Identifying your boat on the radio

cappy208 said:

The point of a securite' call is to announce your presence and intentions.

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Where do you get that from?

menzies said:

Where do you get that from?

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I run my personal boat the same way I run
Oh, I don't know. Maybe 35 years working on commercial vessels in harbors from Galveston Tx to Searsport Me. Including the St Johns R. Excepting Charleston SC. Haven't been there. Yet.

Listen to channel 13 (or sometimes 67) around any busy port. Then again listen in the fog.

Securite is used to state General vessel intentions. As it relates to other traffic, possible conflicts and visibility, current or other local anomalies. It really is predicated upon harbor size, volume of traffic and natural phenomena. Fog being probably top of the list.

As in: Securite, Tug Pusher 1 down bound Jaxport, Outbound for sea. Loaded barge ahead. Standing by for concerned traffic.

Or: Securite, Yacht Penelope inbound Verrazano Narrows. Bound for upper bay and Hudson River.

Now, Would I expect a yacht to make a call on a sunny day? No. But in fog or rain, sure. Helps the crossing, conflicting traffic know two things. The first that whoever it is on the 'Penelope', they are competent enough to be standing guard on the radio. And that they took the time to make you aware of them, thus bringing their presence into
Your (and anyone of 30 or 40 other maneuvering units listening) decision making process as you cross the harbor. Also, by listening to the radio for securite calls one gets to know the tempo' and choke points. The more constricted an area the more calls are made around the constriction.

btw, this is what it looks like from the other perspective.
I mention channel 13. As it's the primary bridge to bridge navigation channel used. Yachts (well the ones who know) use it too.

Menzies "Why the hell are recreational boaters issuing securite calls?"

One of my pet peeves is hearing the incessant Securite calls of pleasure boats at Dodds Narrows.
Totally unnecessary, just guys who want to announce the size of their boat on the VHF.
No, I am not talking about fog or dark of night.

I disembarked from a 853-foot, 77,000-ton ship today. Plaques on the walls recognizing maiden visits to various ports identify the ship as "motor vessel."

I identify my boat by name, but I'm inconsistent regarding a further description/identifier, if any. Depends on my state of mind and the circumstances at hand.

As a matter of information, California's boating accident report has the following types of boats: open motorboat, cabin motorboat, personal watercraft, houseboat, sailboat (aux engine), sailboat (sail only), canoe/kayak, raft, rowboat, and other.

stubones99 said:

Wouldn't that be "Estúpido!" in South Florida?

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Sometimes, yes.

menzies said:

But for announcing a recreational vessel movement? Egotistical at best.

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If you ever come up the New River in Ft. Lauderdale, the Miami River, "crash corner" in Key Largo, etc., you'll need to rethink that.

It's a safety broadcast...if needed use it..... rowboat or super tanker....

Underused by some, overused by others.....

But despite the constant myth that recreationals don't have equal rights and responsibilities on the water, they pretty much do.

Being polite to working boats is fine....as they should be in reverse when approriate.

I have always though any boat with a VHF should be required to have an operational CB.

This would give owners or their kids a fine place to chat , and free the VHF from most abuses.

Very seldom issue a Securite, but there are a few narrow channels where there isn't room to pass a tug and barge coming the other way. Elliot cut (Wappoo Creek) just West of Charleston, NC is one of those areas. A narrow channel with varying concrete retained banks, substantial tidal currents, that has occasional barge and tug traffic. First time I was heading into the cut, saw a barge and tug coming the other way with the tidal flow. There was no way any of us could have passed him, so waited for him to come out before entering. Would have been nice for him to have issued a Securite call before entering the cut.

Ted

We have a pretty settled routine when we hit fog (as we often do in the Northeast.) Lights, radar and foghorn on, extra eyes for watchstanding, radios scanning only the important channels.

And, when transiting known busy areas, securite calls. There have been many times our calls were answered by commercial traffic, and appropriate crossing arrangements made. These generally involved me offering to stay the heck out of the way. The response has always been professional and courteous.

