Many seem to think that a quick conversation on 16 is OK because it
won't disturb the other 3000 people monitoring.

Hmmmm. All of my friend are using those little family FRS radios. I have two
pairs of Cobra units that get great range on the water. They were cheap, less
than 50 bucks for all four (14 channels) and have lasted two seasons. If one
falls overboard...no big deal. I hear some of the better units get really
substancial range

RB