Starts:

Saturday April 20, 2019

Saturday, April 20th at 6:00pm
Education Event- Bruce Buckley- U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary

Bruce Buckley from the US Coast Guard Auxiliary.  He will be talking about the latest technology  for communications  aboard the small yacht, both for normal operations and for emergency and rescue.

When facing an emergency in the United States, every driver knows to call 911.  Immediately, one’s location is sent to first responders—police, fire or ambulance.  For an accident in the waters near the shore, the US Coast Guard bears the burden of first response. Coast Guard staff communicate to the stricken vessel, coordinate with other ships in the area, and respond themselves if that is needed.

To make this work smoothly, the USCG has developed the Rescue 21 program.  It consists of near-shore receiver coverage near the Eastern and Western coasts, the Great Lakes, Hawaii and parts of Alaska.

To communicate quickly with the Rescue 21 system, a small yacht needs a Digital Selective Calling (DSC)-compatible VHF radio, connected to an accurate Global Positioning System receiver (GPS); the individual Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number of the yacht must have been registered, and someone on board needs to understand how to press the “SOS” button.

On April 20, two instructors from the Coast Guard Auxiliary will be here to help all of our yachtsmen understand what they need to make their SOS quick, effective and reliable.  They will cover on-board installation, routine testing, and emergency operation, and they will offer insight into the timeline and scope of the Coast Guard’s response.  They will also show how these modern VHFs can expedite inter-vessel communications, rendezvous information and group hailing. Click HERE to reserve your space, click HERE to see who else is attending.