Tofino Boat Sinking - Two Dead April 30, 2017

[thataway]

SOLAS requires a radio watch on 16, if you have the radio...
From Transport Canada:

Radio Watch

Vessels that must carry VHF equipment must begin radio watch on 156.8 MHz (channel 16) at least 15 minutes before getting under way, and continue until at anchor or moored. If you choose to carry MF (medium frequency) and VHF equipment, you should try to keep watch on both 2182 kHz (MF) and 156.8 MHz (VHF) (channel 16) when at sea, to ensure that distress, urgency or safety communications will be heard and answered by as many stations as possible.

From US CG web site on Radio watch keeping:

Radio Watchkeeping Regulations

In general, any vessel equipped with a VHF marine radiotelephone (whether voluntarily or required to) must maintain a watch on channel 16 (156.800 MHz) whenever the radiotelephone is not being used to communicate.......
Sequential monitoring techniques (scanners) alone cannot be used to meet this ...

Source: FCC 47 CFR §§ 80.148, 80.310, NTIA Manual 8.2.29.6.c(2)(e), ITU RR 31.18, 52.244

ITU:

International Telecommunications Union (ITU). ITU regulates all use of radio spectrum by any person or vessel outside U.S. waters. ITU rules affecting radio, which have treaty status in the U.S. and most other nations, are published in the ITU Radio Regulations. The ITU has established three VHF marine radio channels recognized worldwide for safety purposes:
• Channel 16 (156.800 MHz) - Distress, safety and calling
• Channel 13 (156.650 MHz) - Intership navigation (bridge-to-bridge)
• Channel 70 (156.525 MHz) - Digital Selective Calling

I believe that under international treaty that all vessels which are quipped with VHF Radio should monitor it...is someone going to arrest you? No, but how would you feel if you were near a vessel in distress and did not help when you could have?

 

[hardee]

Sadly, this article highlights how more attention should be paid to well established safety practices to avoid confusion, delays and errors.

Instead of querying why there wasn't an "all channels" mayday relay, or a mayday relay on the locally used channel (68), the real question is why weren't the other boats monitoring channel 16. To me, monitoring 16 is a moral obligation rooted in fairness and a sense of helping one another: if I want people to help me in an emergency, I must reciprocate. The coast guard explained in this article why 16 is the distress channel.

On another level, as has been mentioned already, a DSC emergency call would possibly have made a difference. That would have pulled all the VHF radios in range in and amounted to the "all channels" call that was referred to. But, again sadly, that does not appear to have happened.

[/url]http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/tofino-emergency-callout-did-not-broadcast-on-popular-channel-1.4096454

There are lots of good points brought up here but the one about using a priority 16 monitoring mode is good. A personal PLB is also good. Always wearing your PFD, (and with your own registered PLB) even better.

Personally, I feel strong enough about monitoring 16, that I installed a separate VHF just for that purpose, (an ICOM M-506), because with it I can not only moniter 16, but it has a 2 minute last call recording cpabiliy mode. That radio rarely leaves 16.

The loss of life is sad, but we all make choices, and sometimes after making bad choices, we get bit.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

 

[Saxe Point]

Does Canada have the same requirements to monitor 16 that the US does? Would be good info to know for when boating in Canadian waters. Colby

I'm no expert and the answer might be complicated, having studied and looked at some of the Canadian laws and regulations when I got my marine VHF license. And what laws apply to American pleasure boaters in our waters is also not something that I have the time to delve into. But this site provides some information on VHF radio requirements, particularly for Americans boating in Canadian waters: http://boating.ncf.ca/canadaborder.html#fcc

The biggest difference between the US and Canada as far as pleasure boat VHF radio is concerned seems to be that in Canada, one needs a license to operate one lawfully. I took the course and exam. In the US, I don't believe pleasure boaters need a license to operate a marine VHF radio

To the best of my knowledge, in neither the US nor Canada are pleasure boaters (smaller than a certain i.e. very large size) required to even have a VHF radio on board. Similarly, I don't think that maintaining a listening watch of any kind is a legal requirement for pleasure boaters. Things are obviously very different for non-pleasure boaters, at least in Canada and I expect in the US as well. Commercial vessels are intensely regulated and I expect that radios and listening watches are legally required.

To me, the issue for pleasure boaters is not the existence of any legal requirement for a channel 16 listening watch, but rather the importance that boaters should place on the moral or ethical requirement to maintain a watch. As I said in my earlier post, I share the risks of boating with all boaters. If I want help from nearby boaters with VHF radios if the risk crystallizes into a problem, I think it only just and right that I listen and act to help a fellow boater whose risk crystallizes. Shared mutual assistance seems like a simple code of conduct that all boaters should adhere to, in my opinion.

The practical enforceability of a legal listening watch requirement, even if there was one, is so low that all we can really count on is the good faith that boaters will share the sense that we are all in this together and that, if a problem arises, we will help each other out as best we can.

