SAFETY TIPS for the MARINER

Click the links below for
TIP Of the Week:

June 22, 2008 - Tips for Using Your Marine Radio

June 1, 2008 - Oops! I made a Mistake

April 30, 2008 - MARINE INFORMATION Articles to look into...

April 14, 2008 -
Boat Thief Confidential

April 07, 2008 -
Understanding VHF Radio

April 02, 2008 -
Animated Knots by Grog

The Foundation for Safe Boating and Marine Information (FSB) will be publishing "Weekly Safety Tips" for the mariners use starting April 2008. Each week we will be adding information to help you, The Mariner, to enjoy Safe Boating. Other Related Subjects Will be Included in the section of our Web Site. We trust you will find the information both interesting and informative!

June 22, 2008: Tips for Using Your Marine Radio

A Good Working Marine Radio is one of the most important pieces of equipment you can have on your boat, knowing how to use it properly is as important! The informational tips that follow should make you more knowledgeable and effective when you have to rely on your marine radio.

Today the boater may rely on several types of communication when onboard.

In my opinion the VHF-FM marine radio is the most effective for the average boater. Next would the AMATEURE HAM RADIO & the CELLULAR phone follow the SINGLE-SIDEBAND (SSB), followed by the CITIZENS BAND (CB).

The VHF Marine Radio is available in two sizes. The permanently installed unit is more effective and can cover a greater area, line of sight transmission, whereas the smaller Hand Held type can be carried and is as effective when close communication is required, normally 2 to 5 five miles. A Hand Held radio is sometimes considered a good back-up if your regular VHF radio fails for some reason. Keep in mind it is unlawful to use your Hand Held on shore.

Single-Sideband Radio is very effective. The range of a SSB can be as little as 25 miles to worldwide; they offer many extra features normally required by offshore boaters.

Citizen Band Radios (CB) are popular inland and are used primarily in area where VHF Marine Radios are not monitored by Coast Guard or other similar services. CB is considered a short range unit which does not provide a common distress channel and is subject to atmospheric conditions which may cause excessive static as seen on AM radios. CB’s can be successfully used on lakes or rivers or as a back up to your regular marine radio when near shore.

The Amateur Radio (HAM) is a short wave radio sometimes found onboard. Many have found the HAM Radio useful. They offer worldwide communication is extremely useful in all types of emergencies. HAM operators, and there are quite a few are usually quite willing to of assistance. Law requires a Federal Communications License.

Cellular Phones (CP) can be effective on lakes or rivers where there is no Coast Guard presence. Using a CP, as a back up in marine waters is not a good idea, quite often you are in a CP area and therefore cannot use your phone.

What is the Purpose of Having a Marine Radio Onboard?

There are 3 Important Purposes for having and using a Marine Radio! They are to send and receive messages of SAFETY, OPERATIONS and COMMERCE. No other type of message is permissible including non-nautical chatter on 68.

There are 3 types of SAFETY MESSAGES. They are; DESTRESS, URGENCY and SAFETY. Use DISTRESS MESSAGES when there is grave or imminent danger to life or property and when you need immediate help. Use URGENCY MESSAGES when there is a chance that a non-life-threatening situation may occur. SAFETY MESSAGES relay important information about weather or safety of navigation.

OPERATIONS MESSAGES deal with the exchange of information about navigation or the movement of vessels. You may call to; open a drawbridge, secure a birth, arrange for boat repair, or exchange information about fishing or scheduling rendezvous. Do not abuse the Operations Channels with idol chatter.

COMMERCIAL MESSAGES are about the business of the vessel and should contain the economic and commercial matters directed related to the use of the boat. Recreational Boaters should not use Commercial Channels.

LICENSES, a recreational vessel under 20 meters (65 feet) does not require a license for VHF-FM, Emergency Positioning Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) and Radar.

            VHF-FM radios equipped with Digital Selective Calling (DSC) should be registered where a station number will be assigned. The FCC will charge, there is no charge when applying through Boats/US or MariTEL. An EPIRBS operating at 406 MHz does not require a license, however they do require registration.

            You must have a Ships Station License issued by the FCC and have a VHF-FM radio onboard.

