Browsing: Mayday

Cruising Life
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How, and When, To Make a Mayday or Other Distress Call. A Good Primer from the Power Squadrons

Let’s assume that you’re up to speed on how to make a distress call to the Coast Guard in an emergency. And that you know proper VHF radio procedure, and you’re familiar with the three levels of distress calls, starting with the life- or vessel-threatening Mayday. But what happens if you’re incapacitated, or you can’t make the call yourself? Does your spouse or crew know what to do? Here’s a great reminder from the U.S. Power Squadrons on how to call for help when you need it most. Before you start a cruise, it’s a good idea to make sure…

Cruising Life
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How To Make A Mayday Call that Works

If the absolute worst happens, a fire on board, a collision with a sunken object, a sudden storm or rogue wave, and you need to place a Mayday call for help, do you know what to do? Sure, we all have probably tucked away the proper protocol in the back of our consciousness someplace, and if we have our act together we have also shared that knowledge with our crew. But in the event, when the panic sets in, do we know how to prioritize the Mayday call so that we are ensuring that the Coast Guard or other vessels…