needs known quickly and succinctly.

Know the working channels and how to switch between them. Channels 13 and 9 are typically bridge traffic—i.e., requesting bridge openings and information. Channel 22A is where the Coast Guard will often direct mariners for more information about a hazard or emergency. Open channels such as 68, 69, 71, or 72 can be used for hailing marinas or non-emergency conversations between sailors.

You can use channel 16 to hail someone, but then you should immediately switch to an open channel to communicate further (unless you’re calling the Coast Guard, in which case, do what they ask you to in terms of comms). Here’s a dialogue to use:

“Chanty, Chanty, Chanty, this is Ubiquitous.”

“Ubiquitous, this is Chanty. Switch and answer on 68.”

“This is Ubiquitous, switching to 68.”

Then you switch from 16 to 68 and can chat without clogging the emergency channel. If you’re not familiar with switching between channels, practice it ahead of time with friends on the water so you don’t have to think twice about it in an emergency.

To make sure your radio is working, conduct a radio check like so: “Radio check. This is S/V Ubiquitous in Narragansett Bay.”

Do this on channels 9 or 13. Do not use 16. Don’t be that person.

Probably one of the most important, and frequent, uses of the VHF is to hail ships, tugs, and other commercial traffic if you are in close quarters (say, transiting a canal) or it appears that your closest point of approach is too close. Give them a call on 16, move the conversation to a working channel, and make sure they understand your intentions and you understand theirs. They will appreciate this.

In an Emergency

There are three levels of emergency notification on channel 16:

• Mayday, which is a life-threatening emergency, such as someone having a heart attack on board, or your boat is sinking or on fire;

• Pan-pan (pronounced pahn-pahn), which is an urgent situation that could become life-threatening, such as a boat that’s lost power or steering, or there’s a medical or equipment condition happening that could get worse;

• Sécurité (securi-tay), which is a safety announcement advising of hazards to navigation, such as a bridge that’s broken or a giant log someone has reported. This one is also used by larger vessels when they are getting underway or want to notify nearby mariners of their movements. It’s typical for ships, for instance, transiting the Chesapeake Bay near Annapolis to issue a sécurité giving their course, speed, and ETA to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, where the channel is very restricted for big ships.

One way to signal an emergency is to use the “DISTRESS” button most modern radios have (covered with a protective red flap) that is programmed with the vessel’s MMSI (Maritime Mobile Service Identity) number and connected to the chartplotter’s GPS. When depressed, it automatically transmits your vessel’s location (latitude and longitude), MMSI number, and distress call to the Coast Guard.

Or, on channel 16, with your VHF set to high power, speak clearly and say “Mayday” or “Pan-Pan”—depending on the urgency of your situation—three times. Then report your vessel’s name, your position (be as specific as possible, ideally with latitude and longitude), a brief description of your boat (“a blue-hulled monohull sailboat”), and the nature of your emergency, and wait for the Coast Guard to respond.

Radio Tips

Find your radio voice. I’ll admit, I get a little nervous right before pressing the mic button. I know I’m about to sound like a pipsqueak among a gaggle of men who would love nothing more than to poke fun at me. I try to bring my voice down an octave and feign confidence. But don’t let some nerves prevent you from reporting a hazard or avoiding a collision. The more you use it, the smoother and more confident your radio voice will get.

Use the scan feature. Most radios can monitor between selected (or all) channels and tune to the channel with traffic to keep you more abreast of information being transmitted. Also, many radios enable you to monitor two channels using the dual channel feature. This is a great way to keep an ear on 16 and 13 at the same time if you’re sailing near a lot of traffic.

Keep a backup handheld. On Ubiquitous, we keep a backup handheld VHF in our ditch bag that we also carry with us in the dink when we’re going out for a longer run (or to snorkel/spearfish/explore), or if we’re in a place, such as the Bahamas, where cell use isn’t as convenient or effective.

Consider a cockpit mic. Radios are, of course, down below, which isn’t the best place for them to be if you’re in a serious situation and need to have eyes out of the boat while you’re transmitting. A handheld VHF can cover this base in a pinch, but consider installing a cockpit mic that is linked to your radio below. This will use the same masthead antenna as the main radio, providing greater range than a handheld, and you can still communicate while on deck in case you have to be steering or sailhandling at the same time.

What to Look Forward To

Entertainment: Monitoring the radio while underway can be like listening to a soap opera on the water. When you hear other boaters connect and switch to an open channel, go listen! Eavesdropping is allowed. Phillip and I have also heard many emergencies unfold and learned a lot by listening to how other mariners responded and what the Coast Guard told them to do.

Weather: Most VHFs have a “WX” channel where NOAA broadcasts local and nearshore coastal forecasts. You can also use the many mariner eyes out there. If you see some gnarly thunderheads building in your path, see if there’s a vessel ahead with AIS on and give them a shout to ask if they can tell you about the storm’s path or intensity.

Favorable currents: Often if you sail closer to shore, or further, you can get a boost from a local current (or countercurrent). Wondering why that boat closer to shore is beating you (because we all know two sailboats makes it a race)? Hail them and see if they’re riding a coastal current you would like to take advantage of.

Hazards: Phillip and I have been able to spot and avoid many hazards to mariners—large logs floating in the Charleston inlet, a half-sunk boat near Rodriguez Cay, etc.—by listening to the Coast Guard’s securité reports on Channel 16.

Great boat photos: Some of our best underway photos were taken by vessels we were passing out on the open blue that we hailed on the radio. Every captain wants a photo of their gallant vessel, sails full, traversing blue water. It’s also fun to just chat with fellow mariners, hear where they’ve been and where they’re headed, and connect out there. Just don’t have that languid conversation on 16. You’re better than that.

Strength in numbers: Sometimes the first responder may not be the Coast Guard. It might be you. In an on-the-water emergency—a medical issue, a boat taking on water, or (my personal nightmare) a fire aboard—any boat that can safely navigate toward the vessel in distress can try to assist.

Aside from playing Wordle, who needs a cell phone or internet on the water? Rekindle that relationship with your VHF. Like any tool, you’ll find that the more you use it, the more useful it becomes. If you’re comfortable jumping on the radio to ask for a cool boat photo, your instinct and skills to grab the radio in an emergency will be sharper. If it was your life on the line, you’d want a confident, seasoned voice hailing for you. Charles sure did.

Contributing Editor Annie Dike and her partner, Phillip, cruise their Outbound 46, Ubiquitous, along the U.S. East Coast and the Bahamas. They offer business consulting at sail-plan.com, and Annie is the author, blogger, and filmmaker at havewindwilltravel.com.

May 2024