We had our VHF Radio Course on Wednesday this week (with Vic Stuthridge from the Heart of England Offshore Cruising Association) and I’m glad to say we all passed, so are now legally able to use VHF radios in our boat!
For those who don’t know, VHF radios are a crucial method of communicating with coastguards and other boats. They work on a separate vector to mobile phones and are a lot more reliable in disaster situations – a “Mayday” call will get to the coastguard much quicker than a 999 call, and can often carry with it other useful information, such as position.
In related news, after a series of communication with Standard Horizons’ representatives in the UK, we have managed to secure three VHF radios for our trip as they have come aboard as sponsors.
They currently produce the only DSC handheld available in the UK – DSC is a digital method of transmission on these radios that allows you to call other handsets, and automate distress calls with position and some more information. We can’t thank them enough for this important safety aid, and look forward to using them on the water!
