seamanship Morgane Oger 7/31/2026

Marine VHF done properly: conduct, GMDSS and VTS in BC and Washington

VHF can make a skipper feel like a beginner. The button clicks; every voice seems to be listening. The language is structured not to exclude newcomers, but to preserve life at sea.

Channel 16 is a shared safety network. Vessels, pilots, Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) and rescue authorities may hear every call. Canadian and U.S. boaters share its language, though equipment, licensing, watchkeeping and VTS rules vary by vessel, flag, voyage and location.

Sound like you belong on the radio

You need no announcer’s voice. Sound calm, be kind and remember everyone wants the same thing: to keep us all safe. Listen first, note position and identify both stations.

Channel 16 carries distress, urgency, safety announcements and calls. Channel 70 carries Digital Selective Calling (DSC) data, never voice. Move other traffic to a working channel. Use 1 watt nearby and 25 when range is needed.

Keep it short. OVER expects a reply; OUT ends the exchange. “Over and out” does both at once.

Marine VHF is public. Make radio checks by DSC, automated service or a suitable working channel, not Channel 16.

Maintain the required watch. VTS participants guard their assigned channel; other VHF vessels generally guard Channel 16 when free. U.S. rules can also require specified vessels to guard Channel 13.

Four priorities, in one order

Fear makes it hard to know what to say. The priority structure makes need unmistakable and helps preserve life: MAYDAY, PAN PAN, SÉCURITÉ, routine.

Use MAYDAY only for grave and imminent danger requiring immediate help. With configured DSC, alert on Channel 70, then speak on Channel 16. The red button is not enough; voice explains what is happening.

MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY
THIS IS [vessel name three times]
MAYDAY [vessel name, call sign or MMSI]
POSITION [position]
[nature of distress]
[assistance required]
[persons on board and other useful information]
OVER

The controlling station may order silence with SEELONCE MAYDAY or SEELONCE DISTRESS, permit restricted working with SEELONCE PRUDONCE, and close traffic with SEELONCE FEENEE. These are control messages.

Use MAYDAY RELAY when the casualty cannot transmit, help is needed, or you cannot assist with an unacknowledged distress. Identify yourself and repeat the information accurately.

PAN PAN concerns urgent safety before danger becomes grave and imminent. Give identity, position, problem and help needed. Escalate if conditions deteriorate; cancel when action is no longer required.

SÉCURITÉ introduces navigational or weather hazards. Announce briefly on Channel 16, name a working channel, then give details there. All-stations safety announcements are not routinely acknowledged.

For routine traffic, use a working channel. If you must call on Channel 16, be brief:

[called station], THIS IS [your vessel]. OVER.

Switch as agreed and finish with OUT. Docking plans can wait.

Give a position that can be found

Stress can turn coordinates into a mouthful. Slow down; haste makes position ambiguous. State latitude first, then longitude, in degrees and minutes:

POSITION 49 degrees 04 decimal 6 minutes NORTH, 123 degrees 18 decimal 8 minutes WEST.

Written compactly: 49° 04.6′ N, 123° 18.8′ W. Speak NORTH, SOUTH, EAST or WEST; never imply the hemisphere.

Without coordinates, give a three-digit true bearing and nautical-mile distance from an identified charted landmark or aid:

POSITION 270 degrees TRUE, 2 decimal 5 nautical miles from Point Atkinson Light.

“Near the island” is not a position. Otherwise give what narrows the search: channel, bay, marked aid, shoreline feature, course and speed.

VTS across the Salish Sea

VTS traffic can intimidate from a small cockpit. Keep listening. Its clipped exchanges build a common picture so different vessels can share confined water safely. VTS does not take the con or replace the Collision Regulations.

Seattle, Victoria and Prince Rupert Traffic cooperate across the border, combining VHF reports with AIS, radar and other sensors.

Small craft benefit from listening even when exempt, but cannot assume they have been seen. Under Rule 10, they must not impede vessels following a traffic lane.

Canadian VTS rules cover vessels from 300 gross tonnage, tow or push combinations from 500 gross tonnage, and specified cargoes. Western reporting also applies from 20 metres, except to pleasure craft under 30 metres and fishing vessels under 24 metres and no more than 150 gross tonnage. Tows have separate length tests.