VHF-FM CHANNELS FOR NON-COMMERCIAL MESSAGES

Type of Message and Suitable Channel

Distress, Urgency, Safety and Calling – 16

Alternate Calling Channel, Non-Commercial vessels – 9

Intership Safety - 6

Coast Guard Liaison - 22A

Non-Commercial -68, 69, 71, 72, 78A

Public Correspondence (Marine Operator) - 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88

Port Operations – 1,5 (Huston & New Orleans Area), 11, 12, 14, 20 (Ship to Coast Messages), 63, 65, 66, 73, 74, 77 (Intership to-from Pilot Boats)

Navigation – 13

Maritime Control – 17

Digital Selective Calling -70

Weather – WX-1 (162.550MHZ), WX-2 (162.400MHZ) WX-3 (162.475MHZ)

INSTALLATION OF YOUR VHF-FM RADIO AND ANTENNA should be done professionally and to specifications. All new installations should be checked thoroughly to insure proper transmission and reception.

POWER - Twenty Watts of power is the maximum your radio should put out, above 25 and it is a waste with no additional benefits, low power is all you need when you are close to your target. Adjust your Squelch Control for best results.

PROPER RADIO PROCEDURE AND USE requires you monitor channel 16, the calling channel when not using your VHF-FM Radio. When you receive a call, you can respond by saying this is (What Ever Your Boat Name Is) switch and answer Channel 68 for example. When you are on 16 you should keep a Radio Log especially if there is an Emergency Transmission. When you hear an emergency transmission, for example Mayday, do not respond immediately, record the information and wait until the caller has sounded 3 Emergency Calls, this will allow the Coast Guard (CG) or proper authority to respond without you interrupting them. If an Authority does not respond after the 3^rd time, you should respond and record all pertinent information and act as a relay on Channel 16. The vessel sounding the Emergency Transmission may be out of reach or suffering from a weak transmission. A soon as you have reached the proper authority and communicated with them, follow there instructions, they may want you to act as a relay.

THE FOLLOWING ARE AGAINST THE FCC RULE AND AGAINST THE LAW

            Do not send false distress or make false Emergency Transmission.

            Do not use Obscenity, Profanity or any indecent statements.

            Do not disclose any Secret of Confidential Information you may become aware of during a transmission.

            Do not use your VHF Radio on Land

            Do not use a language other than English

VIOLATORS MAY BE FINED OR SENT TO PRISON

To receive a copy of the FCC Rules and Regulations you can write to: Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC20402 and request a copy.

PROCEDURE WORDS (PROWORDS) Word then Meaning

OUT – This is the end of my transmission to you. No answer is required or expected.

OVER - This is the end of my transmission to you a response is expected. Go ahead and transmit. (Omit this procedure when it is clearly not needed).

ROGER – I received your transmission ok.

WILCO – Your last message has been received and understood, and will be complied with.

THIS IS – This transmission is from the station whose name and call sign follows immediately.

FIGURES – Figures or numbers follow, for example, “Vessel length is FIGURES two three feet.”

SPEAK SLOWER – Your transmission is difficult to understand. Speak slower.

SAY AGAIN – Repeat.

WORDS TWICE – It is difficult to understand you. Give each phrase twice.

I SPELL – I shall spell the next word phonetically. Used when a proper name is important in the message. “Boat Name is Martha. I spell - Mike, Alfa. Romeo, Tango, Hotel, Alfa.”

WAIT – I must pause for a few seconds; stand by for further transmission.

AFFIRRMATIVE – You are correct, or, what you have transmitted is correct.

NEGATIVE – No.

PLEASE DO NOT SAY ROGER WILCO OVER AND OUT, It is all-wrong!

TO CALL ANOTHER PERSON OR STATION

THE PROPER PROCEDURE SHOULD BE AS FOLLOWS . . .

SAY SHIPS NAME for example … “Togetherness” This is “Fish Box” Over

After you have called the other station, release the microphone button. If you continue to hold the button you will not be able to hear the other stations response. When you send, press the button, when you want to listen, release it.

Do not call a station for more than 30 seconds at a time. If there is no response wait 2 minuets and try again. After the third attempt to make contact, wait 15 minuets before trying again. After making contact switch to a working channel and send your message.

