On Sat, 27 Mar 2004 13:29:01 +1200, bruce wrote:

gday
Is the Sailing Vessel prefix SV aka S/V peculiar to one country's boat
registration process or is it permissable to use it anywhere on any yacht?

Well, while it wouldn't be S/V in Germany or France, say, I have seen
it appended across the English-speaking world in more or less
haphazard fashion. While I doubt it's required as a prefix for private
vessels, it SEEMS to be obligatory for commercial vessels, including
charters. Most passenger ships, for instance, seem to feature "M/V
Stinkpottage", for example, in their "official" names.

One does hear it over VHF traffic, as it's helpful to people trying to
locate you, like the various Coast Guards and the like, to start by
knowing if you are in a sailing boat or a speed boat, say. Things like
"boat cover" and "actively burning" come AFTER the boat I.D.

R.