Print this, laminate it if you can, and tape it near the radio. In an emergency nobody composes a radio call from memory, and the crew member reaching for the handset may not be the one who knows the procedure.
Say this: Mayday
Grave and imminent danger to a vessel or a person. Speak slowly and clearly on channel 16, at full power.
MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY.
This is [boat name, three times], call sign [call sign or registration, once].
MAYDAY, [boat name, once].
My position is [latitude and longitude, or bearing and distance from a named landmark].
I am [nature of distress: sinking, on fire, aground, person overboard].
I have [number] people on board.
I require [assistance needed].
[Description of the boat: length, type, hull colour].
OVER.
Release the button and listen. If nobody answers, repeat the call.
Say this: Pan-Pan
Urgent, but nobody is in grave and imminent danger. An engine failure in a safe place, an injury that is stable, a boat disabled but not sinking.
PAN-PAN, PAN-PAN, PAN-PAN.
All stations, all stations, all stations.
This is [boat name, three times], call sign [call sign, once].
My position is [position].
I have [the problem] and I need [what would help].
I have [number] people on board.
OVER.
DSC distress button
- Lift the red cover and hold the distress button down until the radio confirms, usually about five seconds.
- Select the nature of the distress if the radio offers a list and there is time. If there is not, send it anyway.
- The radio sends your identity and, if it is connected to a GPS, your position, then it switches to channel 16.
- Follow up immediately with a spoken Mayday on 16. The digital alert says who and where. Your voice says what.
- Listen for the acknowledgement and stay on 16.
A DSC alert only carries your position if the radio has a GPS feed, and it only carries your identity if the MMSI has been programmed. Both are worth checking before you need them.
Channels
| Channel | Use | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Distress, safety and calling | Keep a listening watch here. Make contact, then move to a working channel. |
| 70 | Digital selective calling | Data only. Voice is not allowed on 70. This is the channel the red distress button uses. |
| 22A | Coast Guard liaison | Where the Coast Guard will move you after contact on 16, and where safety broadcasts go out. |
| 9 | Boater calling | Alternate calling channel, commercial and non-commercial, used to keep 16 clearer. |
| 13 | Bridge to bridge navigation safety | Ship handling and passing arrangements. Low power. This is how you talk to a ship or a bridge tender. |
| 68, 69, 71, 78A | Non-commercial working channels | The recreational working channels. Move here once you have made contact on 16 or 9. |
| 72 | Non-commercial, ship to ship only | Boat to boat. Not for calling a marina or a shore station. |
| WX1 to WX7 | NOAA weather broadcasts | Receive only. Continuous forecasts, 162.400 to 162.550 MHz. |
Designations follow the US Coast Guard Navigation Center channel table. Channel use differs outside the United States, so check local practice when cruising abroad.
Mayday or Pan-Pan
The two calls are not interchangeable, and the difference is the severity of the situation rather than how worried you feel.
Mayday means grave and imminent danger to a vessel or a person. Sinking, on fire, someone in the water, a serious medical emergency. It takes priority over every other transmission, everywhere on the band.
Pan-Pan means urgent but not immediately life-threatening. An engine failure in settled weather with sea room, a fouled propeller, an injury that is stable. It still gets attention, and it still gets help, without pulling every vessel in range off what they were doing.
If you genuinely cannot tell which one applies, make the Mayday call. Downgrading later is easy. A situation that gets worse while you were being polite is not.
Channel 16 and the Working Channels
Channel 16 is for distress, safety and making contact. It is not a conversation channel. The etiquette is simple: call the boat or the marina on 16, agree a working channel, and switch. Two boats chatting on 16 are sitting on the frequency someone else may need.
For recreational boats the working channels are 68, 69, 71, 72 and 78A, with 72 restricted to boat-to-boat. Channel 9 exists as an alternate calling channel to take pressure off 16 in busy areas.
Channel 13 is worth knowing separately. It is the bridge-to-bridge navigation safety channel, and it is how you talk to a ship or a bridge tender about what you are both about to do. If a ship is overtaking you in a narrow channel, 13 is where that conversation happens, not 16. Knowing who has right of way matters less than agreeing out loud what you are each going to do.
Channel 70 never carries voice. It is the digital channel your red distress button uses, and transmitting voice on it is both useless and prohibited.
Before You Need It
Three things determine whether your DSC distress button does anything useful, and all three are worth checking at the dock rather than at sea:
- Is the MMSI programmed? Without it the radio sends an alert that does not say who you are.
- Is a GPS connected? Without a position feed the alert does not say where you are, which removes most of its value.
- Does the crew know where the button is? Under the red cover, held down for about five seconds. Show people before the trip, not during it.
Radio checks belong on the same list as fuel and safety gear, which is why they sit in the pre-departure checklist. For the wider picture of getting attention when something has gone wrong, including flares and beacons, see distress signals and calling for help at sea. If the contact is routine rather than an emergency, dealing with the Coast Guard covers what a boarding or a safety check actually involves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about VHF use:
Do I Need a Licence to Use a VHF Radio?
In US waters a recreational boat generally does not need a station licence for a VHF, and requirements change if you travel internationally or fit certain equipment. Rules differ by country, so check the regulator where you sail rather than assuming.
Handheld or Fixed-Mount?
Range is mostly about antenna height, so a masthead antenna on a fixed set reaches far further than a handheld at deck level. Carry a handheld as the backup that still works when the batteries are flat or you are in the liferaft.
Can I Use a Phone Instead?
A phone calls one number. A Mayday on 16 reaches every boat within range at once, and the nearest of those is usually the fastest help available. Carry a phone as well, not instead.
What If Nobody Answers My Mayday?
Repeat it. Check you are on high power and on 16, and that the squelch is not turned up so far that you cannot hear a reply. If you have DSC, send the digital alert too.
Is a Radio Check on Channel 16 Acceptable?
No. Use a working channel, or an automated radio check service where one exists. Sixteen is for distress, safety and brief calling only.