Navigating The Radio – Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of Navigating The Radio!

In this article, we will continue our discussion of Navigating the Radio by covering talking to Locks and Commercial vessels. If you will be doing the Great Loop, this will be an important part of surviving the Inland Rivers!

If you haven’t read Part 1: Radio Etiquette, Hailing Marinas, & Bridges yet, start there, as this article builds on the information in that article.

Communicating With Locks: Channeling Patience

Locks can be the bottleneck of the boating world. Get ready to exercise a blend of patience and precise communication. Here, channel 13 is again commonly used, though local variations exist.

Canal locks, such as the Erie, Oswego, Champlain, Rideau, and Trent-Severn, are mostly used by recreational boaters with very little commercial traffic and are much less formal (and friendlier). Here, you just call in, and they will tell you what to do or watch for the green light to let you know it is safe to enter.

On Inland rivers like the St. Lawrence Seaway, Illinois, Mississippi, Ohio, Cumberland, Tennesse, and the Tenn-Tom waterway, you are dealing with commercial locks, which are mainly used to pass commercial traffic. Pleasure boats are, by and large, a necessary annoyance.

Communicating with a Lock is very similar to communicating with a bridge, except that you must pay close attention to the Lock Keepers instructions. Again, doing your homework in advance will save you hours of sitting and waiting. Here are the key bits of information you need to know about a Lock before you get there.

The Lock Name. Again, locks can have multiple names, so it’s important to know what name they expect you to use.
The Hailing Channel. This is most likely channel 13. But for locks, you will also want the phone number to call well before your arrival.
The Locks Schedule. Some locks will only pass through non-commercial traffic at specific times of the day, and this can change based on the current commercial traffic volume. Calling a day ahead is your best bet. However, most won’t give you a specific time. (See below for Lock Hints)
Lock-Specific Instructions. At some locks, pleasure vessels can only use one side of the lock, so note Port or Starboard. Some locks will provide you with ropes to hang on to; at others, you need to loop your own lines around a cable or bollard. You can learn more about it by looking up the Lock information in The Waterway Guide or the website for the waterway you are on.
Lock Fees & How To Pay. All US Locks are funded with your tax dollars, so there is no fee except for the Eisenhower and Snell Locks on the St. Lawrence Seaway. All locks on the St. Lawrence seaway have a fee you must pay through their website in advance. The Canadian Locks on the St. Lawrence require you to book and pay at least 12 hours in advance. (when we went through in 2023, it was very inconvenient. We have heard they are reviewing the policy, so check in advance). The smaller Canadian canals will take cash at each lock, or you can pre-purchase passes from Parks Canada for a discount and to speed your passage.

When dealing with the locks on the rivers, it’s best to call ahead at least 1 or 2 hours before you arrive. If they won’t be able to put you through for several hours, they will usually advise you and can evaluate your options based on the time of day. Sometimes, it’s best just to go to a marina or anchorage for the night and pick up in the morning. Locking through after dark, while sometimes your only option, is no fun.

Here is a typical communication exchange with a lock on the rivers.

You “Spiffy Lock, this is the (group of #) downbound pleasure craft. We are 10 minutes out requesting a lock through.” (Hopefully, you called ahead and are not a surprise. Also, the locks have AIS and watch traffic as well)
Lock “Pleasure craft. We have an upbound tow in the chamber. Stay clear of the lock until requested to approach in 30-45 minutes.”
You “Spiffy Lock, Roger, we will be waiting.”
Lock (an hour later) “Spiffy Lock to the downbound pleasure craft. As soon as the tow clears the lock entrance, you may enter the lock. Be sure to wear your life jacket. You may tie to any bollard port or starboard. Please have larger vessels come in first. All vessels should acknowledge when secure.” (Sometimes the Lock Keeper is radio shy, and they just turn on the Green Light to signal you can enter.)
You (to the other boats) “I’ll take the first bollard on the port side.”
You “Spiffy Lock, first boat on port is secure.”
Lock “Hooooonk!” (This means the water level is changing, so watch your lines!)
Lock “Honk, Honk, Honk” (Means all clear, get out of my lock!)
You “Spiffy Lock, first boat is clear of the lock. Thank you for the Lift/Drop!”

