These days, it’s second nature for many of us to turn to social media or texting when we need assistance or want to share information. But when it comes to boating, a VHF radio remains significantly more reliable and effective for seeking help or local boating information.

So many times I see a question posted in a Facebook group that would have done better as a VHF hail to local boaters. “Where can I buy ___ near ____?” “Is there someone who could give me a ride to shore?” “There is a boat dragging in the anchorage – anyone know how to contact the owner?”

Four reasons why using the VHF is better

Immediate Response in Emergencies:

VHF radios are designed for instant, clear communication in the marine environment. In an emergency, a distress call via VHF radio reaches not only the Coast Guard but also other boaters in the vicinity who can provide immediate assistance. People hear you as soon as you put out the call, unlike waiting for someone to check Facebook, their email, or their texts.

One to Many:

While Facebook may also be a form of one-to-many communication, texting, emailing, or phoning isn’t. You’re limited to the help that the one person you’re contacting can provide.

Local Answers:

The people who reply are nearby, by definition. They’re likely to have up-to-date local knowledge. If you need a helping hand, they’re the closest.

Reliable in Remote Areas:

Cellular signals can be weak or non-existent in remote boating areas, making it difficult or impossible to send texts or use social media. You might post something and then be unable to see replies.

VHF radios, however, use radio frequencies that are not dependent on cell towers, ensuring that you can communicate even in the most secluded spots.

Cellphones predominate

For the VHF to work in emergencies and to get local knowledge, boaters have to turn the radio on and leave it on. When we began cruising over 20 years ago, the VHF was the primary way of communicating between boats. Now, as cell phones work in more and more places, we see a lot of boaters using them instead of VHF.

That’s not bad, for certain types of communication. But it’s not so good for times when you need help. When you need something, think whether maybe the VHF is the best way to get it. Ditto when you just want to contact nearby boaters, maybe with a “sunset alert” for a particularly good sunset or an invitation to a beach barbecue. And the rest of the time? Leave your radio on so you can potentially help others.

VHF v Instagram

I wrote this for a situation here in the West Palm Beach anchorage. A young couple, new cruisers, somehow lost their anchor. In light winds, they drifted over to the City Dock and tied up. They wanted to borrow an anchor until they found theirs so they could get off the dock.

Instead of calling on the VHF, they messaged a friend who was 50 miles away, who then contacted me via Instagram. Since I’m on land, with no VHF, I then texted three boats that I knew were in the anchorage and they were able to arrange help. On one hand, it’s a great story of how people are willing to help. On the other, it’s an example of how horribly convoluted it becomes to arrange help: it took a couple of hours for help to arrive instead of just minutes if they’d used their VHF.

Turn on VHF and Keep it On

When in locales with little support aside from other cruisers, it’s critical to keep your radio on the hailing channel (usually 16) 24 hours a day.

I remember an incident in the Sea of Cortez, back in 2004. A large trawler, The Cat’s Meow, went on the rocks shortly after sunset in a remote anchorage. Other boats there tried to pull her off but were unsuccessful and the owners had to abandon ship as she was listing precariously. Around midnight, they called friends on land to bring a high-volume pump because the boat was taking on water.

A Mexican Navy frigate heard (on VHF) and said they were on their way to help. Many other cruisers had heard as well (on VHF) – in the middle of the night – and relayed the information to still more: by dawn, there were 25 boats on site to help; more poured in all day. It took five days, but The Cat’s Meow was saved.

Fast-forward 11 years to another boat in trouble, this time in the Chagos Archipelago. Behan Gifford tells the story: “We were with just a handful of boats (e.g., no worries about noisy chatter) in an uninhabited atoll in the Indian Ocean, when a pre-dawn squall put a boat 1/4 mile over the reef. Immediate action/ rescue was required, but only two boats (us and an Aussie boat) had radios on to respond. We had to dinghy around to the others to rally help.”

Kim White from the Caribbean Safety and Security Net comments: “VHF is sadly underutilized. A key point is the DSC capability of the VHF. This allows boaters to send and receive digital messages, including distress calls. This can be a lifesaver in an emergency, as it allows boaters to quickly and easily identify each other and coordinate rescue efforts. The radio must be on to use DSC, however, the volume can be very low and it will still scream. So the usual complaint about lots of chatter at night when sleeping is moot. In an emergency use of the air horn and flashing your nav lights on/off is also a way to get attention – most will look out of curiosity and maybe then turn on the VHF. I asked at a cruiser dinner this week if anyone had VHF on, all said no, and most admitted they would not know what channel to use – except to call the Coast Guard.”

What if no-one responds?

How would you feel if you called for help in an emergency, knew there were nearby boats and no one responded?

I was discussing this with Nica Waters, presently in the Bahamas, and she said the number of boaters there who don’t even turn their VHF on when underway is shocking. Just yesterday, she did an “experiment” to see if any nearby boaters had their radios on while at anchor. She called for an impromptu get together at the Pipe Creek beach. Despite there being a dozen boats in the anchorage, not one replied or showed up.

The lack of VHF usage is a problem for a couple of reasons:

• The first is obviously the delay or impossibility of getting help when needed.
• The second is building community – not hearing the voices of your neighbors and not getting to know them via VHF.

And that, I think, makes it a circular problem: people don’t leave their radio on, don’t use it, don’t participate in the nets and so don’t get to know their neighbors, and thus don’t feel it’s so critical to be ready to help in an emergency.

If you want others to be there if you need help, you have to be available to them as well.

Leave your radio on the local hailing channel!

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Related Links:

• The Boat Galley

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The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of Noonsite.com or World Cruising.

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