GL: Talking to tows

[Tommy Terrific]

Let's face it Gary....they would rather talk to a sweet sounding woman than 
a gruff ol' guy anytime!
TT

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gary Barger" <gary at calypsopoet.net>
To: <great-loop at lists.samurai.com>
Sent: Monday, September 03, 2007 9:26 PM
Subject: GL: Talking to tows


> 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
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