If by "local" you mean the US, then yes.
Generally, you are more apt to hear these terms on the Gulf coast and East
coast, but you may still hear them out on the West coast.
Keep in mind that pilots tend to work on channels you are not normally
monitoring so that much of their normal "passing" traffic may not be heard
by you and it is not uncommon for tugs and other workboats to know these
channels (except when pilots use UHF) so they switch and make passing
arrangements on those channels.
You would need to frequent a particular area for awhile to know for sure
whether these terms were being used there, but it's probably more important
to know that you MAY hear them.
Where I work, I normally use "port to port", etc., but I frequently will
hear "red to red" and occasionally "one whistle"...... no big deal, one way
or the other.

otn

"Gary" wrote in message
news:JaXyg.278951$IK3.238705@pd7tw1no...

So what you are saying is it's slang, local terminology?

I have visited many American Ports, most recently Seattle a couple weeks
ago where I took a 100 foot sailing ship up the Chittendam Locks talking
all the way with Seattle traffic and other ships and no-one said one or
two whistle anything.

I thing it must be a very local phrase, certainly not in common use out
here or in Canadian Ports.

Gary