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- V8V2222
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HF/SSB radio
email and voice services
HF/SSB
Position Report Watch
BRUNEI
BAY RADIO's HF/SSB email services
create a positive action position report watch for
small-craft on passage in the BRUNEI
BAY RADIO service area.
The daily (evening) emailed position
report sent to Brunei Bay Radio combines with a daily
(morning) YOTREPS position report to to create twice daily contact.
The evening report informs BBR of the overnight
location; often at anchor for cruising yachts. The
morning YOTREPS report can be accessed to see the plan for
that day; either staying on anchor or the course, speed and
destination if underway.
Voice contact can also
be used when required.
This service is commonly used by yachts cruising alone
or small groups in isolated parts of
BRUNEI
BAY RADIO's service area, and for yachts - or
small groups of yachts - making long passages, usually as
part of their SE Asian cruising area arrival or departure.
This service is based on
certain assumptions about on-board communication and safety
equipment. Because of this, the BBR position report watch
can have a very definite notification procedure to alert
the appropriate MRCC if there is no contact from a yacht on
the watch list.
Yachts interested
to join the BBR position report watch should:
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Make sure they have a functional liferaft stowed on deck
in a position where it can be quickly deployed by one
person. Check it has been serviced.
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Have a grab bag readily accessible with equipment, food
and water, clothing etc to sustain the crew for 2 to 5
days.
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Check their EPIRB is registered and within the battery
replacement date.
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Check their on-board email system and HF/SSB radio is
functioning properly at least 2 weeks before departure.
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Check their portable GPS, VHF radio, and satellite/shore
phone is working, and the spare batteries are ready.
Check at least 2 weeks before departure.
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Check
they have credit in their satellite and/or land
phone account.
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Think about installing a personal locator type MOB
system, especially for short handed sailing.
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Think about installing an AIS system with transmit
capability; so the big guys can see you.
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Update their electronic charts with the latest version.
It's a lot easier to hit an “uncharted reef” if you have
old charts.
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Check our website for the latest MRCC contact
information, and check those details personally by
contacting the appropriate MRCC, a week before
departure.
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Get a copy of Yachting Australia's “Blue Book” - which
contains the yacht racing rules AND a very comprehensive
section on boat equipment and fittings. This advice is
based on the accumulated wisdom of many sailing
incidents. The YA Special Regulations “For Racing Yachts
and Recommended for Cruising Boats”, are far more
comprehensive than the ISAF or RYA version of “Offshore
Special Regulations”, The YA regulations reflect the
longer distances, fewer ports of shelter, and far less
safety/rescue facilities in this region relative to
UK/Europe and North America.
When operating your
yacht,
remember:
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The most dangerous activity in yachting is using the
tender. Wear an inflatable life-jacket/harness (consider
light, personal EPIRB & MOB locator), take a waterproof
VHF marine hand-held radio and a good torch in a
waterproof bag, tell other people what you are doing.
Arrange a reporting time with a fellow yachtie when
making tender trips; especially when returning to the yacht at night, after a meal and drinks ashore!
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Wear a harness/inflatable life-jacket (consider light,
personal EPIRB & MOB locator) at sea. When on deck, stay
clipped on at all times, especially at night, or in
lumpy seas, sailing short-handed and when on deck alone.
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Make smart use of the modern technology; eg: HF/SSB
radio with DSC, GRIB weather charts, METAREA forecasts &
YOTREPS position reporting via HF/SSB radio email. Plus
AIS, MOB systems, GPS, updated electronic charts - to
manage the journey, and minimise risks.
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Maintain a watch by sight and sound at all times; as
required by the International Regulations for Prevention
of Collision at Sea (COLREGS). At the horizon distance
from a yacht cockpit, a fast container ship takes about
10 minutes to move from the horizon into your galley.
