PAN-PAN, PAN-PAN!

In emergency situations, there are certain procedures to follow to ensure prompt response to your need for help. There are three distinct phrases that you might hear on a VHF radio, and they all relate to safety…

MAYDAY – is the distress signal, and requires the most urgent response. This signal is only to be used when a person, or boat is threatened by grave or imminent danger, and requires assistance.

PAN-PAN – (pronounced pahn-pahn) this signal is used to signal urgent information, such as when someone has fallen overboard, or a boat is drifting into the shore or a busy shipping channel.

SECURITE – Is the safety signal. This is used to transmit information about the safety of navigation. For instance, if a large commercial vessel is coming through a narrow channel, this signal would be used. Can also be used to transmit weather information, such as when a powerful storm system is approaching.

Last week, I tried to be all cute and go bloggin a “mayday” post about how the inside of our boat was a total mess, and then, of course, the very next day we have a stupid seacock break. 🙁

That’ll teach me!  

Don’t worry, we didn’t sink the boat.  But it could’ve been bad.

On Saturday, Jereme was working on the head re-plumbing project, and part of doing so included installing a new hose onto the seacock for the raw water intake because the toilet uses raw sea water to flush.  This particular (original) seacock has always been a little difficult to operate and a little loose.  Jereme fitted the new hose on the seacock (which was in the “closed” position at the time), then opened it up…and it worked fine (toilet flushed, etc. etc.).

But then Jereme noticed that there was a tiny little drip where the new hose attached to the seacock so he tried tightening the hose and clamps a bit more. Unfortunately, that didn’t solve the tiny drip.

So, Jereme needed to disconnect the new hose in order to be able to reattach it better.  He closed the seacock and took the hose off, all the while knowing that there would be some water still in the hose line. After he disconnected the hose, a good amount of water flowed out. BUT DIDN’T STOP!!!  He immediately realized that the water was coming from the seacock and not the hose!  CRAP!!! And tried desperately to wiggle the seacock handle open and shut, and nothing!  Notta!  Zilch! 🙁

He quickly put his hand over the hole to plug it. Talk about a major OH SHIT! moment when you realize water is coming into the boat, your hand is plugging the hole, it’s 5PM on a Saturday night, and you’re alone on the boat. Awesome.

So…

Jereme decided to put the hose back on the seacock and clamp it again, knowing that a teeny tiny drip leak was a hell of a lot better than a massive seacock leak.  I showed up shortly after this little ordeal and we called the closest haul-out marina, but of course they are closed until Monday.

…Looks like we’ll be hauling out the boat pretty soon to get it fixed. Awesome. Just what we wanted to do.

 

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