Radio communication on board charter yachts is not every skipper's cup of tea: many people have enough to do with the harbour manoeuvres and the technical equipment when they set off on a trip with an unfamiliar yacht that they have just taken over. The crew needs to be properly instructed and the trip planning also needs to be kept in mind.
The radio does not always have the priority it should have. In addition, the radio licence training, usually the "Short Range Certificate" (SRC), is often not very practical. The skipper may have obtained the licence at some point, but a lot of theory and emergency routines were learned, and usually only "radioed" on a simulator.
Is radio no longer up to date?
Some certificate holders start without ever having made a radio call. Then it often boils down to this: the equipment on board is different to that used in training, the radio is rarely needed in everyday charter life on site, such as on the Baltic Sea or in Greece - and then you've forgotten everything. Call procedures, working channels, English terms - what was that again?
The Association of German Yacht Charter Companies (VDC) has been observing the same phenomenon for years. Katharina Falck says: "We often see, for example in areas such as Mallorca, that more and more crews are trying to handle all communication on their mobile phones." This includes conversations with marinas or petrol stations as well as calls to the charter company.
Flowchart for radio messages in mobile VHF marine radio
Routine: The radio on board should be used frequently
Although this often works, it has many disadvantages. For example, if you ask for a berth in a harbour and call the landline number, you sometimes only reach the office, which may not even be manned. By radio, on the other hand, you are more likely to get through directly to the marineros' handsets, who know exactly how many places are free, when and where, and who can also tell you if and when they are on site to help with mooring, for example. Particularly in the low season, the staff are not out on the jetties around the clock.
Radio is therefore very important in the everyday life of a charter crew and is often superior to the mobile phone network in many respects. Reason enough for a skipper to get to grips with it. Be it by obtaining a radio licence in the first place or by reactivating what you have learnt by integrating it into everyday charter life. After all, routine is only established if the radio is used regularly on board, whether for listening or speaking.
The only problem is that training often does not teach what is important in different areas later on. For example, the not insignificant question of what radio is usually used for in individual countries. In this respect alone, there are sometimes considerable differences across Europe.
Correct radioing: Observe differences in territory
On the Baltic Sea, for example, many skippers don't need to make a single radio call for years. If you call at a harbour, you simply look for the nearest box with a green guest berth sign and moor there yourself. In many places, harbour masters only come to collect money in the evening or morning anyway, especially in Denmark or Sweden. If they still exist at all: It is not uncommon for only students to collect the mooring fees, or you have to pay the fee at a machine.
The situation is often different in the Mediterranean. The almost year-round utilisation of the harbours and not least the comparatively low pay of the marineros means that there is usually more staff on the jetties than in harbours on the North Sea or Baltic Sea. Marineros indicate the berth, take the stern lines and then lift the mooring line for the crew so that it is easier to catch with the boat hook. The staff can also help with power and water connections or take the ship's details for the harbour office.
In some areas, it is therefore good manners to register before calling at the harbour; you ask for a berth by radio. The marinero will then usually ask about the size and draught of the boat and explain which place you should head for. In some countries, such as Turkey, the marinero will even meet you on the rib and guide the crew to a free berth. If the skipper fails the mooring manoeuvre, the helpers are also on hand: with their rubber boats, they push the yacht in the right direction if necessary.
Radio etiquette vs. fast communication
This type of registration is common in many marinas in Spain, Italy, France and Turkey. In Croatia, too, this makes sense in the large commercial marinas, even if you don't always get a reliable response in the high season because the crowds are too big.
In other countries, on the other hand, you can wait a long time for an answer or a marinero service: In Greece, pleasure boaters are only helped in a few private marinas. The same applies to Denmark and Sweden. The relevant information can be found in marina guides. Or you can simply ask the basic staff of the local charter company at the beginning of the trip.
The radio routine also proves to be different from what is taught during training. While it makes sense, for example, to repeat a ship's name three times, state the call sign or acknowledge each spoken part with "over" in an emergency at sea or during other relevant conversations, this is not usual for everyday radio conversations. Anyone who listens to radio conversations quickly realises: shorter calls, no "over", no "out". Once contact has been established, the two parties speak relatively informally and the conversation is not formally ended.
Radioing correctly: skilful use of the radio must be practised
In such conventional communication, therefore, very little attention is paid to radio etiquette, whereas in other cases it is appropriate - which is why the skipper and crew should be familiar with it. For example, it is a widespread bad habit to hold endless conversations with banal content on channel 16, which is used exclusively as a call and emergency channel. Switching to the working channels is therefore strongly recommended.
In any case, if you call a marina, a petrol station operator or a bridge keeper, you can ideally do so directly via their call channel. This is easier in some countries, such as Croatia, where all ACI marinas use VHF channel 17. Elsewhere, you first have to find the channel of the person you want to call. A look in the area guide usually helps. Good charter fleet operators also provide their customers with lists of the radio working channels of the most important marinas. Sometimes the call channel is also displayed on large signs on the pier when entering the harbour.
