Valuables
Aboard Juvenile Delinquent we were always losing stuff, leaving things behind or finding dead phones swimming in the bilges, so to avoid more of the same, on Barda there is a bright yellow waterproof box down below that gets stowed in our emergency ditch bag whilst sailing. This is the safest place for wallets, car keys and all our mobile phones. If we go cross channel this is also the place for your passports.

VHF Radio
Barda is fitted with a VHF DSC (Digital Selective Calling) radio above the nav station. This radio is linked to the GPS which enables it to automatically transmit our position if the distress signal is triggered.

Our call sign is MNKB2 and our MMSI is 235050268.

Officially the radio should only be used either by a licensed operator (such as myself) or anyone else under close supervision. The reality is that everybody should know at least the basics on how to use the radio and to this end there are a couple of radio books in the ‘library’ which are up for lending out and can be used if you want to take a Radio Exam which can be organised at the yacht club...go for it!

To use the radio switch on the power at the nav station panel (labelled VHF/FM) and then on the set itself. Adjust the squelch so that you just about suppress the background interference ‘hiss’. Select a channel; M1 (sometimes labelled 37) is the channel used for SYC race management. 14 is Shoreham Port. 16 is the general calling channel.

Start every transmission ‘This is the yacht Barda', keep your transmisions to a minimum and don't chat.

There is a repeater speaker in the cockpit nd whilst at sea we monitor the race channel (whatever that might be) plus 16 and 56.

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