A thought for ocean races

[AlanH]

Sometimes...in fact a lot of the time, you can't hear VHF broadcasts originating out in the Gulf of the Farallones, from the GGYC race deck. I remember in 1995 I gave Shama fits because I had anchored 200 feet off the cliffs and out of the current, just outside the GG Bridge. We couldn't hear each other on VHF.

WHAT IF.....we made it a policy for the SHF that we had a "mobile station" with a VHF and a good antenna, and a cell phone, out by the Cliff House, or something?

 

[tiger beetle]

Sometimes...in fact a lot of the time, you can't hear VHF broadcasts originating out in the Gulf of the Farallones, from the GGYC race deck.

WHAT IF.....we made it a policy for the SHF that we had a "mobile station" with a VHF and a good antenna, and a cell phone, out by the Cliff House, or something?

Hi Alan -

Is there a perceived need that the SSS RC be able to communicate with all racers at all times over the entire Farallones race course?

I remember in 1995 I gave Shama fits because I had anchored 200 feet off the cliffs and out of the current, just outside the GG Bridge. We couldn't hear each other on VHF.

Yes, that's a feature of VHF - it's line of sight and does have blind spots. So do cellular telephones. Why did you need to communicate with RC? If you were in a similar position today is there anything you would do differently?

- rob

 

[Alchera]

I think all skippers should be required to carry laptop computers hooked up to Iridium and subscribe to Twitter. Skippers are required to 'tweet' their positions and other thoughts every 5 minutes and the RC can subscribe to them all so that they know everyone is ok. ;-)

 

[BobJ]

I understand the sarcasm - I posted elsewhere that in light of recent events and the resulting saber-rattling, we should just start an SSS Sewing Circle. But from our January meeting with YRA, it is clear to me that the "hot button" with the Coast Guard is good communications, and therefore I think Alan has a valid point. If we firm things up in this area throughout our fleet, it should quiet down those sabers.

In the past I have relied on my belowdecks VHF (masthead antenna), and have left it on throughout the races. With the mic just inside the hatch, I think I have as good a shot as anyone to get a distress call out on Ch. 16. But I usually can't hear it when I'm busy racing the boat and would probably not hear a distress call from a nearby boat, nor would I have a way to call out if I found myself in the water as the Daisy, Olson 40 and J/80 sailors found themselves.

So I will be keeping my handheld VHF in my foulies from now on and if I can find a place for it, my old Garmin 12 as well. I'll also try to track down a Command-Mic for my installed VHF so I can hear in the cockpit better on the longer races, when my handheld's batteries won't last.

These are minor changes that won't cost much, but will make me a better communicator out there. I am not interested in any new systems (SPOT, etc.) unless they are proven to work and are mandated for every boat. We have plenty of requirements now - maybe we need to use the gear more effectively vs. just checking a box that we have it aboard.

 

[Wylieguy]

Ocean Race Communication

All remaining 2009 ocean races that do not require a 406 EPIRB on their list of requirements will be accompanied by a Coast Guard boat that will remain within VHF range. Those who came out for the OYRA Duxship Race on Saturday saw a 47 foot CG boat near the Starting Area. This boat would have accompanied the racers if the race had been run.
After the "Heat Wave" incident, I think it is a wise idea for ocean racers to carry a waterproof handheld VHF on their person and/or in a "ditch" bag that would float free in case something happened so quickly no one could retrieve it from below. A Garmin eTrex GPS is available for less than $100 and might not be a bad idea either. A light (strobe?) permanently attached to your PFD would certainly help in darkness.
If the two sailors on "Heat Wave" had not been able to get to their handheld VHF and use their flashlight, before it was swept away, things would probably have turned out differently.
Pat Broderick

 

[AlanH]

My understanding is that in the light of-aftermath of the Daisy tragedy and the recent issue with the J-80 in the DH Farallones, the Coast Guard is concerned about safety issues in near-coastal racing here in Northern California.

My understanding is that the DH Farallones actually had their race permit pulled several days before the event, and then had it reinstated after some negotiations. I could be wrong about that, though. I believe that a recent OYRA event (Duxbury race??) was cancelled after the race committee actually was "forced"..(I may have this wrong) to go out past Point Bonita to "investigate conditions" . They discovered light air, and so since NOAA was predicting a light day and there was a "strong southwesterly current" (whatever that means), the RC cancelled the race under some pressure from the Coasties.

Do I LIKE the above scenarios? No. No, I don't like them at all. Basically, no matter what we do, sometimes shit is gonna happen out there, even to the very best sailors who are well-prepared. I have in mind Dan Benjamin's loss of his Aerodyne 38, and Dan is an excellent sailor who had an impeccably prepared boat.

Do I like the idea of the Coast Guard cancelling nearshore-offshore racing in the area because of perceived issues with communication, etc? No. So I propose the idea of having a VHF radio monitor out near the Cliff House, or something along those lines, as a way of being able to increase the reliability of communication, and therefore safety, between racers and the RC. It's a step towards working with the Coasties.

Maybe everybody hates the idea. OK...that'd be fine.

 

[AlanH]

All remaining 2009 ocean races that do not require a 406 EPIRB on their list of requirements will be accompanied by a Coast Guard boat that will remain within VHF range. Those who came out for the OYRA Duxship Race on Saturday saw a 47 foot CG boat near the Starting Area. This boat would have accompanied the racers if the race had been run.

