| Author | Message | ||
     Ted Lavino Moderator Username: tlavino Post Number: 187 Registered: 01-2006 |
Folks, additional thoughts from a post on the SF Sailing Yahoo group (SanFranciscoSailing@yahoogroups.com) commenting on a thread involving stupid navigational decisions: Posted by: "SV Camelot" jeremiason@gmail.com sfbay_sailor Tue Jan 3, 2012 12:40 pm (PST) Although this happened near the Isle of Wright, it does remind me of a Summer weekend on the San Francisco Bay. These people were lucky no one was seriously hurt or the sailboat wasn't cut in two pieces. I was a crewman on the USS Potomac and several other commericial vessels in teh SF Bay area for 5 years before we started fulltime cruising. Over those five years, I had several near misses while I was at the helm. These could have been avoided, had the skippers obeyed the USCG Rules and/or hailed me on the VHF Marine Radio and advised me of their intentions. This is done all the time in the Commercial Marine world and is incredibly helpful. Radio contact between commercial vessels is normally done on Marine VHF Channel 13 for Ship to Ship (Bridge to Bridge) communication. There is no laws or customs that forbid a recreational sailor from hailing a ship on this channel to provide intentions or navigation infomrtion. Almost all commercial Captains or Watch Officers will thank you for letting them know your intentions. Don't forget while on San Fancisco Bay, all Commercial Traffic is required to be on Marine VHF Channel 14 for Vessel Traffic Servce (VTS). Since they are being tracked by VTS, most commercial vessels do not actively listen or are they legally required to monitor Marine Channel 16. VTS is a very helpful organization and will provide information to recreational vessels when asked. For instance, when I would travel on SF Bay in heavy fog on Camelot, I would contact VTS, give them my position and where I was transisting to. They would advise me of any traffic in the area and also let other traffic in te area know I was there. Twice they said they would monitor my progres and kept me on CHannel 14. Marine VHF Channel 14 can sometimes be very busy, keeping the VTS telephone number on you cell phone speed dial can help. Commercial traffic outside the Golden Gate uses Marine VHF CHannel 12 for VTS. A nice thing about this channel is that VTS annouces all in and out bound traffic at 15 and 45 minutes after the hour. Finally, the last thing you should study up on is Digital Selective Calling or DSC. It allows your Marine VHF Radio to do some pretty unique things. Commercial Maritime calls this Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS). By International Law, commercial vessels with GMDSS are no longer required to actively monitor Marine Channel 16. Without DSC you may not be able to talk to the ship on the horizon, because their radio is on automatic stand by for incoming DSC or GMDSS calls. OK I am off my safety soap box... FYI it is 90 degrees today in Puerto Vallarta... JASDIP! Tom Jeremiason SV Camelot Home Port: San Francisco, CA Currently: La Cruz, Nayarit, Mexico www.sailingcamelot.us | ||
| Boris Buzan Junior Member Username: grayeagle Post Number: 4 Registered: 09-2007 |
Haven't used locally but have contacted VTS transiting from Deception Pass WA to Victoria BC during periods of reduced visibility (non AIS equipped boat). My experience is that they are very accomidating and will follow your vessel on radar if they can verify your initial position on radar. They called traffic and suggested headings well before we could see the conflict visually. | ||
| David Sheriff Board Administrator Username: admin Post Number: 337 Registered: 01-2004 |
Has anyone had any experience using these frequencies locally? | ||
| Ted Lavino Moderator Username: tlavino Post Number: 148 Registered: 01-2006 |
Greetings folks, at times there have been discussions in terms of the best way to for a smaller recreational vessel crossing the shipping channels to Catalina communicate with a large ship that is also transiting the San Pedro sector of the Long Beach VTS area of responsibility. The reasoning for the ongoing discussion is that according to 47 CFR 80.148(b) vessels guarding both the Bridge to Bridge and VTS frequencies are not required to guard VHF Channel 16: Watch on 156.8 MHz (Channel 16). Each compulsory vessel, while underway, must maintain a watch for radiotelephone distress calls on 156.800 MHz whenever such station is not being used for exchanging communications. For GMDSS ships, 156.525 MHz is the calling frequency for distress, safety, and general communications using digital selective calling and the watch on 156.800 MHz is provided so that ships not fitted with DSC will be able to call GMDSS ships, thus providing a link between GMDSS and non-GMDSS compliant ships. The watch on 156.800 MHz is not required: (a) Where a ship station is operating only with handheld bridge-to-bridge VHF radio equipment under § 80.143(c) of this part; (b) For vessels subject to the Bridge-to-Bridge Act and participating in a Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) system when the watch is maintained on both the bridge-to-bridge frequency and a separately assigned VTS frequency; Therefore it would seem to me the best course of action would be to try to raise the vessel on VHF Channel 13 (Bridge to Bridge) or the channel used for VTS communications (Channel 14 in the San Pedro sector), and then as a last resort Channel 16. Anyone have a differing opinion? |