FROM TIME TO TIME TRANSMISSIONS ARE WEAK, the Coast Guard or the Existing Authority will ask you to use the Phonetic Alphabet. If the vessel is in distress the CG may request a numbers long count so that they can home in on your location. You need to know the proper pronunciation and speak slowly when you provide the long count. The following is an example of a long count. “WUN, TOO, THUH-REE, FO-WER, FI-YIV, SIX, SEVEN, ATE, NINER, ZERO – THEN REPEAT IN REVERSE ORDER. A SHORT COUNT goes from 1 to 5, reverse order repeat 5 and go to 1. THESE SAME PRONUMCIATIONS are used to transmit numbers during any VHF-FM transmission.

DISTRESS URGENCY ANDSAFETY CALLS

If your vessel is in Distress, you can use any means, in addition to your radio, to attract attention and get help. Often visual signals such as flags, flares, lights, and smoke or audible signals such as your horn or whistle will get the attention you need. Initiate your call for help on your VHF-FM radio, channel 16 but remember you can use any other channel including public correspondence channels to request emergency help.

THERE ARE THREE SPOKEN EMERGENCY SIGNALS. They indicated the degree of severity of the emergency. Each is initiated on Channel 16. Distress and Urgency Messages are given on channel 16. Safety Messages are given on a working channel.

DISTRESS SIGNAL – MAYDAY – IMMINENT DANGER and a request for immediate help. MAYDAY has priority over all other calls. Speak the Word THREE TIMES, MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY. On Channel 16, do not switch channels. The Coat Guard will give you further instructions. The procedure to follow is:

1.    Distress Signal MAYDAY Spoken 3 times

2.    The words THIS IS (identify yourself) spoken once

3.    Name of your vessel spoken 3 times and your call sign

4.    The Distress Signal MAYDAY spoken once

5.    The Name of Your Vessel spoken once

6.    The position of your vessel either by Latitude and longitude or by bearing either true or compass and a distance from a well-known landmark. You can provide anyway which will assist to located you

7.    Nature of your Distress, for example, sinking, fire, taking on water etc.

8.    Kind of help needed

9.    Any other information that might help. This might include length, hull color, bridge, outriggers, cabin, masts, any distinguishing marks or obvious visual signs. Number of people on board, medical attention needed. Identify how many children, men and or women on board, pfd’s in use

10. When you are finished say I WILL BE LISTENING ON CHANNEL 16

11. END YOUR MESSAGE BY SAYING THIS IS Name of Boat, Call Sign OVER

If you hear an unanswered distress message spoken 3 times, answer the call log and record the information, and try to relay it to the authorities. Be sure you are not interfering with other Distress Calls in progress. Make sure you contact the Coat Guard and pass on the information, wait for their instructions. If you are not able to reach the Coast Guard, contact the Marine Telephone Operator and advise her that you have received an unanswered MAYDAY call and make sure you have been effective in relaying the information (Preferably ask to be connected to the nearest Coast Guard Station and give them the information).

If there is VHF-FM radio traffic “The vessel in Distress may impose radio silence.” The words SEELONCE MAYDAY. Any other station may impose SILENCE by sending SEELONCE DISTRESS followed by the name and call sign of the station imposing the silence. To terminate SEELONCE the following procedure is to be used. The station in control ends the SEELONCE on channel 16 by sending the following ‘MAYDAY.’ TO ALLSTATIONS TO ALL STATIONS, TO ALL STATIONS, THIS IS name and call sign, he time, Name and Call Sign of Vessel in Distress, SEELONCE FEENEE. This indicates silence no longer in effect.

URGENCY SIGNAL- PAN-PAN, PAN-PAN, PAN-PAN, Indicates an Urgent signal follows and pertains to the safety of a person or vessel. For example: Loss of a person overboard, but only when help is needed, Repeating Urgent storm warning from an authorized shore station, loss of steering or power in a shipping lane.