Skilful use of the radio is also important. It is annoying for everyone involved when a crew in the vicinity of a marina transmits at a full 25 watts, so that the ears of unwilling listeners almost fall off the loudspeaker. The fact that the transmission power can be limited to 1 watt in such cases should be obvious.
The skipper should also familiarise the crew with the use of the radio. This means that a fellow sailor can handle a call while the skipper is making a manoeuvre, for example. Setting the noise suppression and how the dual watch works are further points that everyone should be familiar with.
Radio: the most important functions
- Microphone: In addition to the talk button, there is a rocker for changing channels, speed dialling to channel 16 and/or the two-channel guard.
- Display: The set channel (here 16), the transmission power (here 25 watts), the GPS position, etc. can be read.
- DSC emergency call: The activation of the automatic emergency call with GPS position is located under the protective cover. It is triggered by pressing for three seconds.
- Scan: At the touch of a button, the device searches for the next radio channel that is currently being used.
- Dual watch: On many devices you can listen to two, sometimes even three channels simultaneously, e.g. channel 16 and the ship-to-ship channels 69 or 72.
- Transmission power: At sea 25 watts. In front of the marina, petrol station or a nearby yacht, however, 1 watt is sufficient, otherwise you will drown out everyone else.
- Channel preset: The skipper can set a type of speed dialling to a frequently used channel, such as the one for the weather report (WX).
- Direct dialling channel 16: Function to automatically return to the call/emergency channel after a call.
- Noise reduction/volume: Once the desired channel has been set, turn the knob until there is no more noise.
- Control buttons: This can be used to change channels directly on the device or to scroll through the DSC menus and activate them.
5 good reasons why radio should not be dispensed with
For safety reasons alone, nobody should do without the radio when sailing on holiday. It makes life on board easier anyway, as these examples show:
1st aid in the harbour
Unusual for Baltic Sea skippers, but widespread in the Mediterranean: Anyone requesting a berth by radio is allocated a berth even before reaching the harbour pier. The marinero also helps with the mooring manoeuvre. If you provide the ship's details, you can also be sure that the berth is wide and deep enough. In countries such as Italy, Turkey, Spain and parts of France, registering by radio is simply good practice.
2. contact person in the district
Lock and bridge keepers in the Baltic Sea or Holland, traffic separation scheme control centres, rescue and emergency services - they are all usually on call and can provide important information about opening times and traffic volumes or help with technical questions or problems.
3. radio from ship to ship
Friendly yachts can also be reached at sea, outside the mobile phone network, thanks to VHF radio. You can also call commercial vessels or other yachts that are crossing in narrow passages or at night. Ideal if there is also an AIS on board that shows the name and MMSI of other ships.
4. petrol stations
Is the tap even open, is there already a queue? Is there a call or do you have to circle? Especially at popular charter stations, chaotic conditions often prevail on the return day. A quick radio enquiry will help.
5. safety
Warnings about firing exercises, storms or shipwrecks come on board via radio. In an emergency, you can even be heard on the radio from nearby ships.
Radio vs. smartphone
Many crews use mobile phones instead of VHF marine radio. However, this has various disadvantages compared to conventional radio:
1. network gaps
In many areas, there is hardly any mobile phone reception a few miles off the coast. The range of the marine radio system on a normal yacht, on the other hand, is between ten and thirty nautical miles, depending on the conditions. With a handheld radio, it is still two to three miles.
2nd caller busy
Marineros, petrol stations, bridge keepers - if you contact them by phone, someone has to answer first. If it's busy in the high season, you often wait in vain. The radio, on the other hand, is almost always in listening mode. Sometimes the addressee registers the call and answers a moment later or asks for patience.
3. only one contact person
If you need help, you can only reach one contact person by mobile phone; you can contact all radio stations within range via VHF channel 16. It doesn't always have to be an emergency at sea. Anyone who has ever needed help with a line in the propeller knows what it's all about. DSC is even more important: if the emergency is acute, pressing the emergency button automatically sends out a Mayday message including the position and name of the vessel.
4. not targetable
If help is urgently needed, rescue workers can precisely target a radio signal and find the victim. However, this does not work with a smartphone.
Do I have to radio? - Rights and obligations of charter skippers
What some skippers without a radio licence do not know: If a DSC radio station is on board, it must be switched on according to international regulations at sea. Although it is no longer compulsory to listen on channel 16, anyone can hear the automated distress calls from the DSC device.
The situation is not always clear when it comes to rights either: in Germany, the skipper of a charter boat must have an SRC or an LRC. In Croatia, it is mandatory for skippers or alternatively for a crew member. Elsewhere it is handled more laxly. Strictly speaking, however, the radio may not be used there without a licence. The rule everywhere is: necessity knows no commandment. If the crew or yacht are in danger, you can always use the radio.
The right radio in the video on YACHT TV
In co-operation with the VDC, YACHT has produced two informative videos on the subject of radio for charter crews who are new to radio or want to refresh their knowledge:
