radio chatter

Communicating by radio instead of phone, takes a bit of getting used to. The first major difference is that the sound only goes one way. If both people talk at the same time, you won't hear them, just like with walkie talkies. The other major change is that anyone and everyone can listen into your conversations. We have two radios for communication. The VHF can reach between 20 & 25 miles away. We use it for "local calls." Everyone in a area keeps their radio on a designated channel and you listen constantly for hails. "Imagine Imagine, this is Wyndeavor." "Hey Wyndeavor, lets go one eight." Then we switch from channel 16 to channel 18 to have a private conversation. Except, everyone else in radio range can switch to 18 and listen in. You never say anything over the radio that is meant to be a secret. People listen in for a number or reasons. We call it "following" to the channel. SO much of the time we plan things in groups, and it's just easier to have everyone on the same channel getting the info together. FOllowing (read eavesdropping) is also a good form of entertainment. We don't have TV or FM radio to listen to, so we snoop on other cruisers. In busy anchorages, like TOnga, the radio is in constant use, and I have to turn it off while I"m doing school. With 300 boats hailing all day, it's really obnoxious. Some places we were in in MExico were so isolated we left the radios on a channel and just always listened in to everyone else's conversations. That was quite fun when we were with 3 or 4 other boats and we constantly joked all day and night if we were sailing.

OUr second radio is referred to as a marine single side band or HF radio. OURs is also equipped to do Ham frequencies. THis radio is much more technical but can reach anywhere in the world under the right circumstances. We use it to keep in contact with friends who are more than 25 miles away, to send e-mail, and to get weather info. There are informal times to just chat with a group, and formal nets to report our position on passages. We usually use channel 8122 in the mornings between 7 & 8 to hear what the fleet is up to. It's our "long distance." IT's hit and miss who will be on frequency, so you don't always get who you want, and you listen to a lot of other peoples' conversations in that hour, but since we know just about everyone who used that time, it's nice to listen in.

Right now we are within VHF range of 5 other boats, and SSB contact with everyone on route to NZ. We talk twice a day. We have only seen one or two other boats, but it's nice to hear familiar voices when we're so far away from everything except water. SOme people have SSB receivers that don't transmit. "Jasp" has a receiver, but is within a few miles of us and we have been chatting on VHF about weather and course adjustments for the last couple of days. Their good friends on "Dreambird" are still in TOnga. THey heard us telling Calliope that we were in VHF with Jasp and asked me to get him to turn on his receiver. I called on VHF and Jasp responded. Dreambird talked over SSB, Jasp replied to me over VHF and I relayed back over SSB to Dreambird. It's not unusual to "relay" info if boats are not receiving each other, but that was my first one with a microphone in each hand.

That's just one more aspect of life afloat. We're doing well today. Ellis is over her seasickness, but I'm still battling a headache. The waves have subsided but the wind is hanging in there. The boats 100 miles ahead of us are motoring. Only two more days to go, I think I got confused and said we'd be there TUes, but really it's Wed. I really have no idea what day it is anyways. THe computer says it's the 31st, so the kids are doing Halloween stuff, but the trick or treating will be a bit difficult.

Take care, write soon Kellie