For sailors, the VHF is a lifeline. Bruce Balan of ChartLocker was recently anchored in Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas listening out on VHF Channel 16 and sent this poignant message to the cruising community:
“I counted 35 boats in the bay. Scanning all the normal calling channels I heard maybe 2 boats a day making VHF calls. When I started asking around, it seems many boats don’t even turn their VHF on any more...
"With Iridium GO texting, Starlink, increased mobile phone coverage, most people SMS, message, or call. Frankly, this is crazy. The VHF is our lifeline to each other and fastest and best way to contact boats nearby. How can someone come to your aid, or you help a fellow cruiser, if no one is listening on 16?"
Bruce fears this will only get worse as more and more boats choose to have 24/7 internet access and use texting and calling to communicate with each other...