I totally agree about adopting the cadence and tone of the commercial operators. Sounding professional on the radio will go a long way toward earning respect. And it's a lot harder than you'd think. It takes practice. If you sound slightly bored by the whole thing, you're starting to get the hang of it

CaptTom said:

I totally agree about adopting the cadence and tone of the commercial operators. Sounding professional on the radio will go a long way toward earning respect. And it's a lot harder than you'd think. It takes practice. If you sound slightly bored by the whole thing, you're starting to get the hang of it

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I'm sure I get it from my job since I talk on the radio for a living. We have an annual regatta, the Harvest Moon Regatta. It goes from Galveston to Port Aransas. I have raced in it and have helped people bring their boats back. One time we were coming back in the ICW on a friend's sailboat. We were going to run on all night and we did. I guess I sounded good enough as, by midnight, we had 9 boats following us...and none of them saying a peep on the radio...just following whatever we did.

It is also helpful to state what frequency you are on as most commercial operators have more than one radio they are monitoring...especially since they don't expect pleasure boats to be on the correct frequency....i.e. On channel 16 when they should be on 13.

"Why the hell are recreational boaters issuing securite calls?"

Well, there are times when they are very necessary over on the GICW. We are in Houma Marina at the moment and would not dream of leaving without issuing one. It is very narrow and single lane through here. It is listed as dangerous by some on AC.

I don't think it is but you do need to watch your AIS and listen to CH 13 traffic to find a gap before announcing our intentions. I still put Michelle on the bow as you simply cannot see anything coming until you edge into the ICW and small shrimpers etc run pretty fast through here.

So my answer is "depends". Or "as required".

Securite calls are taught in the course to get your radio operators certificate.

You know, that course of licensing that pretty much everyone in the world outside of the US has to take, in order to be compliant with IMO regulations to establish basic standards for procedures and practices on a world wide basis to meet minimum requirements for radio operators...

Northern Spy said:

Securite calls are taught in the course to get your radio operators certificate.

You know, that course of licensing that pretty much everyone in the world outside of the US has to take, in order to be compliant with IMO regulations to establish basic standards for procedures and practices on a world wide basis to meet minimum requirements for radio operators...

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You can get one of them permits with the swipe of a pen and a check....no class necessary.

Baker said:

You can get one of them permits with the swipe of a pen and a check....no class necessary.

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In the states you can... Not elsewhere.

Here, thankfully, in a six-knot boat and local ships and tugs traveling less than twice that speed, things usually happen slowly, giving plenty of time to do what needs to be done to avoid collision. There's little need to "shout."



These are the kinds of boaters one needs to place close attention:

Baker said:

You can get one of them permits with the swipe of a pen and a check....no class necessary.

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You obviously missed his point.

Nsail said:

You obviously missed his point.

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I may have as well, what was it?

Nsail said:

You obviously missed his point.

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What?!? That never happens here!

stubones99 said:

Wouldn't that be "Estúpido!" in South Florida?

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or "Oye chico no seas pendejo"

Nsail said:

You obviously missed his point.

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Nah...I got it!!! You missed my humor/sarcasm.

I still missed it - what was it?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Capt.Bill11 said:

If you ever come up the New River in Ft. Lauderdale, the Miami River, "crash corner" in Key Largo, etc., you'll need to rethink that.

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markpierce said:

Here, thankfully, in a six-knot boat and local ships and tugs traveling less than twice that speed, things usually happen slowly, giving plenty of time to do what needs to be done to avoid collision. There's little need to "shout."



These are the kinds of boaters one needs to place close attention:

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Or these. ,you notice the 'undetermined wobble of course'
,
Then the realization that you should cut directly in front of
Or this at this point the only thing I could have done would be to swing the bow over so he bumped down the side after I hit him. Channel only 400' wide. Rocks and ledge on either side. No where to go.

Wow! Cappy, I'm sure you could fill a book with everything you've seen!


Jim
Sent from my iPad using Trawler Forum

42' Pleasure trawler "Free At Last". If they ask for mor I define make and model. They rarely ask though unless tight locking situations.

I just use IRISH LADY, but rarely get a response by anyone I'm overtaking. 1 out of 10 for anyone else in SWFL with the exception of other similar imitation trawler powerboat cruiser type boats. They are near 100 percent.

Greetings,
"Why the hell are recreational boaters issuing securite calls?" (Post #54). The thread "ICW vigilance" is an excellent example of why a recreational boater should be issuing securite calls.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sécurité

caltexflanc said:

One reminder: a boat is only a "sailing vessel" when it is actually under sail. If motoring then it is a "power-driven vessel" like any other motorboat. Them's the rules..

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If a sailboat is anchored or docked, is it still a "sailboat"?

WesK said:

If a sailboat is anchored or docked, is it still a "sailboat"?

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No. Then it's a fender!