Somewhat URGENT Question Re: Grand Bahama to FL Passage!

bajturner

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Aug 17, 2010
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Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Boat Info
2008 44 Sedan Bridge
2017 Avon 380DL RIB w/ Yamaha 40
2022 Sea-Doo GTX LTD
2020 Sea-Doo RXT-X
Engines
Twin QSC-500 HO
Hey everyone, I have a quick and somewhat urgent question about radio and cellular communication between Florida and Grand Bahama.

Someone I know left Freeport this morning en route to St. Lucie. I would expect them to have arrived by now but I can't reach them. I am not overly concerned at this point but certainly want to be vigilant.

I assume you lose cell phone coverage completely by about 10-20 miles from the Bahamas maximum, and would regain it again when similarly close to the coast of Florida.

Out in the open ocean, I am guessing his VHF range at about 20 miles or so.

If, hypothetically, he ran into mechanical trouble mid-passage, how much traffic is there likely out there these days that would pick up their potential call? What kind of receive reach does the CG have?

He does have a functional EPIRB on-board in case they had a major issue!
 
That's cool that your being vigilant... I wish I could help.

Best of luck to them and I hope everything turns out good!
 
Thre is a lot of dead zone out there. Bahamas cell network isn't what I would call stellar..... Glad to hear they are ok
 
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When in doubt..call the Coast Guard.

This turned out ok but it’s never guaranteed.

A couple hours could be the difference. The USCG are professionals and can help devide early on what is necessary.


CALL!
 
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Thanks Jim. They just arrived so the urgency is gone. Still curious about how much dead zone there typically is out there!

Buying and owning a Sat Phone these days is very affordable and dependable. Especially for situations and circumstances such as this, or fishing offshore out of cell range. They can also be rented if ownership doesn’t make sense for a limited need or use.

As others have mentioned, glad the crossing was successful and your friends are back safely.
 
When in doubt..call the Coast Guard.

This turned out ok but it’s never guaranteed.

A couple hours could be the difference. The USCG are professionals and can help devide early on what is necessary.


CALL!
I actually did call the St. Lucie Coast Guard at 7:30. Amazing conversation and they they thanked me for calling and said they would attempt to reach them.

I called back ~15 minutes later to let them know they had arrived and to apologize for the false alarm. They assured me there was no need to apologize.

Very impressive.
 
Glad your friends are ok.

As an alternative to a modern Sat phone, in the past, cruising vessels that traveled offshore often had a marine SSB radio. That allows you to communicate across vast distances, and it will be a broadcast to anyone listening instead of point to point, like a phone would be. It will be more like your VHF, anyone monitoring can potentially assist or pass along a distress call, but it will operate potentially worldwide, not just line of sight like VHF. You can get weather fax, participate in cruising nets, get weather and wind reports, etc. It's becoming less common, because of the lower cost and increased availability of satellite based communications, but is very versatile, and doesn't depend on a functional satellite network. (They do go down sometimes.) It does require a little more knowledge to operate effectively, and you do need a station license for your vessel. Today, most of the folks actively using it are also licensed amateur (ham) radio operators, but that isn't required on marine bands.
 
Buying and owning a Sat Phone these days is very affordable and dependable. Especially for situations and circumstances such as this, or fishing offshore out of cell range. They can also be rented if ownership doesn’t make sense for a limited need or use.

As others have mentioned, glad the crossing was successful and your friends are back safely.
We used to have one fee was 40 a month then it went to 1,800 a year. At that point we stopped. what do you recommend and what is the cost?
 
We used to have one fee was 40 a month then it went to 1,800 a year. At that point we stopped. what do you recommend and what is the cost?

Google Garmin inReach. I don’t have one, but my fishing buddy does. You connect your iPhone to it and actually use your iPhone for making calls and texting. We can each synch our phones to it at the same time. We use it regularly in the Bahamas and crossing to/from.

They are portable and you can take them anywhere (use on multiple boats, take it hiking/hunting with you etc) however on his boat he has a “docking station” accessory that keeps it charged and is connected to an external antenna mounted on top of the tower.

Very cool and pretty low monthly rates that go up depending on usage requirements etc.
 
there is an app called open signal that tells you where cell towers and signal are around the globe
 

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