 

[rogerbum]

<stuff clipped>
I certainly agree,--why were most of the other boats on Chanel 68?

They were on 68 since that is a channel most of the fishermen in the area use and many fishermen are more interested in fish intel than in monitoring 16. I agree that they have a legal (and more importantly, moral) responsibility to monitor channel 16. But many don't. Even with a radio operator's license, many don't seem to understand the need/requirement to monitor 16.

They expected the CG to put out an "All channels" broadcast of the distress. In the USA I am not aware of an "All Channels" protocol.

This speaks for having the radio priority on 16 and use dual watch for monitoring 68. Again, the Distress DSC will not work unless the boat has an MMSI number programed into the radio. Then there would have been an alert to other boats.

I doubt anyone really expected an "All channels" broadcast. Personally, I have one radio set to monitor 16 and the other scans a number of the local "fishing channels". Many don't even know how to set up their radio to scan so they make the choice to get the information that they think is most useful to them at the time.

 

[AstoriaDave]

Roger has pointed out the practical realities of simultaneously monitoring two channels with one radio. Charter boats here typically use cell phones or a dedicated VHF channel for boat to boat info exchange ... for fish Intel primarily. Diverting attention from their own financial interests is a difficult task. Mandating use of dual radios (not dual scan capability in one radio) for commercial craft to achieve full time monitoring of 16 may help. Pleasure craft likely would never sustain two radios, even if "required."

 

[thataway]

In the Puget Sound area, and toward Vancouver, small craft are encouraged to not only monitor 16, but also 13, 14 and 5a due to traffic schemes.

One can buy a hand held VHF radio (which every boat should have at least one aboard) for as low as $60! Pretty small price to pay for safety.

Several times when we were on the outside of Vancouver Island with the Cal 46, we responded to distress calls, relayed by lighthouses on Channel 16. In at least one case, after powering 5 hours @ 6 knots to reach the vessel in distress, we found other vessels fishing near the vessel in distress, who had not responded to the May Day call. I have to assume that they either didn't have radios, or had them on some channel other than 16!

 

[Foggy]

For safety, if the law requires VHF Ch 16 to be monitored, are not scanners
available or have a VHF w/dedicated Ch 16 feature? Then there's DSC available
that not many use...

My experience w/Ch 68 huggers is they chat about where the fish are and what
they're biting on taking them out of the loop in case of emergency.

Aye.

 

[rogerbum]

Roger has pointed out the practical realities of simultaneously monitoring two channels with one radio. Charter boats here typically use cell phones or a dedicated VHF channel for boat to boat info exchange ... for fish Intel primarily. Diverting attention from their own financial interests is a difficult task. Mandating use of dual radios (not dual scan capability in one radio) for commercial craft to achieve full time monitoring of 16 may help. Pleasure craft likely would never sustain two radios, even if "required."

With one radio, I can scan all the channels (including 16). I just have 2 to make life easier on me (actually, I have two fixed mount radios with AIS and a couple of handhelds on board but I'm crazy with my redundancy). My main point was that a) many don't really know how to set the radio up to scan so they sit on 68 for the info they care about and b) many care more about fishing than the occasional a rare safety needs of others. These are the same people who might drive right past a car accident or a domestic violence scene without calling police or getting involved in any way. That's just an unfortunate reality.

We here on the C-Brats are better than that. Also, by discussing events like this one, we can learn and think about how we might respond in the future. Do we have the appropriate gear on you boat so you could assist in a rescue? Have we practiced a mock rescue? etc. Topics like this are great since we all learn something. In this case, one of the things to learn is that we can't count on other boaters to be monitoring 16 and to respond. I guess another thing I learned is that maybe when I hear a distress call on 16, I should relay it on ch 68 and encourage those on 68 to tune in to 16.

 

[thataway]

There is another reason I suggest two radios (one can be that hand held, although you will have a bit shorter reception range). With dual watch or scan, many of the fisherman on 68 (for example) are talking most of the time, and will over-ride the distress calls on 16. This is were DSC (if you could get them to secure and enter an MMSI #) would come to its own. If the boat in distress activates a DSC call it will over-ride their 68 conversation so it is useful even if they are chatting. Many times fishermen use channels other than 68 and may use scramblers.

 

[hardee]

Just want to say I agree with Rogerbum and Thataway. Having 2 vhf radios makes it easy and you won't miss something while a single radio is doing the scan.

I don't get piad by ICOM but I often recommend their M 506 vjf with AIS and last call, 2 min recirding. That is one of the radios I have on board, and it almost never leaves chan 16.

A handheld vhf and a PLB are great safety adjuncts. Worth the investment ( in your safety).

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

 

[Foggy]

If having more than one VHF radio means you are intent on
listening more than talking, I'm for it.

Aye.
Grandpa used to say, "When you speak, you say what you already
know. When you listen, you may learn something."