A sad story indeed, like all those reports in seakayaker and elsewhere. Ralph wrote BIG SNIP > Here again, a radio may have been of help with no ambiguity if >used on an emergency channel. And unlike Wes's case on an >inland lake when threatened by jetskis, the fast ferry would have >certainly been monitoring 16 and probably some other radio >channels as well. Since I started paddling very recently after moving from Germany to Canada to work temporarily at Dalhousie University, I am not sure what the current and more important past policy on VHF radios in Germany is. Maybe somebody with more detailed knowledge can add details or correct misunderstandings on my side. They radio issue in this particular case is a bit more complex than it appears. Until very recently is was impossible to carry handhelds legally in small vessels as the only VHF radio. They were just legal as addition to fixed stations for onboard communication. Apparently this changed very recently, but it is still quite a hassle to obtain the legal permit. Not like here in Nova Scotia were you have to get a operators licence and it costs you 40$ and 4 hours of your time. Additional to this administrations handicaps prices for handheld VHF radios and other electronics are in Europe considerably higher than in the USA (even more expensive than in Canada which sees already a substantial price markup in electronics compared with its southern neighbour). Same is valid for signalling devices like flares, rockets, smoke containers. You also need a licence to buy, carry, and use those. And again it takes some effort to obtain this licence. However, not that SAR wouldn't respond to your unlicenced distress call or uncertified red flares, and in a lifethreatning situation one would hardly care if you get fined after they pulled you out, just "COME AND GET ME", but the extra efforts may prevent a number of paddlers to carry flares and radios. Just think how many paddlers in NA are out without flares and radios. What is the situation in other parts of the world? Israel, France, Australia, and whereelse paddlewisers paddle. Some things are way easier in the New World. BTW Do you need to register a seakayak in Germany? I am pretty sure you have to. Cheers Ulli P.S. Has anyone a idea what the range of a handheld is if you swimm and the antenna is a foot above sea level? (All spelling errors are intentional and are there to show new and improved ways of spelling old words.) Ulli Hoeger Dept. Physiology and Biophysics Dalhousie University Halifax, B3H4H7, Nova Scotia Canada Phone I : 902-494-2673 Fax: 902-494-1685 Phone II :902-488-6796 http://is.dal.ca/~uhoeger *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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