If you have a VHF radio on your boat, you are required by law to be certified to operate it. Turning it on is considered operating. Courses are available online and in person, through the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons to achieve this certification. (See https://boatcourses.ca ).

Here are a few basic operating procedures that should help you if you have yet to take the course. How to call another boat: always begin by listening first to the channel you have selected. Make sure that there is no one else using the channel before you begin. Ch 16 is the normal calling channel. Call the name of the boat you wish to communicate with first followed by your boat’s name, i.e. “Bluejay this is Tevah”, over. The vessel called will respond: “Tevah this is Bluejay. Go to 06.” (or 68, or 69 All working channels). You both switch over to the working channel that the called vessel chooses and you can then carry on your conversation. Each transmission ends with the word “Over”. This means that your transmission is over and that you expect a reply. The word “Out” is used at the very end by the last person transmitting to indicate that the conversation is concluded, and the channel is now free for others to use. (i.e. “Ok thanks, Tevah Out”.) Using proper procedures is important and shows you are knowledgeable.

Remember to always move to a different channel once you have made contact with a boat on Channel 16, the Coast Guard will cut in and tell you to switch to a working channel, ie. 06, 68, 69 if you attempt to carry on any kind of conversation on Ch 16.  

Cell Phones

We often hear that people don’t have or don’t use their VHF radio because they are going to rely on their cell phone. It should be noted that there are significant portions of the St John River that don’t have access to cell signals. If you are in an emergency situation there is very little someone can do on the end of a telephone. The people that can help that might be nearby are monitoring Ch 16 and must come to your aid if you are in trouble. Cell phones are a good convenient backup but should never be relied upon as your primary communication device when aboard.

Since 2022, we communicate with ferries using Channel 13 to call and to request coordination of navigation.  This reduces traffic on Channel 16 which is restricted for Emergency and Calling only. Please note that you are not asking permission to cross their line but rather respecting the fact that they are the stand on vessel as they have restricted maneuverability.

If you hear the words. “Mayday”, “Pan-Pan”, or “Securité” you should listen and pay attention, as these are priority calls, which may or may not demand a response from you. Maritime VHF Radios today have many advanced and automated features that can best be understood by taking a course and reading the manual. It is one of the most important pieces of safety gear on your boat. See https://cps-ecp.org for info on courses.