but if a vessel were to attempt to use the
channel during a mayday, the Coast Guard
would make the announcement.
It may be that a commercial towing
service, such as TowBoatU.S., will become
involved. If they have a rescue vessel that
can arrive sooner than the Coast Guard,
they will make that known on the radio.
Larry Tieman, a skipper with TowBoatU.S.
in the Tampa Bay region, confirmed that,
saying, ”Because of the drawdown in
Coast Guard assets, I might have a vessel
available sooner than the Coast Guard.”
With a fleet of 13 vessels, with a minimum
of 12 either on the water or ready to make
way in a half-hour or less, Tieman and his
associates outnumber the Coast Guard in
their area and have been involved in many
rescues. The same is true of commercial
towers in many areas.
With the conclusion of the mayday,
the rescuing authority will re-open the
channel for normal traffic, and just as
with all the other scenarios, there is a
set formula to follow. The broadcast
begins with the word, “Mayday,” followed
by “Hello, all stations,” repeated three
times. That is followed by the announcing
station identifying itself, repeated three
times, and then followed by the time of
the announcement.
The transmission will conclude with the
words, “Seelonce Finay,” to indicate that
the emergency is done with and that
normal radio traffic may resume.
immediate and grave, life-threatening
circumstances. What do you do if you see
a vessel that is apparently in distress but
you have heard no radio traffic indicating
their desire for assistance? They may have
lost their radio, or they may not be ready
to send a mayday. It is not appropriate
for you to originate a mayday on another
vessel’s behalf, but you may send a pan-
pan message, noting your location and the
nature of the observed distress. If you can
approach the vessel and establish non-
radio communication, they may request
a mayday, but remember that only the
distressed vessel can give it. Your call for
assistance should only state that you are
calling on behalf of a “vessel in distress.”
The rule for radio silence is observed
whether the rescuing authority is the Coast
Guard or a commercial towing service.
From that instant until notification either by
the Coast Guard or the rescuing authority,
only radio traffic directly concerned with
the mayday is allowed on that channel.
You may instead hear the phrase “
Pru-Donce.” This is heard when the emergency
is occurring over a long period of time and
indicates that the channel is available on
a limited basis for high-priority messages
only. The working channel is not cleared
for normal traffic until “Seelonce Finay” is
announced by the controlling station.
The procedure for receiving and relaying
a mayday message is formulaic, and
assumes the vessel in distress is in
With all that is involved, why not just
leave it to the professionals? If you see, or
know of, a vessel in immediate, grave and
life-threatening distress, you are obliged,
under both U.S. law and international
treaties, to render assistance to the extent
that you are able, without endangering
your vessel or your crew. In all likelihood
that means making sure the Coast Guard
(or other agencies such as TowBoatU.S.)
become aware of the situation.
When You’re the Rescuer
It’s a lovely afternoon, and then you hear
“Mayday, mayday” on your radio. The
location sounds close to your position, so
you look around and there, maybe a mile
away, is the vessel in distress. You could
be there in five minutes. What do you do?
There is the weight of tradition as well as
numerous international treaties regarding
the safety of life at sea that state that any
vessel that can offer assistance to another
vessel in life-threatening circumstances
is required to do so, short of endangering
the responding vessel and her crew. As
for any worries about liability, the Federal
Boat Safety Act of 1971 says, in essence,
that aid rendered to persons who desire
aid does not carry with it any liability
providing the assistance was done in
a manner that “any prudent man or
woman” would employ.
Let the mayday call conclude and wait
for a response from the Coast Guard.
When the channel is clear, announce
who and where you are, state that you
are underway and your time of arrival.
Best practice would be to update the Coast
Guard with whatever information you
have regarding the emergency: number of
people on board or in the water; number
of life jackets available; number of people
in your vessel, and what your plans are.
You may be able only to get them out of the
water but require assistance to get them
ashore; the more information the Coast
Guard has, the better able they will be to
assist both the vessel in distress and you,
the rescuer.
Break out all your spare life jackets while
en route and place fenders to enable you to
come alongside, if that is a prudent means
of taking on the distressed crew. Rehearse
your strategy for taking aboard persons in
the water, and be prepared to deal with
hypothermia, injuries and shock. Keep the
Coast Guard fully aware of your position
and actions.
If the vessel is on fire, stay upwind. The
distressed crew will have to leave their
vessel and the rescue will consist of taking
them aboard. Do not attempt to board
the vessel and fight the fire yourself. If
the vessel is in immediate danger of
capsizing, stay sufficiently clear so that
you avoid any entanglement with the
sinking vessel.
If you have picked up the distressed
crew and their vessel is still afloat but
not under command, send a pan-pan
message on Channel 16 stating the
presence of a “hazard to navigation”
and give the boat’s location and drift
rate, if it can be determined. The empty
vessel is not a “derelict,” which is a legal
term designating a vessel that has been
abandoned by its owner with no intention
of returning.
A quick note on the law as it pertains to
salvage is in order: “Salvage rights,” the
money given to vessels that effect the
salvage of a distressed vessel, do not
apply to the saving of life. It only pertains
to property. Your interests, and liability, are
protected by the Good Samaritan law.
