Making a Distress Call
For future reference, write your boat’s name & call sign here:
Speak slowly - clearly - calmly.
1. Make sure your radio is on.
2. Press the
16/9-TRI
button to switch to Channel 16 (156.8 MHz).
(If the display does not show 16, press the
16/9-TRI
button again
until it does.)
3. Press the
Push To Talk
button and say: “
MAYDAY --
MAYDAY -- MAYDAY
.”
4. Say “
THIS IS
{name of your boat (three times) and call sign/boat
registration number (once)}.”
5. Repeat “
MAYDAY
{name of your boat}” once.
6. Tell where you are: (what navigational aids or landmarks are
near, or read the latitude and longitude from your GPS).
7. State the nature of your distress (e.g. sinking, medical
emergency, man overboard, on fire, adrift, etc.).
8. State the type of assistance you need (medical, towing, pumps,
etc.).
9. Give the number of persons aboard and describe the condition
of any injured persons.
10. Estimate present seaworthiness of your ship (e.g. how
immediate is the danger due to flooding or fire).
11. Briefly describe your ship, giving ship name (i.e., “Blue Duck is
32 foot cabin cruiser, white hull, blue deck house”).
12. Say: “
I WILL BE LISTENING ON CHANNEL 16.
”
13. End the message by saying “
THIS IS
{name or call sign of your
boat}
, OVER.
”
14. Release the
Push To Talk
button and listen.
15. If you do not get an answer after 30 seconds, repeat your call
beginning at step 3 above.