1.    The procedure is Urgency signal PAN-PAN spoken 3 times

2.    TO ALL STATIONS

3.    THIS IS

4.    Name of your vessel spoken

5.    Urgency Message (describe problem)

6.    Position and description of your vessel

7.    THIS IS

8.    The name of your vessel and radio call sign spoken once

9.    The prowords “OVER”

SAFETY SIGNAL – SECURITY announces a message of navigation or important weather warning. It is said 3 times. Safety Signals have higher priority over other messages except Distress and Urgency Messages. These messages are usually initiated by the Coast Guard on channel 9 and 16 and given on CG working Channel 22A You can follow the same procedure if you have a SECURITY Message announce on 9 & 16 and switch to a working channel.

ANY MESSAGE HEADED BY ONE OF THE EMERGENCY SIGNALS HAS PRIORITY OVER OTHER MESSAGES.

Sending a Safety Message – Initiate the call on channel 16, THIS IS radio Call sign SECURITY, SECURITY, SECURITY, THIS IS (NAME) CALL SIGN GO TO A WORKING CHANNEL AND REPEAT SECURITY, SECURITY, SECURITY, THIS IS (NAME) CALL SIGN Present problem in detail, location etc. THIS IS (NAME) CALL SIGN out. If you prefer you can call the CG and let them proceed with notification.

If the FCC has not assigned you a call sign use only your BOAT NAME

June 1, 2008 Oops: I Made a Mistake

By Gus Savaros

I have been boating for 64 years. I have taught the 16-week USCG Auxiliary Safe Boating Class and have been and instructor trainer and qualified examiner for Auxiliary Boat Crew Program in addition to reaching their highest level of member, an AUXOP.

So how is it, I can make a simple mistake on my own boat? That is a good question!

The story is simple. It is easy for anyone rushing to get underway or to tired to check his vessel before leaving the boat. 

The first mistake was bad enough. I forgot to have my bilge pump float switch cleaned or replaced, so being human . . .

I was rushing to get off my boat and I forgot to check my switches. I was using my manual control bilge pump switch and I forgot to turn it off when I left the boat, pretty smart, wasn't I.

You guess it, when I was ready to leave on the next fishing trip, my port engine would not start and I had lost all electric, electronics and even my free drop anchor. The tide was right, the fish were bighting, so, I decided to go out with just my starboard 130 Honda running. I thought I would go slow, get to the fishing grounds, catch some fish and deal with the problem when I got back to the dock, after all I new the waters well. This was not a very smart idea!

While trying to get to the fish, I felt very insecure! I wasn't so sure about the depth of water and I started to think of the old sailing ships that didn't have all the information available to them that we have now. Then I realized, they always had a small rowboat to get close to shore, this way they would not be putting their boat in harms way.

I realized, if I really wanted to fish, I had to fix the problem or return to my Yacht Club and have a mechanic look at the problem when I got there.

What really blew my mind was I thought I had an automatic flow of electrical current between both engines, so as long as one engine would start, you could use it to start the other. What I forgot was, on this boat, there wasn't a switch at the helm to achieve this, you had to manually change the battery switch to all to take advantage of the feature which would allow you to use one battery to start the both engines.

The battery switches weren't easy to get to, finally I was able to switch the indicator to all and start the port engine. After that, I had all electronics and electrical systems working. I really felt stupid because I did the wrong thing and compounded the risk of damage and injury by not acting in a prudent manor. I ran the both engines all day with the switches in the same position, this allowed my battery to fully charge using the battery charging feature of the engine.

My advise to you is make a CHECK LIST to follow before putting your boat into use and make a CHECK LIST of what to do before leaving your boat, keep it handy and use it every time.

When you make your check list it should be unique to your boat, take your time and create one that is suitable for you to start and finish with.

DON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES I DID. DO IT RIGHT.

Remember, it is your God Given Right to go boating or fishing, but God didn't say you had the right to come back!

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April 30, 2008 MARINE INFORMATION:

Articles to look into . . .

(Long Island Boating World)

PREPPING FOR BOTTOM PAINT

There is an interesting and informative article, written by Paul W. Esterle and appearing in the April 2008 Issue, page 42 of Long Island Boating World worth reading. Go to www.liboatingworld.com

You can get a good picture of what can be done for preparation you power or sailboat for bottom painting,

(BoatU.S.  Magazine)

IS YOUR BOAT IGNITION PROTECTED?

From the Files of DIY Boat Owner Magazine

The BoatU.S.  Magazine, May 2008 Issue, page 46 has a very interesting article, reading it may prove beneficial.

