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Ouzo Maib Report


duncan
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The Ouzo incident provides sombre reading and irrespective of any official recommendations should prompt us to check our plans for such circumstances. Having experienced a cross-channel ferry bearing down on me at speed whilst I was under sail made me realize the limited time and options available on a small craft to deal with such a position.

 

In my opinion once there is a risk of collision the highest priority must be establishing contact with the approaching (and possibly unknown) vessel. For this there is a lot to be said for visual communication with the prompt use of warning flares (day or night) to make your presence more obvious - prompt would mean having suitable flares ready to hand at all times. With the availability of VHF radio then a call on the inter-ship navigation safety channel (CH.13 bridge-to-bridge) would probably be more appropriate than using CH.16. If you have an AIS receiver/display then identification of the other vessel allows VHF calling to be specific. None of this applies, of course, without a good watch being kept as the situation develops rapidly with our typical 3 mile horizon and maybe 20 knot speeds involved.

 

Having been involved in coastal surveillance radar trials I would never assume that small boats such as ours were visible on radar, even with reflectors fitted, once the sea state was more than slight. The radar reflector evaluations and recommendations will make interesting reading when published in May.

 

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The large commercial ships will be monitoring Ch16 and also the commercial channels - so a call on the VHF along the lines of:

 

' The container vessel at position 001 52 151 002 03 111 this is xxx xxx ' should be sufficiant to get the boat's attention - this is certianly how I have heard it doen in the past.

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I'm with ahoy on this

 

if you think you are in danger and cannot solve the situation alone - white flare white flare white flare

 

then get to the niceties of vhf calls - but even then only after liferaft, checked jackets, grab bag with vhf

 

all with a final view to 5 seconds on the red button...............you do have a red button don't you ph34r.gif

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