On Thu, 17 Mar 2005 00:31:46 -0500, Ryk
wrote:

On Mon, 14 Mar 2005 07:43:40 -0800, "Steve" wrote:

Can I get a clear definition of "Pan-Pan", who and when may it be declared.

Less than MayDay and a judgement call on the urgency. Possibly
appropriate in a situation of unknown severity.

I called Pan-Pan a few years ago in the middle of the night on Lake
Ontario after sighting flares. The Coast Guard operator told me I made
the right call with good form, then explained it was the military on
an exercise and that they claimed there was no need for broadcast
notice because "nobody ever sees our flares". We continued cautiously
through the area and never sighted lights or other signs of the origin
of the flares.


This is a good point because it illustrates how "Pan-Pan" alerts
others to your apprehension of danger, rather than just your OWN
danger. Sighting flares at night in such a spot (usually sparsely
travelled out of the ship lanes) leads to a reasonable assumption that
someone was potentially in a Mayday situation.

I am glad the Coast Guard was able to provide a reasonable answer that
put the matter to rest. Did you provide a GPS lat/lon or just a
general DR position, because I can see a situation where a boat could
sink within a short distance of a military exercise without
necessarily being seen. Ironic, but they are separate situations that
might be proximate.

R.