VHF Channels
★ Ch 16
Emergency Call / Distress
Always listen — do not abandon
Ch 70
DSC Digital Selective Call
Voice traffic prohibited
Ch 9
Port / Marina
Ch 12
VTS Traffic Management
Ch 14
VTS Traffic Management
Ch 72
Ship-to-Ship Communication
Ch 77
Ship-to-Ship Communication
Sound Signals — COLREGS Kural 34–35
Short sound (≈1 sec)
Long blast (4–6 sec)
▪
Going ahead
▪▪
Going astern
▪▪▪
Engines reversing
▪▪▪▪▪
Danger / I do not understand your intention
━
Escape fog — maneuver when visibility
━ ▪
Turning starboard
━ ━
Fog — engine running, stopped
━ ━ ━
Fog — drifting or restricted in maneuverability
Emergency Call Procedures
MAYDAY
Life-threatening — immediate assistance required
- Open Ch 16, send DSC call first if DSC
- Say 'MAYDAY' 3 times
- Say vessel name 3 times
- Report position, status and number of persons
- Wait for reply, repeat if necessary
"MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY — This vessel [Boat name] — Position: [LAT/LON] — [Status] — [Number of Persons]"
PAN-PAN
Emergency — no immediate danger, assistance needed
"PAN-PAN PAN-PAN PAN-PAN — This vessel [Boat name] — [Status]"
SÉCURITÉ
Safety announcement — navigation or weather warning
"SÉCURITÉ SÉCURITÉ SÉCURITÉ — This vessel [Boat name] — [Warning]"
NATO Phonetic Alphabet
A
Alpha
B
Bravo
C
Charlie
D
Delta
E
Echo
F
Foxtrot
G
Golf
H
Hotel
I
India
J
Juliet
K
Kilo
L
Lima
M
Mike
N
November
O
Oscar
P
Papa
Q
Quebec
R
Romeo
S
Sierra
T
Tango
U
Uniform
V
Victor
W
Whiskey
X
X-ray
Y
Yankee
Z
Zulu
0
Zero
1
One
2
Two
3
Three
4
Four
5
Five
6
Six
7
Seven
8
Eight
9
Niner