Chapter 7
Voice procedure 2: Distress calls
Of all the reasons for wanting to have a radio on board, the ability to call for help in an emergency is undoubtedly at the very top of the list. It’s important to appreciate, however, that a radio distress message may trigger an expensive, time consuming, and possibly dangerous search and rescue effort.
It is definitely not something to be used just because the wind has dropped and you would like a tow, or because the fuse has blown on your anchor winch.
Strictly speaking, no radio transmission can be made without the authorization of the Master (or Skipper) of the vessel, but this is particularly true of distress calls. Even if the Master has delegated authority for authorising routine calls to someone else, distress calls must still be authorised by the person in charge of the vessel at the time.
Definition of distress
The definition of “distress” under the Radio Regulations is rather narrower than in everyday language. In order to qualify as a distress situation:-
a vessel, vehicle, aircraft or person must be in grave and imminent danger.
A dog has fallen overboard, and is in danger of drowning
The dog is in grave and imminent danger, but it is not a vessel, vehicle, aircraft, or person, so although this is a distressing situation, it is NOT a distress situation.
The skipper has fallen overboard, but you have practised the MoB routine lots of times.
It is far more difficult to recover a human being than to retrieve the fender and bucket used for practice, and survival after even a few minutes immersion in cold water is far from guaranteed. Unless you are 100% confident of a happy outcome, this incident involves grave and imminent danger to a person, so it is a distress situation.
A sailing boat has been dismasted, and the remains of the rig are tangled in her propeller. The strong wind is sweeping her quickly towards a rocky shore, only a mile or two away.
This concerns a vessel. It is in danger of being swept onto the rocks, and is likely to do so very soon. This meets both tests, so it is a distress situation.
A motor boat has been immobilised by discarded fishing gear tangled around her propellers and rudders. She is now drifting, some thirty miles from the nearest land.
This incident concerns a vessel, so it passes the first test. But although the vessel may eventually be in danger, it is certainly not imminent. This does not meet the “grave and imminent” test, so it is NOT a distress situation.
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