Ian Waugh - A Mariner\'s Guide to Marine Communications

SEAAREAA

any area outside of areas AI, A2 and A3.

Author's explanation: Sea Area A4 mainly covers the polar regions, above latitude

7(f Nand 7(f S, though there will be some areas below those latitudes where your

Inmarsat antenna will not be able to 'see' an Inmarsat satellite and where you

will have to use other equipment (primarily MFIHF DSC andlor Cospas-Sarsat

EPIRB) designed for A4-area communications.

Problem: We were anchored in a bay on the north coast of Corsica

(Corse) recently and noticed that we could not make VHF contact

with the shore and our Inmarsat-C and Inmarsat-B equipment had

lost the satellite signal. The All A2 diagram in ALRS Vol. 5 shows this

as an Al area. Latitude about 43° North, well below the 70° limit of

Inmarsat coverage. How would we send a Distress Alert in those

circumstances?

Answer: you could try an MF DSC Distress Alert (which might alert

Genova or La Garde - both being combined VHF IMF stations) or, if

that failed, HF DSC. Ultimately you might have to rely on your Cospas-

Sarsat EPIRB.

SAR Responsibility/Search and Rescue Regions (SRR)

ALRS Vol. 5 (SAR Section) shows, in tabular form (but more clearly
on the maps at the end of the SAR section) which country is responsible
for Search & Rescue (SAR) operations, for different ocean areas, around
the world - and lists telephone, telex and fax numbers for the Rescue
Coordination Centres in each country. When in distress, rather than
make a telephone call to the RCC, you would try to make direct radiol
satcom contact - preferably using the radio or satellite communication
facilities in that country - or, where the country's radio/satcom facilities
cannot be accessed direct, by using the GMDSS facilities in another
country.
Search and Rescue Region (SRR) maps (included at the end of the
SAR section) show the locations of Maritime Rescue Coordination
Centres (MRCC) and indicate, using a colour key, which parts of the
world are designated as Sea Area AI, A2, and A3/A4 (explained later).
For example, the covering NE Atlantic (extract shown as figure 1.2) shows
the divisions between the SRRs of Morocco, Portugal, Spain (Canaries/
Atlantic), France, United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, Iceland and

Canada. The map colour-key also shows which parts are Al areas

8 THE NAUTICAL INSTITUTE