'There was no wrecks and nobody drownded,....'

[EDWIN DAVIES]

I have listened to hours of chat as a passenger in military planes and found 50% of the radio traffic unintelligible. It takes time to tune in to the low quality transmission and limited frequencies radio can cope with. As Steve has pointed out it also helps if you give the listener time to 'tune in' to what is coming. Speaking slowly and clearly also helps. As with most skills practice makes perfect.

[Andy Dingle]

Michael.

I have only just had the opportunity to see your post on 'lessons learned' and those of the events of that day.
Many thanks for being so frank and honest. There are things here that we all can learn from and it is the sharing of experiences like that that are so beneficial to us all.

I still am plagued with thoughts (and a little guilt I confess) about whether or not myself and Peter C (with Toby) have gone back to physically check on you. I did consider it at the time. It was myself who called you from 'Joybells' and was relieved to hear that you were ok (at that time) and you were proceeding at your own speed.
We were monitoring 16 and were aware that there had been reports of a man in the water off Durdle Door but that was described as a kayaker - which thinking of your vessel upside down, indeed would have looked like a kayak from the shore.

My tuppenyworth on some of the thoughts and opinions that have already been said ..

I recall my early days of dinghgy sailing and it was always standard practice to put a lanyard on the tiller/rudder as on the daggerboard. A notch or some kind of aid to assist in retracting a dagger or centreboard has always been a point of discussion and it is always very difficult to get out. The BR's have a notch cut in, put in practice that may be difficult to pull out with cold stiff fingers - and the board is heavy.

The cleating off of the mainsheet is something I regularly see nowadays (cruiser style) so you are not the only one, I always was taught in small boats never to do this...  but it is up to the helmsman to make up their own mind on this depending on circumstances.

You will all of course have seen the latest 'Offshore' RNLI magazine as we are all paid up members of the RNLI aren't we?! The 'lessons learned' in this months article was similar to yours (except it was a real kayak) but the victim in this case was totally incapacitated in the water and unable to reboard his craft as he was wearing a flotation suit that filled with water. Impossible to pull himself back on board due to it's weight. But did keep him warm and afloat as he drifted out of the Solent west channel..! He now has a drysuit.

Pen flares are small, compact and waterproof, very easily attached to the life jacket, relatively cheap and available. Easy to operate with cold wet hands and reliable. Just a suggestion..? Laser flares have been mentioned and this is very worth investigating more - not sure if they have been officially 'solas' approved but I believe they are now on the market.

The discussion on vhf radio's and voice procedures was interesting. If I may add a couple of my thoughts based on 40 odd years as a regular radio user ..? As has been said, think of what you want to say before you press the ptt, and only say that, keep it short and punctual. Listen for a second or two to make sure no one else is transmitting, always, always try and shield yourself from the wind - the biggest drawback in open boats (you will have experienced the same on mobile phones no doubt), try and remember to make proper use of 'over' when expecting a reply or 'out' to end your transmission. If you hear another boat calling a third that you know you can communicate with, then offer to 'relay' the message - this was apparent that day when the fleet was scattered and some boats could not contact others.

But after all that we were hugely relieved to find it ended happily...

Sadly I have had to withdraw from the English Raid this year as I have so much else going on.. not least sorting things out for my shiny new BC23 (sadly not wood this time!) - it will be definitely be at the S'oton Boat Show.. (Where has the year gone?).
But I hope to bump into you and Cavatina gain before too long.. when, if the wind is getting up you can crew with me ..!

Andy

[Michael Rogers]

Thanks, Andy. I've said more than enough on most aspects of this!

However, just a comment on VHF radio. I'm no expert (quite the reverse), but having just done the RYA VHF radio course I suppose i'm sort of up to date. It seems to me there are three aspects to this -

1) The equipment. For obvious reasons I'm keen on radios which float! It is actually striking how relatively primitive maritime radios seem to be, compared (for example) with mobile phone technology. There's not a lot which can be done about that, and I expect some catching up will happen with time.

2) Procedures. In response to Steve's query, and as we were taught on the course, a 'correct' interaction would be something like -
          'Mallory, Mallory, Mallory, this is Cavatina,Cavatina - over'.
          'Cavatina, Cavatina this is Mallory - over' 
           If on Ch 16, a suggested switch to another channel would be agreed, and the conversation would continue there, with boat names reduced at this stage to singles: each contribution ended with 'over', until the end one which would finish with 'out'. NO 'over and out' and NO 'roger' or 'wilco' (sorry, Biggles). Special procedures for mayday-s and panpan-s.

3) Gabbling and mumbling. I think we all tend to speak too fast, and conscious slowing down can only help. Mumbling is a modern pandemic. There are some TV series I can't cope with because of it (remember "Jamaica Inn" recently?), and there's nothing wrong with my hearing. Anthony Hopkins, who now lives in Hollywood, has master classes for young American would-be film actors specifically to counteract their modern tendency to mumble.

Andy's point about protection from wind noise when using the radio is a very good one, which I, for one, will take on board.

[Steve Joyce]

' Roger ' was acceptable for the affirmative on military radio. OK could only be used in response to a radio check,  and 'over and out' only if you really liked doing press ups!

We also had to use a slightly "Monty Python" voice as raising the pitch makes it easier to hear what is being said apparently.