GSL Slip Renters and Marina Users. We picked up a MAYDAY call this afternoon on the VHF radio. At the time of this writing we are still trying to ascertain the nature of this call. But here are two vital points of this MAYDAY call. The first point is where the caller failed to get vital information out. The second point is why VHF Marine Band is so much more successful than cell phone. Point One. The caller transmitted "MAYDAY MAYDAY, 16 16, CAN YOU HERE ME?" This was transmitted over and over for nearly ten minutes. Even after several attempts from three different marina's to respond to this call, none of us were successful. If you are ever in trouble and need to make a MAYDAY call it is very important to get as much information out as quick as possible. You may not be able to here anyone responding to you but that does not mean they cannot hear you. Don't waste valuable time trying to make contact before transmitting vital information. This information would be: 1. Your Vessel Name 2. Color or descriptors of your vessel 3. Location of the vessel 4. Nature of the distress 5. Number of people on board 6. Any medical condition of people on board After you make this call wait a minute for a response. If you do not get a response, repeat the message again. If the caller had transmitted this vital information, proper help would be enroute to his location much more quickly. Point Two. This is a great reason why VHF Marine Band is so valuable in maritime applications and why cell phones are so limited. First of all, cell phone coverage is very poor on the Great Salt Lake. And because of the lakes remoteness and geography, it is not likely to improve. Second, when using a cell phone, only one person can here you (if you are able to get ahold of someone). In this case, several people were listening when the mayday call came through. And the number of listeners increased rapidly after the initial call. We were able to get people all over the lake to monitor VHF 16 after the initial call. This puts eyes, ears, and resources much closer to a vessel in distress much more rapidly than a cell phone can. Unfortunately we do not know how this will turn out yet. Because of the lack of information by the caller, we were only able to eliminate possibilities but not solve the nature of the call. Hopefully this has turned out well for the party in distress. Disclaimer: Spell Check was not used during the creation of this message. Dave Shearer Harbormaster Great Salt Lake Marina Have you checked your docklines lately?