CHECK OUT BOATSU.S.  MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION

Visit www.BoatUs.com/Magazine

For Back Issues, Direct Links to Product Web Sites and more

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April 14, 2008 Is Your Boat protected against Boat Thieves?

BOAT THIEF CONFIDENTIAL
A career criminal cries out for help -- Hey guys, you're making it too easy!
By "Marty D"

You guys couldn't make it easier for me to steal your boat of you delivered it to me by UPS. This really ticks me off. I've spent years polishing my skills. I know how to break into your rig and steal the whole deal, tow vehicle and all. I can waltz into a marina and take my pick faster'n you can light a cigarette. (But you probably don't even smoke, do you?)

The point is, I take pride in what I do -- but stealing a boat from the likes of you is, well ... it's boring. I made this career move because I wanted excitement in my life. Now I find that stealing boats is no more of a challenge than filling a bucket at the U-Pick-'Em strawberry patch.

So, to make my life a little more entertaining -- hey, I need a rush once in a while -- here are a few tips on how you can try to stop me. The operative word here is "try." Yeah, I'm that good. But most of my buddies aren't, and they're the ones I can help you outsmart.

Roll away
Let's take your trailer boat -- no, I mean literally take it. Boats on trailers are the easiest to make off with. But you think you're sooo smart. You have your boat chained and your trailer hitch padlocked. Gee, what ever will I do? Should use my King Kong bolt cutter to snip the chain first or the padlock?
Now I'm driving your boat away like it's mine. Hell, it is mine. Try to prove it isn't after I change the ID numbers. Go ahead, it will only take me a few hours.

Your boat's hull identification numbers (HIN) on the starboard transom are there for the manufacturer's records and in case of a Coast Guard recall. They're not meant for security, so anyone good at fiberglass work can change them. There's supposed to be a second set of hidden numbers, too. Look in the bow anywhere fiberglass is exposed. If it only took you 10 minutes to find it, it will take me even less.
The only good way I know to permanently identify you boat is with something like DataDocs (www.identificationtechnologies.com). These are encoded microchips the size of a grain of sand that can be applied with a boat's gel coat or a motor's paint. They're invisible to the eye and, unless I completely refinish you boat, identify it as yours. no questions. DataDots haven't caught on (yet), but if outboard manufacturers started using them, the stolen outboard market would disappear overnight, and that would make me furious!

The least you can do is engrave everything you can with your driver's license number, which can be tracked nationwide. Put some of these numbers where they are easily seen. Most of my partners in crime are lazy and may think twice about boosting your rig if they see numbers out in the open.

Prevention
I'd say that about 90 percent of boat thieves are amateurs looking for an easy mark. Do something, anything, to make it hard for them and they'll move on to another boat.

Instead of the flimsy zinc-plated chain you got from Home Depot and a kitchen-pantry padlock, get a case-hardened tongue lock such as the Trimax UMAX100 ($70; 800/298-7328, www.trimaxlocks.com), one I can't slice through like warm butter. If you're going to use a chain, you might as well get high-test4 (high carbon), not proof could or BBB, and lock it with a top-quality lock such as those made by Abloy. Yes, they're expensive. But they're among the few that will slow me down.

Cutting jaws like the ones I use have a hardness rating between 60 and 67 on the Rockwell C scale. If -- just for kicks -- you use locks and chain with a hardness rating of, say, 70, I might have to think a minute. Which is too much like work and I'll probably go elsewhere.

Another approach is to use a wheel "boot," like the one cops use on illegally parked cars. Ones from Universal Boot (888/354-5699, www.universalboot.com) go for $190 to $615. Not cheap, but its what the fuzz use and it gives me another obstacle, improving an otherwise dull transaction.

I can usually get around cheaper wheel clamps by removing the entire wheel, putting on another, and driving off into the sunrise. Piece o' cake. But if you use locking lug nuts, such as those from MCGard (a set of four are about $7 from most auto supply shops), I probably wont bother.

Or you can take one or both wheels off. But please don't remove just the lug nuts. One guy did and I didn't notice. the wheels fell off about a block from his house. No, I didn't get the boat, but he got a trashed trailer and lower unit.

