VHF Marine Radios and Sea Kayaking

I carry a safety kit every time I go on the water and a component of that kit is my handheld VHF Radio.  I have used the VHF Radio in a potential emergency situation, and countless times to receive (weather reports) and communicate information where phones and other forms of communication were not possible.

A situation occurred on a committed crossing we were undertaking where we needed to utilise a VHF Radio.  We were just over 80 kms off shore heading for a remote coral atoll around 15kms away.  We had been paddling in worsening conditions with 4 meter seas, 2 meters of cross-directional waves, over 30 knots of beam wind and we were 13 hours into the crossing when a large fishing trawler appeared bearing directly towards us.

We put in a securite call warning the trawler of our presence.  We didn't get a response and were concerned that the boat would have been on auto-pilot with the crew working the nets.  We attempted to set off a flare whilst putting in a further securite call.  The flare failed to ignite, but on a further securite call attempt, the trawler skipper responded that he had a visual on us and he was bearing away - potential disaster adverted.

An interesting point in this story was that the Coast Guard back on mainland Australia had listened in to our call and contacted the ship post incident asking about our status, etc.  I'm not sure of technically how a 5W radio was able to be picked up around 90-100 kms away.  The story continues as the Coast Guard got a little excited about 3 kayakers being this far out to sea and contacted the island we were heading to - but they were expecting us and were able to pacify the authorities and whilst our trip took a few more hours than we had expected, we arrived safely, and in need of a cold beer.

According to the Wiki, a mounted aerial on a small boat (close to sea level) will only broadcast around 5 nautical miles, whereas a ship might get 60 Nautical Miles.  This means you can't rely on your VHF alone to get you out of trouble.  These distances are more a guide for operating on working channels, such as channel 69 which is our 'club' channel - interesting to note that the Australian Navy also operates on this channel according to some documentation I came across on the web.  In Australia, our Coast Guard have setup a series of Repeater Beacons which enhance the distance you can communicate on some channels.

If you are looking to purchase a VHF Marine Radio, there are a number of different options and a range of prices to match.  My minimum requirement is to have a 5 Watt Radio - the higher the wattage the further distance the signal can be broadcast - noting that the VHF signal works on a ground wave so line of sight comes into this equation.  To reduce the initial outlay, I carry my relatively cheap non-waterproof VHF in a waterproof pouch which also extends the life of this device (electronics and salt water don't mix!).

It pays to at least read the VHF Marine Radio handbook and better still, to attend a course which are run through our local VMR and Coast Guard stations.  Most hand helds have the the ability to monitor 2 or more key channels and have a keyboard lock so you don't inadvertently change channels.  You need to have a good understanding of your VHF and its limitations before heading out on the water!

http://www.acma.gov.au/Citizen/Consumer-info/All-about-spectrum/Marine-and-Amateur-Radio/marine-vhf-radio

Happy Paddling!

Taran Rockpool Test Drive

Just took a friends Taran Rockpool for a 25 km spin out around Peel Island this morning (thanks Gav!).  We had a 5-10 knot headwind for the first 13 kms and then a 15 knot tailwind for the last 12 kms, wind against tide with a lot of tide movement.

I was coming off the back of a 500 km week of cycling so I wasn't going out for a smash fest trying to chase down a certain ocean ski paddler so I took my time getting a feel for the boat.

My first impressions was that the boat was twitchy and I could spin the boat on its edge and catch a wave very quickly.  It tracks well and the flat bottom gives a unique feel on a wave, especially in the short bay chop which often has the rudder out of the water.

Having larger thighs than most people, I found that I had to angle my legs out (avoiding the thigh braces) to get my leg drive going which made my feet slip off the rudder controls as they were more centered in the middle of the boat (not sure if that is specific to this setup).  Could be that I'm not used to rudder controls having paddled skeg boats for the past few years.

I was stretching a little for the foot pegs as this setup was modified for an over tall kiwi, even though he explained he put it on the "hobbit" setting.  My hip flexors felt extended in this position, but again this could be the effects of a long week on the bike.

I felt comfortable with the stability having paddled a Nordkapp, though I could feel that I would need to be careful in more demanding conditions. Whereas I could sit in the clapotis in the Nordy taking photo's with my paddle on the deck, I'm not so sure I would be as confident to do the same in the Taran.

I didn't push the envelope on the way over and sat on around 8.5 to 9 km/hr.  It seemed that I wasn't working as hard as I would have been in my Nordkapp to maintain this speed into a headwind.  When I had the current with me, without too much effort I was punching out 9 to 10 km/hr into the headwind.

The fun part - the downwind run, wind against tide with a solid 10-15 knots pushing me along.  The swell had pushed up to a meter or so of steep bay slop.  On the bigger sets, I could leap from wave to wave getting 50 plus meter rides.  The boat tracked really well with me edging and leaning forward with the occasional correctional stroke.  I buried the bow up to the glove box compartment and it kept lifting up and not losing forward momentum.

I can certainly understand why people love this boat.  It is an exciting ride with wind and waves pushing you along. This is the Taran 18 which is probably a bit big for short bay waves, but you can feel its potential for ocean paddling.

Next boat to try is the Pace 17!