Boating and Sailing.pdf - Moja ladja

Chapter 19: Common Emergencies (If There Are Such Things)
Coast Guard Auxiliary to assist you. They will also call the commercial towing services for
you if you can’t raise them yourself.
Getting caught in a storm that scares the bejeepers out of you is not an adequate reason to
use the distress signal. However, a boat that is sinking rapidly, or drifting powerless
toward a rocky shore and an enraged surf, or aflame in a fire so severe that abandoning
ship will probably be required, all qualify as emergencies. So does a passenger who is
severely ill with a heart attack, stroke, and so on.
Issuing the call for lesser problems will result in a very grim-faced encounter with Coast
Guard officers when they arrive to find you alive and reasonably well.
267
The U.S. Coast Guard
responds only to serious, lifethreatening
emergencies.
Small problems like running
out of gas are now handled
by commercial tow services.
(Photo credit: Frank Sargeant)
The call is issued on channel 16, which is constantly monitored by the Coast Guard. The
proper format is to start with the MAYDAY call, repeated three times—this alerts any
nearby boaters as well as the Coast Guard monitor that you have a very serious problem.
Don’t yell, even if you’re under duress—it will only make your transmission harder to
understand. Speak loudly and clearly.
Be sure to include the following information in your call:
◆ Your boat’s name
◆ A full description of your position, including latitude/longitude
◆ The nature of your emergency
◆ A description of your boat, including length and color, so the Coast Guard can spot
you when they arrive