Cell phones at sea

I am a final year undergraduate student, studying Marine Navigation (BSc) at the University of Plymouth (UK), conducting a study of the use of cell phones by recreational boaters. This includes an assessment of the practices and views of a broad cross section of all recreational boaters, and I would be very grateful if you would contribute to the study by taking two minutes to complete a short and anonymous questionnaire. Please follow the link below to access the questionnaire:

http://facultyj.hs.plymouth.ac.uk/cellphone/

Many thanks,

Nick Loewendahl

If you would like a copy of the completed report please email me with your contact details.

With DSC, there is now more privacy than before for non emergency conversations on a VHF.

I carry my cell phone everywhere I go, including out on the boat. My land line office phone forwards to the cell 24/7, so I can be "working" on those days I may not actually be doing much work. (Gets to be a nuisance on the long vacation cruises). The cell phone works great for calling ahead to a marina to check on the hours of the fuel dock or arrange transient moorage. My wife can call one of her girlfriends and yak away for an hour or so in the unlikely event she gets bored with my company......(so she spends hours every day on the phone). I think a cell phone is a useful communication device, and there is no good reason *not* to carry one- but if I had to boat with only a VHF or only a cellphone, I'd leave the cell phone on the dock.

Cell phones have pretty well put the marine operators out of business, and that's no loss for nearshore boaters. It used to be that if we wanted to make a phone call from the boat we would have to hail the marine operator, and then the marine operator would patch us through to the number at the other end. I think the rates used to be several dollars a minute- I clearly remember a bill of over $40 for a marine operator phone call that really wasn't all that long.

******Have a spectacular day!******

I go by within easy sight so you can see the name on my boat. I notice that you're not underway, but you've still got your fishing gear out so I figure you're intentionally drifting along- or that you would be calling for help- so I just mind my own business and press on.

You'd really like to get my attention and ask for a tow, or some fuel, or what not What's my cell phone number?

Regardless, you make a good point and every boater should have a VHF radio on board. ;-)

I'm clearly well chuffed with the mobile phones from a marine perspective, mostly I can contact my other halves anytime & like & they me. In the event of a "problem" short of a sinking or burning boat, I think a phone call to someone you actually know & trust to organise whatever you need organised is a better bet than a maybe it's being monitored VHF. Of course for that to work you really need to be in serious trouble.

As I said not suggesting throw the VHF over the side but ...... put the mobile in one of those special placky bags for them because it will do you most good, most places a rec boater is likely to really need it.

Just so you know the barrier reef is probably 30-40 miles offshore in the Whitsunday region & for tourists they have daily big ferries going out & a permanently manned pontoon in one of the lagoons. After much national park compromise they allowed a repeater to go in one of the mountains on Whitsunday Island now all around the area even out at the reef people can make & receive normal in the bay type communications.

K

Also, you might consider adding a section as to why some feel cell phones are more convenient than VHF.

Good luck.

 Capt. Bill