It's a COVID-19 thing: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/maritime-safety-information-leaflet presumably to keep FM and LW in sync so they don't need a second announcer. I guess the assumption is that vessels operating outside of VHF reception will be able to get the coastguard MF broadcasts...

They're a company limited by guarantee so ultimately controlled by the membership, although the changes a few years ago reduced the amount of control members actually have. Even though BC itself doesn't make a profit there does seem to be an incentive for the executive management to make the BC "big...

I'm aware there have been successful prosecutions under the merchant shipping regulations but these all seem to involve parachute flares fired from (or near) a vessel, so that's not really the same. I'll admit I'm not an expert on the explosives act and associated regulations but they seem to be gen...

You do of course know that would be illegal. I am aware that is a commonly held belief, but I have never seen a credible explanation of which law it would be breaking, and I am not aware of anyone having been prosecuted. To be clear, we are talking about letting off handheld flares in a private pla...

I know people in MRTs that have spent nights searching hillsides on account of out of date flares being let off in back gardens. Obviously anyone thinking of doing this needs to use some common sense but I really fail to see how a handheld flare let off in a typical back garden is going to result i...

I think there's a big difference between parachute and handheld flares here. I won't be buying any more parachute flares but I think handheld flares still have a place - they seem to be a lot safer then parachute flares. I think it's fine to just let handheld flares off in your back garden to dispos...

Just to add to this very interesting discussion, we all seem to agree that carrying and using a VHF in a sea kayak is an important safety consideration. Every sea kayaker I know carries one but very few have the SRC, so here's a question - If I turn up for my Sea Kayak Leaders assessment without a ...

As others have mentioned the SRC (or equivalent) is a legal requirement for non emergency transmissions although it's highly unlikely you'd ever get pulled up for not having one. That said I found the course useful, mainly because you get a chance to play around with some test radios. The certificat...

Thanks - seem to be more questions than answers...

Northern Blue wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 19, 2020 10:37 am

What's the source for this?

I'd be interested to know how much difference it makes to handheld range in practice - I'm suspecting the difference might not be massive. I think a PLB would be my first choice for raising the alarm in an emergency (and the cost of this isn't far off a PLB) but this could be useful in a range of sc...

DSC uses MMSIs "T" number callsigns are a pre-DSC thing.

If the weather is good enough for the circumnavigation it should be fine for the crossing too. Keyhaven has the shortest crossing, avoids the major shipping lanes further east and has a few places you could leave a car. There are a few places you can wild camp but they can be well spread out - start...

As others have said the range is likely to be the issue here but I have seen a few handheld VHFs stop (effectively) transmitting whilst still receiving so it would be a good idea to check it when you do get the chance.

If they're handheld (rather than parachute) flares I would be inclined to set them off in the garden (wearing gloves / safety glasses, not near the sea and with a bucket on hand to put them in if they don't go off). It's possibly illegal anyway but I think with handheld ones you are unlikely to caus...

Re the repair kit, the expectation at 3* is that you are a competent member of a led group so you wouldn't be expected to cope with major boat repairs for example, and in any case it's unlikely you'd fail because something is missing from your repair kit. I would think about what you would need to c...

One issue that did come to mind, if you start the tracker with alert and you lose your phone, or your phone dies, or you unexpectedly have no signal at your destination, you are not going to be able to end your plan, or alert your emergency contact, who after being automatically texted that you're ...

I've got a 3 piece Romany which I think uses the same clip system as the Rockpool boats. Once the boat is assembled it's as solid as a one piece boat - the only disadvantages are it's a bit heavier and a bit more expensive. I do worry a bit about the strain on the bulkheads when transporting it whol...

I would certainly advocate carrying some handheld / orange smoke flares in addition to vhf + plb as they are good for indicating your location to people actually looking for you - and if there are other people around will be useful for raising the alarm as well. I also carry a couple of parachute fl...

I'm only familiar with sea assessments but guess the principle is the same. I would do the assessment with someone I've at least met before if possible (but would avoid doing it with someone I knew well), my thinking being: a) It reduces the stress considerably b) There are a handful of providers I ...

For what its worth, earlier this year there were organised gangs stealing kayaks particularly sea kayaks from a number of the motorway services on the M6... There's a thread on here from 2007 about that but I've not heard of it happening since. I like to think the faff of handling sea kayaks and th...

Your best bet is probably to look for people advertising assessments and contact them directly.

You get third party insurance as a BC member - although your household policy may provide cover.

We looked at insuring our kayaks a few years ago and decided the policies had so many exclusions it wasn't worth it.

I think this is a good move - I lead club stuff and would be interested in going down the coaching route but have little/no interest (well, if time were no object...) in running flat water sessions for beginners. I would like to see BC standardise all the coach qualifications and insist coaches only...

Hi Mark, Under the new system, assuming you are a 5* leader, you may be endorsed as an Advanced Sea Kayak Leader after just 5 days on courses. I'm confused now. I thought Advance Seakayak Leader is just a new name for 5 star. Michal It is - I think he meant to say Advanced Sea Kayak *Coach*.

It would only be an issue if it's a DSC radio AND you're selling (/giving away) the old one (with the MMSI set). If it's a non-DSC radio there's nothing to register anyway. If it's a DSC one and the old one is getting binned you can just put your MMSI in the new one. If you're selling a DSC one thou...

Solent coastguard keep a listening watch on 67 (at least in the "old" Solent area - I don't think the old Portland area is included) for routine traffic but elsewhere you need to call on 16 first. (Or make a DSC call, but I get the impression very few people do).

It is definitely worth making a transmission from time to time - I've seen a couple of people suddenly discover their radios don't actually transmit (despite receiving ok). I've never had any objections from the coastguard but that may not be universal. If calling on 16 it's a good idea to listen fo...

Eastbourne to Seaford has regular buses if paddling past Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters.

It's a legal requirement if you plan to do anything other than listening and transmitting in a distress situation, although the chances of anyone checking are extremely low. It's also a requirement for the 4/5* (sea leader/advanced sea leader) awards if that's relevant. Most of the stuff is pretty s...