The one thing I always stay away from is when a trailer is boxed in by a car and a wall. Hotwire the car just to get at the rig? No thanks. Putting the stern to a wall also makes it tough to steal the outboard, especially if the engine is trimmed up and has a locking mounting nut.

And don't try to hide your boat. I have a friend in the boat insurance business (Didn't I tell you I'm good?) who tells me one of the main reasons trailer boats get stolen is that owners think it's clever to to keep their boats out of sight. Swell. Me personally, I'd much rather start snipping and snatching when I'm hidden off in some dark corner of the yard where nobody can see me. Think about it.

Marina menace
In general, boats in the water are safer from me. My insurance pal says that by a huge margin, trailer boats are the more numerous boat-theft victims. To "disappear" a trailer boat after it's been stolen is a lot easier than hiding a boat that's in the water. He says two out of three boats in the water are recovered within the first 24 hours. After that, things get dicey. But the recovery rate for trailer boats, he says, is only one in 10.

But don't start feeling all safe and warm. I'll still getcha. Once I'm into the cabin -- which is no big deal, just look at your flimsy cabin door lock -- it's almost a sure bet that you've left the ignition key hidden somewhere. I can't tell you how often, after a little snooping, I find it under a salon cushion or behind the head door.

HOW TO BREAK INTO A CABIN

I used to worry about picking cabin-door locks or using an awl and hammer to punch the locks in. But I've found a better way that takes less time and makes less noise. If a hatch on the top of the cabin has two black plastic disks over the inside handles, you're in. On most, you just put the heel of your hand on the disk, press down, and twist. The handle will turn with it. As I said, I'm only telling you about all this to bring a little job satisfaction into my life. Please see what you can do to stop me. I dare you.

And don't think you can feel secure just because your boat is in a marina. I mean, how many marinas have locks on the gates that don't work? And those security cameras ... want to know how many are on and being correctly used? Not many. Good systems can cost $20,000 and up. Then they have to be maintained. A big investment. If the yard goes cheap -- and you'll never know if it has -- its system won't be capable of clearly showing intruders' faces. Unless motion detectors are triggered to record movement on the docks, and the system has a week of video-storage capacity before it refreshes, they're little more than ornaments. Then, too, the marina personnel operating them have to give a damn. The odds against satisfying all those requirements are way in my favor.

I've found that the best marina security comes from boaters themselves. If I see owners paying attention to what's happening on the boats around them, I'm out of there. The real irony is that marinas are defeating a built-in security resource by trying to eliminate liveaboards. I can tell you, it's liveaboards more than anything else that I have to watch out for. With them gone, life gets easy. But even in a marina, it's up to you to make my day -- or break it.

If you're going away for a while, disconnect some of the spark plug wires. This might foil a hot-wire artist like me. Definitely install a hidden fuel shut-off valve and hidden ignition cutoff switch. Do both yourself; don't have the yard do it. Some things are best kept secret from everyone. And forget about locking battery switches. Crank them hard enough and they break.

I've had two narrow escapes on boats that I later found out were equipped with Sea Key (866/473-2539, www.seakeyna.com), which is a satellite monitoring system that records your boat's position. Once armed, if the boat is moved out of its slip, you get a call or e-mail as it's being tracked. I don't want to go through that again!

Growth Industry
I know. You think we boat thieves are lowlifes ... ne'er-do-wells who don't count for much.
Think again. My boat-insurance buddy tells me I'm part of a huge industry. The Insurance Crime Bureau reports about 8,000 boat thefts per year -- but that's way low because of underreporting. The bureaucratic mess surrounding boat theft means that many are reported only as vehicle thefts. This is because vehicle registration information is easy to access, whereas accessing boat theft data is difficult and time consuming. But according to my friend, in California alone there are around 900 boat thefts every month. Realistically, NASBLA, the NAtional Association of State Boating Law Administrators, puts the figure at closer to 40,000 a year.

And as my buddy says, even if you estimate the average value per stolen boat at just $20,000, that's $800 million in losses per year. In five years, $4 billion worth of boats will have disappeared.
There's a lot of product being moved. I know for a fact that new sales of outboards have dropped off to almost nothing in the Bahamas because of the constant influx of hot ones coming in from the United States. And props have become a real profit center for me as well. A quick twist of a crescent wrench and I sell your $300 propeller for a quick C-note. I'll do 20 in a night, easy.

