Personal Blogs

Fig.1 Channel 16 - The emergency channel

On the helm overnight I kept an ear out for SOS and other messages on Channel 16. What I got was the most bizarre set of calls and messages:

The US Navy acting on behalf of the United Nations ... the message went on to ask skippers to look out for anything suspicious and to report it. This is 8-12 miles out to sea along the Spanish, Mediterranean coast. 

On my watch I had:

• a small yacht, all sails up - no lights at all. They shown a torch into their sail as they came close.
• a cattermarran; no lights on. Lights on as we approached, then all navigation lights on after we passed and motored off into the darkness.
• a rib, in the dark, someone holding a torch.
• one legit, correctly lit small yacht
• various tankers in the distance, the largest a staggering 313m long and 40m wide.

Calls to prayer

Disco Music

General chatter

"Mayday, Mayday" - not in the immediate vicinity but the person couldn't give their chart position

My fertile imagination thought a war had broken out and I could hear shells exploding in Algeria.