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Plot courses to keep a good clearing distance from
obstructions. Charts may not be as precise as we assume;
the REAL location can be different. And a number of
factors – such as the number of working satellites in
view – can still cause GPS derived positions to be
wrong. The combination does cause yachts to hit islands
and reefs.
Navigation in this region:
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When looking at Lat and Long positions, remember there
is a significant difference between the WGS84
datum used by electronic VECTOR charts, such as C-Map -
and also Google Earth - compared to the datum used by
paper charts, and by electronic RASTOR charts (which are
a scan of paper charts). It DOES NOT WORK to use a
Lat/Long derived from C-MAP/Google Earth (ie: VECTOR
chart - WSG84) and plot that directly on a paper or
RASTOR electronic chart without making the correction.
Paper charts always show the correction required to
convert between the two datums.
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Old charts always create a much better opportunity to
hit “uncharted” obstructions, reefs etc. Paper charts
are constantly updated (ie: monthly) with small and
large corrections. There are summarised in Notice To
Mariners. Some marine chart issuing authorities - eg
Australia - have a service to send automated emails of
Notice To Mariner chart updates for their paper charts.
See the issuing authority websites for details.
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There have been substantial chart updates in recent
years in SE Asia - especially in parts of the
Philippines, such as Palawan. Be sure to update your
electronic and paper charts with the latest information.
Notice to Mariners - and emailed updates from the chart
issuing authority - contain the information to manually
update your own paper charts. Electronic chart
suppliers release regular updates for their products.
Stay current to avoid incidents.
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The pirate version of C-Map that is commonly available
and swapped between cruising yachts is an early 2000's
version of C-Map. Considerable upgrades to paper and
electronic chart information have occurred since then.
Considerable changes man-made features such as
lights/beacons, shore facilities, channel markers etc
have occurred since this copy of C-Map was liberated.
It is prudent to have up-to-date information. Using this
pirate version of C-Map increases the risk of a
navigational incident.
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It is important to have the latest detailed charts for
harbours, ports etc. For paper charts, this means the
particular charts for that port, or series of ports,
correctly updated with Notice to Mariners. For
electronic charts, the details are normally there
already (if using an updated copy), but it's essential
to click to get to that detailed level to see all the
information. For example, here in Brunei, a number of
yachts have hit the training wall that runs just below
the surface along one side of the main shipping channel,
because A - they did not look at the detailed C-Map
chart display and/or B - they had the old pirate copy of
C-Map that does not show the additional set of channel
markers and other changes.
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We are a
C-MAP agent and a paper chart agent. If you need the
latest paper or C-MAP chart upgrade, please email. We
can have these ready when you call into Brunei, or send
them to you most places in SE Asia. If you need to spend
money on C-MAP or paper charts, please support Brunei
Bay Radio's services for small-craft, by buying from us.
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SOB
(Software On Board) is an Australian made navigation
software created by a yacht sailor who does delivery
work and was determined to have a good system for a
realistic price. It uses C-MAP charts. SOB can display
SailMail's GRIB weather charts as an overlay on
SOB/C-Map, plus AIS info, MOB plots etc. Email us if you
wish to purchase a copy. We also have convenient and
innovative small PC options (the size of a car stereo)
which are robust and can run SOB and C-Map, plus all the
usual on-board PC needs, such as a stereo, CD/DVD player
etc.
For more information on
our Position Report Watch service - and to sign up - please use the enquiry form
by clicking on the enquiries link at the bottom of
this page.
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Call-sign:
V8V2222 SelCall ID: 2222
For enquiries click here to email
BRUNEI
BAY
RADIO
Brunei Bay Radio
PO Box 2234
Bandar Seri Begawan BS8674
BRUNEI DARUSSALAM
Phn: +673 2 262676 Fax: +673 2 262675
Unit 105, 1st Floor, PGGMB Building
Jalan Sungai Kianggeh
Bandar Seri Begawan BS8111
BRUNEI DARUSSALAM
Copyright © 1999 - 2010, Intrepid Management Services Sdn Bhd
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