That’s a general idea of how smooth locking will go. Remember to be flexible and patient. You can’t rush the government!

Hints For Dealing With Locks

1. Travel In Groups

Locks are more likely to lock through several pleasure boats traveling together than a single boat. Arrange with other boaters to travel in a flotilla, and appoint a leader who will take care of communication with the locks (both by phone and radio). Lock Keepers are busy, and having 6 people call them asking the same question is a waste of their time.

2. Look At Traffic Resources

You can get an idea about what the expected wait time is for Locks operated by the Army Corps of Engineers (most of the inland river locks) by looking at the “Lock Queue Report,” which will give you an idea of how many boats are waiting for a lock, and how many barges they have. You can expect at least 1 hour for a 4-6 barge tow and 3 hours for a 12 barge tow at most locks. The trick is to look at the locks before and after the lock you are going through to see what’s coming toward you from either direction. It’s a bit like trying to read tea leaves, but at least it’s something. Also AIS can be helpful while waiting at a lock, it let’s you watch when a tow is moving into the lock, and moving out of the lock, so you can be ready if you are next in line.

2. When Waiting, Be Patient, But Ready

When you are told you will have to wait, we suggest getting an idea of how long. If the wait is over an hour (very common), you are better off finding a place to tie up or drop anchor. If you are close to the lock, make sure where you wait, is not in the way of tows coming in or out of the lock. You can ask the Lock Keeper where they would like you to wait. But be ready to move quickly. We’ve been told that the wait was 3 hours, and we dropped anchor. Then, we got a call to be at the lock in 15 minutes. So, keep ready! While waiting, calling the lock every 15 minutes will annoy the Lock Keeper. If they tell you an hour, wait an hour before you check again. If something opens up, they will call you.

3. Listen Carefully To Instructions When Entering The Lock

When it’s time to enter the lock, line up and listen carefully to the Lock Keepers instructions. First, have your life jacket on. It’s required, and they check. Second, they will tell you which side or both of the lock to go to. If it is both, and you are with a large group, pre-arrange who is going where. Sometimes, they will give you foot markers to go to “Vessel 2, go to the 200 ft marker on port.” Sometimes the bollards are not operational, so you will be told, don’t use the second bollard on Port. The quicker everyone is in and settled, the quicker you will get through. Also, for larger groups, be prepared to be told that you need to “Raft” where larger vessels go in first and tie off to the wall, then smaller vessels pull up alongside and tie off to the larger vessels.

Following instructions is important. We had one Lock Keeper call a boat that didn’t follow directions and say “Do you want to make it to Florida? Yes? Then move your boat where I told you to go!” while 15 other boats waited for them to get it right!

4. Let The Lock Keeper Know When You Are Settled

Once you are tied off and have shut down your engines (many locks require this), give the Lockkeeper a quick call to let them know: “Spiffy Lock, third boat on port is set.” or “Blue Trawler is set.” Don’t bother with your boat name; they don’t know who you are from up in their tower.

5. When It’s Time To Go, Wait For The Horn, But Be Ready

Once you are up or down and the doors start to open, get your engines started and get your lines ready to drop. The lock will blow a horn when it is safe to leave. Don’t move before the horn. Lock Keepers hate that! Once the horn blows, make an orderly exit. Boats at the front first. Some Lock Keepers will give you specific exit instructions, like all boats on Port first. Finally, taking forever to get your boat untied when it’s time to move will annoy your fellow boaters and the Lock Keeper!

Commercial Vessels and Tows: Keep it Snappy

Channel 13 is once again your trusty go-to for radio interactions with commercial vessels or towboats. Recognize this channel as a busy highway; speed and clarity are key. Stick to the essentials and avoid lengthy exchanges. It’s like ordering your coffee during morning rush hour—be short and sweet or get out of the line!

If Bridge Tenders and Lock Keepers don’t want to hear your life story, commercial captains are even less interested in hearing about you. All they care about is that you stay out of their way.

During your cruising adventures, you will encounter two types of Commercial traffic: large commercial ships, like cargo carriers, cruise ships, and tankers, and tows, either pulling or pushing barges. Regardless of which type of commercial vessel you are dealing with, the protocol is pretty much the same.

