Distress calls

[Rusty]

OK, I have boating off and on about 30 years. Never been in a situation to call for help. I know "Mayday" and when to use it. however, It's not clear to me how many and what other distress calls there are and the situation to use them.

example "Pan Pan"

Can someone list and disscribe??

Thanks

[wiley]

Examples of the correct use of a "pan-pan" call from a boat or ship may include the following cases, provided the skipper or master remains confident that they can handle the situation and that there is no current danger to the life of any person or to the safety of the vessel itself.

Once the urgent situation which led to the Pan Pan broadcast has been resolved or contended with, conventional practice is for the station that initiated the Pan Pan call to make a follow-up broadcast to All Stations, informing them that the urgent situation no longer exists.

A call that originates as a "pan-pan" signal might be followed by a Mayday distress call if the situation deteriorates to the point of "grave and imminent danger", thus warranting immediate action (intervention, assistance, response) on the part of listeners in accordance with standard operating practices for distress signaling.

Fouled propeller, engine failure or out of fuel

Provided the vessel is now either anchored or under sail and safe from any immediate danger of collision or stranding. The crew may be planning to clear the propeller, refuel from an onboard supply, hoist sail or use some other alternative propulsion. Alternatively, as part of the "pan-pan" call the skipper may request a tow from a suitable vessel, if possible, but without immediate urgency.

Small fire on board - now extinguished

Fire can be very dangerous afloat but if it was small and contained and is now certainly put out without injury to any crew, then a "pan-pan" call is appropriate to warn others that investigations are underway to establish the extent of the damage, clear the smoke from below and hopefully re-establish passage as soon as possible.

Unsure of position

Provided there is no apparent danger of stranding or hitting rocks, a "pan-pan" call on marine VHF radio may allow nearby coast-stations and perhaps other vessels to triangulate the source of the transmissions and provide the skipper with both a fix and perhaps some advice on the best course to steer to reach a safe haven.

Man-overboard recovery

If safely recovering a person overboard, a "pan-pan" call on VHF makes other nearby vessels aware of the extraordinary situation and ensures that they keep a sharp lookout, avoid coming too close, avoid excessive wake or otherwise interfering. It also alerts them to the fact that the recovery vessel is maneuvering for urgent life-saving and is therefore 'restricted in her ability to maneuver' in accordance with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea. If the recovery vessel has lost sight of the person overboard, if the person overboard loses consciousness, if there is a danger of hypothermia or any other grave risk to life, then a mayday call is more appropriate so that other nearby vessels may offer help with the search and recovery, rather than keeping clear.

Medical assistance

A "pan-pan medico" call is appropriate if someone becomes injured or in need of medical help at sea. If the vessel is heading to shore and wants to be met by an ambulance crew, the local Coast Guard station can arrange this. A doctor or other trained medical advisor may also be available on the radio, perhaps by patching through via telephone from ashore or from a nearby vessel. Again, if there is immediate risk to life, then a Mayday call is more appropriate. "Pan-pan medico" is no longer in official use.

Marine Rescue Organisations, such as Coastal Patrol, Coast Guard & Search and Rescue listen on marine radio frequencies for all distress calls including "pan-pan". These organisations can coordinate or assist and can relay such calls to other stations that may be better able to do so.

Mayday

•Don't send a "mayday" distress call unless it is a life and death situation or unless you are in imminent danger

•Switch the VHF to high power

•Tune to Channel 16

•Press the alarm signal for 30 seconds

•Press the button and say "Mayday, Mayday, Mayday"

•This is the sailing yacht ___________ – repeat the vessel name 3 times

•Say "Mayday: (vessel name) ____________"

•Our location is _____ (give latitude and longitude, distance from a well-known landmark, course, speed, destination)

•We are (nature of distress)

•We require (nature of assistance)

•We have _____ persons on board

•The injured person is (condition)

•We are a _____ – foot, ____________ (make) ____________ (model), ____________ (length), ____________ (type of boat)

•Our hull color is ____________ with a ____________ stripe

•Our sail color is ____________

•I will be listening on Channel 16. This is ____________ (vessel name)

•Say "Over", and take your finger off the button

•Listen for a response

•Repeat as many times as necessary until someone responds

Pan - When there is no immediate danger to anyone's life or to the vessel itself

•Pronounced "pahn"

•If you need medical assistance, but not medical evacuation, start your distress call on channel 16 by saying "Pan, Pan, Pan"

•This is the sailing yacht ____________ –– repeat the vessel name 3 times

•Say "Pan: : (vessel name) ____________"

•Our location is _____ (give latitude and longitude, distance from a well-known landmark, course, speed, destination)