Puget Sound VTS Users include power-driven vessels from 20 metres, passenger vessels from 100 gross tons, and dredges or floating plants. Full reporting begins at 40 metres, at 8 metres for towing vessels, or with certification for at least 50 passengers for hire.

Principal assignments:

Seattle Traffic: 05A for Juan de Fuca, San Juan Islands, Rosario Strait and north Admiralty Inlet; 14 for Puget Sound, Hood Canal and southern waters.
Victoria Traffic: 11 for Haro Strait, Boundary Pass and southern Strait of Georgia; 74 for the Fraser; 12 for Burrard Inlet and Howe Sound; 71 northward to Cape Caution.
Prince Rupert Traffic: 74 for Juan de Fuca’s west-coast approaches and southern zone; 11 and 71 for northern sectors 1 and 2.

Sector boundaries decide the channel. Check current Radio Aids, Part 3 and the VTS Puget Sound User’s Manual; centres may redirect traffic. Maintain required Channel 16 and 13 watches. VTS does not replace passing agreements.

Download the Salish Sea VTS channels and calling-in points card (SVG)

Schematic Salish Sea map showing VTS channels, boundaries and Canadian calling-in points

The card is deliberately schematic. It helps identify the traffic centre and working channel, but it is not a chart and does not decide whether a vessel must participate or report. Use the current official publications aboard.

Why GMDSS exists

A frightened skipper should not gamble on being heard. That problem drives the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System, introduced through the IMO’s 1988 SOLAS amendments, phased in from 1992 and fully operational on February 1, 1999.

The earlier system depended on voice or Morse reaching a listener. Range, watchkeeping or damage could break the chain. GMDSS added addressed alerts, position identification, satellite coverage and automatic safety information.

The system can include DSC radio, satellite service, 406 MHz EPIRBs, NAVTEX, locating devices, portable VHFs and reserve power.

Sea areas reflect coverage: A1 for VHF DSC, A2 for MF DSC beyond A1, A3 for recognized mobile satellite beyond A1 and A2, and A4 for the remainder. A1 service exists in declared Canadian and U.S. coastal areas, but VHF is line-of-sight. Terrain, antenna height and damage matter.

Recreational boats generally need no full SOLAS installation. DSC with position data and a registered 406 MHz beacon still provide two routes to rescuers.

Equipment and paperwork on each side of the border

Safety equipment is silent until the boat is damaged or power fails. Then nobody has attention to spare. Requirements vary by use, passengers, size, voyage and sea area.

Canadian pleasure craft are exempt from compulsory radio carriage and need no GMDSS equipment. An operator needs a Restricted Operator Certificate – Maritime (ROC-M). A qualifying station used only in Canadian waters is generally licence-exempt; entering U.S. waters requires the appropriate Canadian ship radio station licence.

U.S. recreational vessels under 20 metres generally need not carry VHF. A voluntary domestic radio normally needs no FCC ship station licence or operator permit. For a Canadian port, it needs both; its MMSI should come from the FCC, not a domestic-only issuer.

Commercial and larger vessels face added rules. Check the vessel and voyage, not the boat at the next dock.

A sensible recreational fit includes a fixed 25-watt DSC VHF with position data, current MMSI, sound antenna, charged waterproof handheld, emergency power, and a registered 406 MHz EPIRB or PLB. AIS never replaces lookout, radar or the Collision Regulations.

Confirm the DSC display shows current position and UTC. Learn to send an alert before the cabin is dark and everybody is frightened.

Keep the procedure beside the radio

Download the editable marine VHF message-flow cheat sheet (SVG)

Marine VHF message lifecycle cheat sheet showing MAYDAY, PAN PAN, SÉCURITÉ, routine calls and relays

The sheet covers all four priorities, relays, SEELONCE messages and position format. Keep the vessel’s name, call sign, MMSI and operating area beside it. Follow Coast Guard, SAR and VTS directions.

Official references

This article is a practical summary, not legal advice or a substitute for current regulations, Notices to Mariners, vessel certificates, flag-state requirements or directions from the responsible authority.