When it comes to commercial vessels, AIS is your best friend. Most commercial vessels 65 feet and longer are required to have AIS. The beauty of having AIS on your boat is that you know the other vessel is there before it suddenly appears around the corner. Second, you can see their name to hail them directly on the radio. Third, and most important, they can see you! The commercial captains will often reach out to you before you call them if they have any concerns.

Large Cargo & Passenger Ships

When dealing with commercial ships like bulk carriers, cruise ships, and tankers, you will typically be in a shipping channel leading into or out of a major port. These channels are usually wide and have plenty of room to pass. Usually, I check the chart to see if there is enough depth outside the marked channel. If there is, I will go just outside the markers to give them a wide berth. No communication is necessary. If you must make a close pass, it’s best to hail them first, as they may not know you are there.

Some hints regarding large commercial vessels. Their size makes it hard to judge the size of their wake. A 1,000-foot container ship may be doing 8-10 knots in the channel and pushing up a 6 to 8-foot bow wake! Don’t underestimate it! Also, the wash from the propellers can spin you around, so don’t cut in behind a large ship until you have some distance.

When hailing a commercial ship, one distinction is that using your boat name is a good idea so they can respond to you by name and spot you on AIS, especially in congested areas. Commercial vessel captains are usually a bit more personable than Tow Boat captains!

Start by hailing them on Channel 13. If you don’t get a response, switch to 16. Because your conversation will be short, it’s okay to stay on 16 unless the negotiation for passing gets’ long and involved. Then they will probably switch to 13.

A typical commercial vessel haling might go like this…

You “Exxon Valdez, Exxon Valdez, Exxon Valdez, this is the pleasure craft My Boat Name on your stern requesting a pass.”
Vessel “My Boat Name, we are constrained by our draft. If you must pass, please do so on our port side and stay at least 100 feet away from our vessel.”
You “Roger Exxon Valdez, we are coming around on your port side, outside the channel.”

Many ships, when leaving or entering port, are controlled by a local Pilot, and they are very restricted in what they can do. Also, many of these ships have foreign crews, and English may not be their primary language.

You probably won’t get them to do anything special to accommodate you. Slowing down takes miles. While they might move over slightly, a 1,000-foot-long vessel will take a while to make a noticeable change.

Unless you are meeting them head-on and have nowhere to go, you are probably best off figuring out your safest course of action and taking it. We have pulled just out of the main channel, come to idle, and turned to take the wake at 45° when passing a large ship in Mobile Bay, where the channel is narrow and gets shallow quickly outside of the markers.

Tow Boats with Barges

Tow Boats are another kettle of fish. These guys are the long-haul truckers of the maritime industry. Ask most tow boat captains, and they will tell you they look at pleasure craft as vermin. The only reason they don’t run over you is the paperwork involved!

That said, they do care that your encounter with them ends safely. However, they are on a schedule, and like large commercial ships, changing course and speed while pushing a load that’s 120 feet wide, 1,200 feet long, and weighing 26,000 tons in a narrow, shallow river takes a lot of time and effort.

As mentioned having an AIS transceiver on board is your best friend and will improve your safety immeasurably. On windy rivers, you often won’t see an oncoming tow until you come around a bend, and “Holy Crap! There they are!” you are looking at a wall of steel a couple of hundred feet in front of you.

Hailing Tows

When hailing a tow boat, they don’t care about your boat name or where you are from. All they want to know is where you are, and that you will stay out of their way.

Here is a typical exchange with a Tow Captain.

You “Danny Kae, Danny Kae, Danny Kae, this is a downbound pleasure craft about 1 mile in front of you.”
Tow “Pleasure craft, go ahead.”
You “Danny Kae, what side would you like me on Captain?”
Tow “I’ll meet you on the one.”
You “On the one, thank you.”

Another common exchange might be…

You “Danny Kae, Danny Kae, Danny Kae, this is a downbound pleasure craft about 1 mile in front of you.”
Tow “Pleasure craft, go ahead.”
You “Danny Kae, what side would you like me on Captain?”
Tow “I’ll be eatin’ up the entire river comin’ around this bend. Pull over to the green side and wait until I pass.”
You “No problem. Danny Kae, we will wait until you are past.”
Tow “Pleasure boat, thanks for your help. Y’all have a blessed day.”