Compared to the annual value of stolen motor vehicles, of course, boat-theft loss may not seem huge. That's why some factions in the insurance and law enforcement establishment consider boat theft "no big deal." More to the point, it's a "victimless crime:" you lose your boat, insure your money, nobody's in the hospital.

Clean deal.

On the other hand, if you wonder why boat insurance that cost you $3,000 three years ago costs $11,000 today ... I just told you.

So go ahead, hotshot. Leave your marina gate unlocked. Hide your ignition key in the galley under the Bisquick. Park your trailer in the yard by the alley where only I can see it. And lock it up with all the flimsy chain left over from your dog tether. My industry never sleeps. I may not be able to get to your boat first thing tonight, but don't worry ... I'll be along.

Reprinted with permission
August 2007
BOATING Magazine

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April 07, 2008
Understanding VHF Radio Use and Applications

Through out most of the United States the boating season has officially started. What this means is boaters will be depending on communication via VHF Radio with other boaters, local Coast Guard Stations or Groups and other law enforcement agencies and service organization, for example Boats US Tow Boat Service.
It is unfortunate that most boaters do not realize the importance of clear and complete communication. It is for this reason that I have chosen to highlight VHF Radio Communication as our subject to bring your attention to. We can start with language. In all the US waters, English is the spoken language. It doesn't matter if you are the Captain of a Chinese Freighter or a local recreational boat. If you are in US waters you are compelled to speak English by law.

Some recreational boaters use leftover CB language, for example, when a radio check is requested, the recipient VHF Station responds with 5 by 5 to indicate the vessel is hearing the call for the radio check. This is a poor response to a radio check request. Appropriate answers could be, Radio Check "you are loud and clear" or your transmission is weak and not clear. There are many descriptions which can be used to respond to the radio check, use the one which best describes the circumstances. This type of informative response will best help the caller to determine if his radio is working well enough for the captain to rely on. Your response may directly affect the safety of the vessel and everyone on it. Give the caller the courtesy of a proper response, remember you could be the skipper of the vessel looking for help and you would want the best answer possible.

There are many reasons a VHF Radio Transmission may be adversely affected. Some reasons might be a mal functioning radio, weather, atmospheric conditions, low clouds, improperly sized and placed antenna, distance between stations, sea conditions, you name it and it can effect VHF Radio (line of sight) transmission.

There will come a time when you need to communicate and can not be heard clearly, it is for this reason the International Code Flags (ICF) and the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) was created for the mariner. Later we will address the ICF and their meanings. Now it would be great if you could learn the 26 letters of the alphabet and the phonetic pronouncement. They are pronounced as follows

Always precede numbers with the proword "FIGURES," Example: "The radio operator indicates he has FIGURES WUN, ZERO PERSONS ON BOARD, INCLUDING SELF."

Multiple Numbers Example: Say, "Figures FI-YIV, TOO;" do not say, "FIFTY-TWO."

Decimals - Include decimals in a spoken number by saying the word decimal ("DAY-SEE-MAL") in the proper location. Example: 156.8 is pronounced "Figures WUN, FI-YIV, SIX, DAY-SEE-MAL, ATE," not "ONE FIFTY-SIX DECIMAL EIGHT."

You should master the use of these letters and numbers; Next week we will provide you with identification of the flags and their individual use and importance to you the recreational boater.

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April 02, 2008
Animated Knots by Grog

The FSB was preparing to create a How To Informative Guide to Mariner for the use of knots on and off your vessel. During the assembly of the information required to produce this aid, I came across one of the best presentation of knot making and I strongly suggest you go to "Aßnimated Knots by Grog" and examine it carefully.

Their web site is www.animatedknots.com. You can search them direct or go to our links page and click on their link; it will bring you directly to their site. You will find a vast amount of information on knots. Alan W. Grogono of Animated Knots by Grog has included in his presentation knots for; Boating, Fishing, Scouting, Search & Rescue, Household, Decorative, Rope Care and Purchase. This is the most complete and comprehensive presentation available.

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