Yacht

S.O.S.
SABELLA ON SAFETY
Seattle, WA It’s been a long wait for
the Coast Guard to get its muchballyhooed
Rescue 21 System up and
running, but the time is arriving…
steady by jerks. The system is currently
operational in the following
regions: Atlantic City, NJ; Eastern
Shore, VA; Mobile, AL; St. Petersburg,
FL; Seattle, WA; Port Angeles, WA.
I won’t propose to forecast when the
system rollout will extend to other
areas because every announced
deadline seems to be missed, but
here’s a link to the Coast Guard’s
i m p l e m e n t a t i o n s c h e d u l e :
www.uscg.mil/rescue21/about/
impsched.htm.
configured properly, Rescue 21
provides reliable voice and data
communications between vessels and
shore stations, together with instantaneous
information about the location
and identity of a vessel in distress.
The system relies on the new generation
of VHF radios that feature Digital
Selective Calling (DSC). If you’re not
already taking advantage of the
convenience features of DSC, you’re
making a mistake. And, when the
Rescue 21 System is operational in
your area, if you don’t take advantage
of the full extent of its safety capabilities,
you’re just plain missing the
boat.
Ultimately, the system will provide
coverage to 20 nautical miles (37km)
from the coasts of the contiguous
United States, Hawaii, Puerto Rico,
the Virgin Islands, Guam and the Gulf
of Alaska. Also included are the
Great Lakes, navigable waters of the
Intracoastal Waterway System and
the Western Rivers. Assuming your
radio and navigation equipment are
26
What does it take to climb aboard?
First, make sure your radio is DSC
equipped and capable of making
digital distress calls on Channel 70. A
DSC radio is readily identifiable by
the distinctive red button marked
Distress and all models currently on
the market incorporate this technology.
Along with offering all of the
familiar voice communication capa-