•We require (nature of assistance)

•We have _____ persons on board

•The injured person is (condition)

•We are a _____ – foot, ____________ (make), ____________ (model), ____________ (length), ____________ (type of boat)

•Our hull color is ____________ with a ____________ stripe

•Our sail color is ____________

•I will be listening on Channel 16. This is ____________ (vessel name)

•Say "Over", and take your finger off the button

•Listen for a response

•Repeat as many times as necessary until someone responds

Private Towing Companies

•If it is not an emergency, but you need assistance, call a private towing company instead of the U.S. Coast Guard

•You can call the towing company on the cell phone or use the VHF radio channel 16

•Private towing companies are like AAA for boaters. You join annually for a reasonable fee and are covered while aboard your boat or someone else's vessel.

•Start a VHF call on channel 16 and say, for example, "Vessel Assist, Vessel Assist, Vessel Assist (nearest location), this is MERMAID, MERMAID, MERMAID calling on channel 16

•The Vessel Assist dispatcher will answer and ask you if it is an emergency, ask you to identify yourself, then will most likely tell you to move to a working channel (probably 68, 69, 71, 72, or 78A)

•Go to the VHF channel as directed and again identify yourself

•Explain why you need assistance and answer any questions asked by the dispatcher

•Provide your Vessel Assist number

Distress Signals

•Shoot red shells into the air using the flare gun. Do not point the gun at anyone. Aim down wind and away from the boat when shooting.

•Fog horn (manual)

•Horn on the VHF

•Hoist the orange distress flag with black ball and square

•Wave your arms up and down

•Hail the other vessel on the VHF radio

•Light a hand held flare or orange smoke. Hold the flare over the water on the lee side of the boat.

Hope this helps.

[Cracker Larry]

Mayday, repeated 3 times is used when faced with grave and imminent danger.

Pan, Pan, pronounced pawn, indicates that you have an urgent message regarding safety that is not imminently life threatening.

Edit: sorry, I see Wiley beat me to it

Edited January 15, 2010 by Cracker Larry

[Rusty]

Thats good information

Hope I never have to use either one.

Thanks guys

[Paul Barnard]

Thats good information

Hope I never have to use either one.

Thanks guys

No need to overthink or overcomplicate this. If you think your life and or property are in immediate danger, use the proword Mayday spoken 3 times to introduce your call. "Mayday, mayday, mayday, this is motor vessel Rusty taking on water in Sebastian Inlet over." Otherwise just make a callout for the Coast Guard on 16. "Coast Guard Miami, this is motor vessel Rusty over." This coming from a Coast Guard SAR coordinator.

Edited January 18, 2010 by Paul Barnard

[Guest]

Okay so what if your boat does not have a name? Should the caller provide the make of the boat, the Captn's name or what?

[Sandy]

"What if boat has no name?"-

Then just give the length, make and type of vessel followed by "no name" & follow the rest of the procedure. Or give a name you may call the boat even if it is not applied to the hull, so the reponding station has something to call the party in distress.

I believe in real life, "pan-pan,etc." is rarely used by individuals though it is allowed. Just hail the "USCG" on 16 and add the local Group if you know it ( and should) ,or if no response, hail "Any Station" (repeated 3x) and briefly state the vessel name, location (L/L) , # POB's & nature of your distress.

Please note: Even though you should initiate on 16, with any hail it is always a VERY helpful move to state "on channel (XX)" since other boaters radios may be scanning and not see the display in time to confirm 16 or other channel that panicked boaters may transmit on.

Assuming it warranted it, the USCG would then transmit a Pan-pan on a "hello all stations" relating the pertinent info of your distress hail they rec'd. and/or otherwise help arrange assistance. If not life threatening, the CG would advise mariners to switch from 16 to ch 22 to receive details of a Pan-pan including time of initial report and station that rec'd it..

Edited January 19, 2010 by Little Katuna

[Rusty]

All Great advice here

[sickcat]

All Great advice here

All good advice. I would add 2 things. First that if your making an emergency call make sure to have your lat/lon position available to broadcast with your first message. Never know if you will get a second message out. Next is to make sure that there are at least 2 people on board who know how to use the radio and GPS. I am always amazed by how many people go boating with the family and there is only one person on board that knows what to do in an emergency. Having emergency drills make sound corny but you never know when it may save the vessel or a life.

[MyGal]

Okay so what if your boat does not have a name? Should the caller provide the make of the boat, the Captn's name or what?

I use the last 2 digits + 2 letters of my registration phoneticaly.

Ex: Registration number "NC1234AB" would be used as the call sign "34 Alpha Bravo".