Pat Broderick

You gotta be kidding me. The Coasties are putting a 47 foot cutter OUT, ON THE WATER for all the Ocean Races this season?

the expense of doing that, plus the public perception of "coddling the yachties".....NO, no no no no no no no.....BAD

 

[AlanH]

Yes, that's a feature of VHF - it's line of sight and does have blind spots. So do cellular telephones. Why did you need to communicate with RC? If you were in a similar position today is there anything you would do differently?

- rob

In '95 if I remember rightly (might have been '96) it was a reasonably windy race until the end. I well remember bobbing around a mile out past Seal Rocks in the middle of a meass fo 30 other boats, with nav lights everywhere, and crawling in towards the Gate against a building flood. I remember trying a couple of times to get around the South tower to get flushed out again. I remember seeing Terry McKelvey motoring with Sensei's inboard chugging at full go, and barely making headway.

Back then I didn't have a dime and was racing on a shoestring. The bleedin' outboard wouldn't start and even if it had, the 2 hp might not have been able to get me around at full ebb. So I wound up ghosting a few hundred yards back along the shoreline, maybe 200 yards off the beach and dropping an anchor to wait out the current. After trying for 20-30 minutes to raise the RC, I reviewed the race instructions, which if I remember rightly had a mandatory finishing time of some ridiculous time the next morning. I turned off the VHF. **Mistake.** I set a kitchen alarm to wake me up in four hours and took a nap. I remember learning that night, that if you want to do that, it gets REALLY cold inside sweaty-wet foul weather gear if you're wearing a cotton t-shirt and blue jeans, BTW.

Anyway, Shama drove up on the bluffs by the SF end of the bridge and tried to hail me on the VHF, since I was the only boat that hadn't cleared off the course. She wound up calling Joan, who freaked, of course and it was just ugly until I got in the next morning about 7:00 AM.

What I would do differently now, is I'd call the RC telephone number, and tell them where I was, and withdraw from the race. Then I'd call Joan and tell her where I was.

But honestly, that's not relevant to the discussion, since the cell phone thing solves this sort of communications problem when you're inside Point Bonita. I just answered you 'cause it was fun, remembering!

Shama STILL rags me about that night, now and then!

 

[BobJ]

You gotta be kidding me. The Coasties are putting a 47 foot cutter OUT, ON THE WATER for all the Ocean Races this season?

the expense of doing that, plus the public perception of "coddling the yachties".....NO, no no no no no no no.....BAD

I'm not surprised. The CG wants to be in a position to shorten their response times. When we have several ocean races in a row with no incidents, they may no longer feel the need to be out there.

 

[AlanH]

Are there regulations that prohibit the use of a Marine VHF transciever from a shore-based station? I rather doubt it, since the Coasties do it, themselves, and of course we use one on the Race Deck.

While having a station up on the bluffs, a couple hundred feet above the water and with a clear view of the whole Gulf of the Farallones would do wonders for communication, it doesn't do a whole lot if the beefiest radio that someone is carrying is a 3 watt handheld on a pair of really low AA batteries. They can check in to the RC from 50 yards off of the GGYC race deck with that handheld, but beyond that....

 

[BobJ]

While having a station up on the bluffs, a couple hundred feet above the water and with a clear view of the whole Gulf of the Farallones would do wonders for communication, it doesn't do a whole lot if the beefiest radio that someone is carrying is a 3 watt handheld on a pair of really low AA batteries...

...which is why for races outside the Gate, SSS now requires 25 watts:

SSI's revised 2/28/09

 

[tiger beetle]

Are there regulations that prohibit the use of a Marine VHF transciever from a shore-based station?

Yes, if you are not a licensed shore station.

http://wireless.fcc.gov/services/index.htm?job=operations&id=ship_stations#Prohibited Communications

Using Hand-Held Marine VHF Radios on Land
You must have a special license, called a marine utility station license, to operate a hand-held marine radio from land -- a ship station license IS NOT sufficient. You may apply for this license by filing FCC Forms 159 and 605 with the FCC. To be eligible for a marine utility station license, you must generally provide some sort of service to ships or have control over a bridge or waterway. Additionally, you must show a need to communicate using hand-held portable equipment from both a ship and from coast locations. Each unit must be capable of operation while being hand-carried by an individual. The station operates under the rules applicable to ship stations when the unit is aboard a ship, and under the rules applicable to private coast stations when the unit is on land.

YOU MUST NOT TRANSMIT --

* False distress or emergency messages.
* Messages containing obscene, indecent, or profane words or meaning.
* General calls, signals, or messages on channel 16, except in an emergency or if you are testing your radio (these are messages not addressed to a particular station), or
* When your ship is on land (for example, while the ship is on a trailer).

- rob/beetle

 

[Alchera]

Using Hand-Held Marine VHF Radios on Land
You must have a special license, called a marine utility station license, to operate a hand-held marine radio from land -- a ship station license IS NOT sufficient. You may apply for this license by filing FCC Forms 159 and 605 with the FCC. To be eligible for a marine utility station license, you must generally provide some sort of service to ships or have control over a bridge or waterway. Additionally, you must show a need to communicate using hand-held portable equipment from both a ship and from coast locations.

Then there's the reality... which is that no one has a license for handhelds and that they freely use them to communicate between shore parties and their boats. At least that has been my observation.
- Mark