VHF YES-YES
After reading in the December issue Capt. David J. Mahler’s “VHF No- No” letter in reply to the November letter “Bridge-to-Car Communications,” I wish to advise that the FCC has amended the rules for use of VHF radios on land.
Refer to 47CFR Section 80.115 and the amendment adopted Aug. 30, 2016, which allows the use of handheld marine radios “only in areas adjacent to the water, such as docks and beaches.” In addition, as suggested by the Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services and consistent with our requirements for offshore use, onshore communications using such radios must relate to the business needs of the associated vessel and be limited to the minimum practicable transmission time.
It is now legal to call from land to your boat on the water with traffic relating to activities of the ship and occupants. This change was made to promote use of marine VHF portable radios among boaters.
Capt. Chuck Stealey Anna Maria Island, Florida
SAFE SPEED, PROPER LOOKOUT?
I read the excellent article on COLREGS by Pat Mundus in the December issue [“The Importance Of Rule 5 And Situational Awareness”]. Unfortunately, high speed ferries don’t always observe the COLREGS.
This past July on a passage from Block Island, Rhode Island, to Cuttyhunk, Massachusetts, we had zero wind and dense fog that was forecast to clear early but remained heavy for the entire trip of 35 miles. Our 44-foot sailboat has operational radar, AIS, an automated foghorn, a Tri-lens radar reflector, running lights, etc. It’s a busy route, and we were watchful, with eyes forward. High-speed ferries cross the area at 30 knots, putting all vessels at risk.
I was standing near the helmsman when she grabbed the VHS to call a ferry, by name, that was approaching in a crossing situation from our starboard side. I stepped to the wheel to see our two icons almost superimposed, converging for an imminent collision. Since we were the give-way vessel, I made a hard right as the ferry transmitted, “we are altering course,” and I simultaneously yelled, “hard right!”
My crew later reported hearing the ferry captain saying, at that instant, “I’ll pass starboard to starboard.” The ferry was standon, so he’s required to maintain course and speed unless we acknowledge his request to pass starboard to starboard. A second or two later, the ferry was seen passing across our bow at high speed only a couple hundred feet away, his horn protesting as he disappeared into the curtain of fog.
Other boats in the area were proceeding slowly, blowing their foghorns at prescribed intervals, which no ferry traveling at speed would be capable of hearing. It appeared this ferry was weaving around its targets, relying on radar and stealth to avoid collision.
If a collision had occurred — with four souls lost — I think a maritime court would find the ferry 90 percent culpable and maybe 10 percent to us since our AIS/radar guard zone alarm was silenced.