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 Each morning cruisers sailing along the East Coast of the United States, Bahamas and the Caribbean tune in to the Crusieheimer’s Net. The net begins each morning with the net controller’s call, “Is the frequency clear? Today is Tommy Tuesday. It is Jan. 24. Tom and Sandy aboard the sailing vessel Anania located in Georgetown, Bahamas, will serve as net controller for the day. Tom, who hails from New Jersey, announces, “This is the Cruisehemier’s Net. We meet each day on 8152 or alternate frequency when necessary. This Net was created to help boaters communicate and share information. We are a control net. Please state your boat name and wait to be called.”
The morning routine aboard Imagine began earlier by switching off the refrigeration, which interferes with Single Side Band radio (SSB) reception, and turning on the propane. A blue orange flame on the three-burner, gimbaled stove perks the morning java in a sturdy stainless camp pot. At 6:30 the SSB radio is tuned to a weather station. Depending on the forecast, we may go snorkeling, haul dirty clothes to the Laundromat, or move Imagine to another anchorage.
The Single Side Band plays an important role in the life of boaters. Following the weather, I change frequency and listen to the Waterway Net for the next 30 minutes. There is a recap on the weather, domestic announcements about bridge openings and buoy changes. Boaters report positions to the fleet captain with latitude and longitude, sea state and wind direction if underway. One must have a general or higher HAM license to participate in this net.
The Cruisehemier’s Net is open to all boaters, no Ham license required. The net controller begins each day with a call for emergency, medical or priority traffic, “Emergency, medical or priority traffic come now,” he calls. When nothing is heard, everyone breathes a sigh of relief. Relays play an important role in reaching the wide cruising area. St. Jude serves as mid-Atlantic relay based in North Carolina. He repeats the call for emergency medical or priority traffic. The Florida relay, Integrity; Chanticleer, a North Atlantic relay; and C-Language the Southern Bahamas relay repeat the same call.
Next, the net controller calls for announcements or queries. St. Jude reports that Ham exams will be given in Georgetown on Feb. 25. Salty Paws asks about navigating the entrance of Flamingo Bay on Rum Cay in the Bahamas. Kismet reports that a catamaran has run up on a reef on Long Island in the Bahamas with the crew missing. The boat, Angel, flies a French flag. He urges anyone listening to contact Bahamas Air and Sea Rescue if they have any information. (The following day it was reported that the crew of three had been picked up by a cruise ship and were safe. The boat itself was totaled.)
With nothing more heard, Anania asks boats short or time and must quickly get off the net and for boats underway to check in. Painted Turtle reports in from Titusville, Florida and Kismet from Long Island, Bahamas. Boats underway include Options III, Barefootin’ and Cattails. The relays, in turn, ask for the same information. Solar flares, weather and other interference can result in Imagine getting a clear channel from the Bahamas, but not from the one in Florida. Relays make the net possible.Regular position reports follow. The first call goes out to anyone in the Caribbean. Ajaia calls in from the Dominican Republic. The British Columbia boat Pioneer crewed by Ron and Judy calls in from Cuba. The next call is for the Bahamas south of Georgetown. The next call is for boaters anywhere in the Bahamas followed by the call for Florida boaters. The net finishes with a call for boaters anywhere.
Radio nets allow boaters to contact fellow boaters. From Florida we might want to talk to our friends Cuba. We say contact. The net controller gives us a nod to call our traffic. To call Pioneer, “I’ll call Pioneer, Pioneer, this is Imagine. If Pioneer hears, they’ll respond by naming another frequency. We both clear from the net and move to the adjacent frequency to chat. Boaters can keep in contact with each other when phone or Internet is not available.
There’s a different net controller each day. C-Language, Dyad, Mon Ami, St. Jude, Anania, Integrity and other controllers are all are dedicated volunteers who live the cruising life. In addition to the morning net, there is a “Tech Net” on Sundays and Wednesday following the Crusieheimer’s Net. Everything from water makers, wind generators, solar panels, refrigeration, and cleaning the head are discussed. Boaters brainstorm to help fellow boaters solve technical matters.
Through the Net we met Florida cruiser Rick from C-Language. He’s the ultimate electronics man. How many boaters program their anchor light to spell out the name of their boat in Morse Code? Our expensive Pactor III modem purchased to send email via the SSB never worked from day one. One day Rick pulled up in his dinghy and climbed aboard to determine if he could help. With no immediate result, he took the modem back to his boat workstation where he discovered that our modem had a fried micro processer from day one.
An informal Doo Dah Net meets each evening at 5 p.m. Boaters chat informally and boats underway can give updated position reports. It’s a safety net, a friendship net, and a learning net. Friends are made, lives are saved and boaters have a port that is always welcoming whether at anchor or at sea.
Sharron Sparks Boyle and her husband, Ed transitioned from a house to a 42-foot sailboat in 2009. Boyle may be reached aboard Imagine by
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