Underway - Pacific Crossing Notes: A Sailor's Guide to the Coconut Milk Run - page 101

A Contrast
The POST net and our German-speaking “Funkrunde” make for an interesting comparison.
Both consisted of approximately twelve boats exchanging positions and local conditions
over roughly half an hour. However, each went about this in a different way. While the
POST net operated via established net controllers, the German Funkrunde subsisted for two
weeks in a much looser (and decidedly un-Teutonic) system. Rita of Aninad would simply
come on the air, hail a friend, report the basics, and exchange a few pleasantries. The friend
would then call on another vessel and initiate the next two-way chat, while the rest of the
group patiently listened in and noted each vessel's information. Each boat would eventually
draw in another, in no established order. This seemingly haphazard method worked because
the crews were already familiar with each other from a group dinner in the Galapagos, and
if someone was left out, well, they could be counted on to pipe up at the end.
Eventually, the German fleet spread out and transmission clarity faded, so they also shifted
to a designated net controller. The task fell to Heike aboard Victoria , who not only pos-
sessed strong transmission capability but also had a clear voice and perky radio personality
fit for professional broadcasting. Interestingly, most calls on the German net were made by
the female members of each crew (most of whom were couples, plus three families with
young children), with Corinna of Moin handling much of the relay work. To keep things in-
teresting, Heike pulled her six-year-old son, Niclas, into the fray, allowing him to hail each
boat on the roll in turn. Who couldn't resist a smile when his sweet, tiny voice came on the
air? This kind of personal touch is only possible within a small-scale net, allowing a
scattered, faceless group to become a community, no matter how far-flung.
The main challenge for both nets was accommodating the last crews after the majority had
made landfall. Ideally, a team of net controllers should stay on duty until the last boat ar-
rives safely in port. Poor SSB transmission within the mountain-ringed Marquesas made it
difficult for those at anchor to communicate with vessels still underway, though email pro-
gress reports via Sail Mail could still get through. In addition, the last three POST boats
were able to sidestep to another informal net and thus maintained direct outside contact
throughout the entire crossing.
Our experience shows that informal radio nets can be great fun and bring many advantages.
With a few like-minded crews and a decent SSB set, sailors can cross oceans with a feeling
of safety and camaraderie, regardless of the region they explore. In fact, many of the crews
remained friends throughout their Pacific travels - on and off the air.