And finally, if you are passing them…

You “Danny Kae, Danny Kae, Danny Kae, this is a downbound pleasure craft behind you.”
Tow “Pleasure craft, go ahead.”
You “Danny Kae, we would like to come around you. What side would you like us to take you on, Captain?”
Tow “Best you take me on the two, but be quick before the bend.”
You “Coming around on the two. Thank You.”
Tow “Pleasure boat, don’t get too close, or you’ll get sucked under me!”
You “Roger that!”
You “Thanks for the pass Danny Kae, have a great day!”
Tow “Grunt….”

Tips For Dealing With Tow Boats

1. Give Them Respect

First, they are working for a living and you are having fun on your boat. Second they are MUCH bigger than you which means that they are harder to steer, take wide turns, take up to a mile to stop, and can squash you like a bug! Treat them with respect, and they will treat you with respect. Also, many crews work 28 days in a row, in a 6 hour on, 6 hour off rotation. So they are often tired.

2. Understand What One and Two Whistles Means

You will need to memorize the whistle signals and be able to react to them at a moment’s notice. I keep this handy reference graphic taped to my helm just in case I get confused in the heat of the moment.

3. They Know The River or Channel Better Than The Back Of Their Hand

Most Tow Captains have trained for years and take an extensive test of knowledge about the river before they get to captain a tow boat. They know the name and location of every turn, sandbar, wing dam, and snag on the river. They have piloted it during low water and floods. If they “suggest” something, take it to heart! Also, if you have a legitimate question about depths or currents, they can be a great resource. Ask nicely, and most will be happy to help.

4. Pleasure Boaters Are An Annoyance

You will get the occasional chatty tow captain who’s lonely and strikes up a conversation. However, in general, the tow captains are less interested in you than the Bridge Tenders and Lock Keepers. You are to them what Jet Skis are to us—annoying! (Or, as our training Captain calls them, “Vermin.”)

Keep your communication as brief and to the point as possible. They want to know if you are in front of or behind them, that you know they are there, that you understand what they want you to do, and that you will stay out of their way.

If you are on a wide, open stretch of river, and there is no doubt about passing them safely, you don’t need to call and bother them. If they have a concern, they will call you. When we were coming down the rivers, we traveled with boaters who would call EVERY tow that popped up on AIS and ask how they wanted to be passed. Sometimes, the tows were tied up on the side of the river and were confused as to why someone was interrupting their nap. If in doubt, communicate, but pick your battles!

5. Pass With Care

While not a communication tip, it is important to take care when passing a tow, either overtaking or meeting. Here are a few points to remember when passing tows.

First, just because they are big doesn’t mean your wake won’t affect them. Your wake can snap the lines that connect the barges. Even ones sitting on the side of a river. Also, most towboats and many barges have low freeboard (distance from the water to the top of the rail) to allow for handling cables. We’ve seen pleasure boat wakes break over the rail and wash into the cabin of tow boats or wash water into the cargo of a loaded barge. Slow down when passing and watch your wake.

Secondly, it is critical to not get too close to a tow or its barges when passing. Stay at least 50 feet away. The water that a tow and barge displaces causes a pretty large bow wave, and in narrow channels, there is a suction effect created as the barge moves through the water that can suck your boat under the barges if you get too close. It is better to slow down and follow a tow until a straight section of the river than take a chance and ground on a corner.

Thirdly, don’t cut in right behind a Tow Boat pushing upstream. Their propeller wash can spin you around like a cork going over Niagra Falls. Rivers are shallow, and the props will kick up lots of debris from the bottom. Also, the turbulence behind a large tow can extend up to a mile behind the boat. As you merge into their wake, be hyper-aware and ready to react to unexpected turbulence and debris.

Just Like Flying An Airplane:
Aviate, Navigate, Communicate

In aviation, there is an axiom that is considered the golden rule: Aviate, Navigate, Communicate, in that order. This rule is just as important in boating: Keep your boat under control first. Navigate safely so you don’t hit anything second. Finally, communicate your intentions last. If you hit something or run aground, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to communicate while waiting for rescue!

Be safe out on the water, have fun, and we’ll see you on the one!

Questions about communicating by VHF radio?
Have other advice we missed?

Let us know in the comments below!