Boating and Sailing Radios

Humble boating radios are something you should never ever set sail without. It may seem that we are being pedantic by talking about boating radios so much and elevating them to such a lofty station but rest assured, it is always the simplest of things that many boating enthusiasts forget and well installed and functioning radios can literally save your life in an emergency. Boating radios come in all shapes and sizes and whilst they may initially seem like a luxury for the sailing newcomer (after all we drive a car on the roads every day without communicating with other drivers, why should boats be any different) they are most certainly essential and shouldn't ever be overlooked. Boating is very different to driving on a road, for starters there are no designated lanes, very few signs and directions and people are essentially just left to make their own way as they please. Radios will allow you to communicate with your fellow vessels to discover their intentions should the need arise, and it will also allow you to let people know what you are doing and where you are going.

Of course boating radios are an essential piece of safety equipment as well as a device allowing you to communicate with other boats. If you are venturing out on the open ocean there will often be no mobile phone signal so unless you are bringing a satellite phone there is no other way to communicate with the shore should an emergency arise. If you end up stranded and without a working means of propulsion then your only means of help will be to use your radios to communicate with the shore or with the coastguard to arrange assistance. Sometimes even more life threatening situations can arise such as a medical emergency on board that requires immediate assistance, and your boating radios will allow you to contact the emergency services to find out how to proceed or to notify them you are returning with a sick or injured crew member so they can be ready for your arrival.

Many waterways and ocean authorities consider properly installed boating radios vital and will fine you or not allow you to continue on your journey if you do not have any installed. On busy shipping lanes such as the English Channel this is even more important, it can quickly become very bewildering to be surrounded by everything from small dingies and inflatable vessels to huge ocean going oil tankers and passenger liners, and should you ever need to broadcast your location to them or warn them of your approach (and conversely listen to their intentions and proposed destinations) then your boating radios will prove invaluable. You will also be able to listen out to other vessels in your area and respond to any emergency on another craft should the need arise, after all you would hope that others would help you should the unthinkable happen. Properly installed boating radios are vital, ensure that you never leave port without them.