GL: Talking to tows

[Gary Barger]

The information that Coleen sent to the listserv was to help people who
reported difficulty in getting tows on the Inland Rivers to respond to their
hailing. The information she gave works for us, and we get the tows to respond
to our requests for passing instructions by hailing them as she described.

As has been pointed out by others on the list,  tow captains almost always
refer to their position as being at a particular light, daymark or prominent
landmark, and we agree that they almost never use the river mile in their
location when talking to each other. The main reason we sometimes offer our
river mile position when we hail tows is that the tow captains will also refer
to their locations as down by the Chevron terminal, the Old Coast Guard
station, the Bunge grain elevator, or Something-or-Other
Landing (e.g., a historical landing that has not been on charts for years, but
has remained in the traditional river talk). They don't refer solely to named
lights or daymarks when they announce their positions on the river.

So, if you know the name of the daymark, light, historical bend, terminal,
etc. that is used for the location you are in, use it. But if you fail to get
a response, hailing "the northbound tow at river mile 118; this is the
approaching south bound pleasure craft" will probably work. Sometimes it might
as be as brief as "See you on the one," but you will have communicated
established a safe passing. And that was the point of the post.


Gary