RYA SRC Distress and Urgency Calls — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the difference between a 'Mayday' and a 'Pan Pan' call?
- They are the same
- Mayday indicates grave and imminent danger requiring immediate assistance; Pan Pan indicates an urgent situation that is not an immediate threat to life or the vessel (Correct answer)
- Pan Pan is more serious than Mayday
- Mayday is only for sinking vessels
Correct answer: Mayday indicates grave and imminent danger requiring immediate assistance; Pan Pan indicates an urgent situation that is not an immediate threat to life or the vessel
Mayday is reserved for situations of grave and imminent danger where immediate assistance is required (e.g., sinking, fire). Pan Pan is for urgent situations not immediately life-threatening (e.g., engine failure, medical concern).
Question 2: What is the correct format for expressing a position in a Mayday call?
- Just the name of the nearest town
- Latitude and longitude, or a true bearing and distance from a known point (Correct answer)
- Grid reference from an Ordnance Survey map
- GPS coordinates in any format
Correct answer: Latitude and longitude, or a true bearing and distance from a known point
Position should be given as latitude and longitude (degrees and minutes, North/South, East/West), or as a TRUE bearing and distance from a named charted feature.
Question 3: What does the signal 'SECURITE' (pronounced 'SAY-CURE-IT-AY') indicate?
- A vessel is sinking
- A safety message is about to follow, such as a navigational hazard or weather warning (Correct answer)
- A security breach on board
- The vessel is requesting a pilot
Correct answer: A safety message is about to follow, such as a navigational hazard or weather warning
Securite (spoken three times) precedes a safety message concerning navigational hazards, weather warnings, or other information important to the safety of navigation.
Question 4: In what order of priority are Mayday, Pan Pan, and Securite calls ranked?
- Pan Pan, Mayday, Securite
- Mayday (distress), Pan Pan (urgency), Securite (safety) (Correct answer)
- Securite, Pan Pan, Mayday
- They have equal priority
Correct answer: Mayday (distress), Pan Pan (urgency), Securite (safety)
The priority order is: Mayday (highest — distress/immediate danger), Pan Pan (urgency — serious concern), Securite (safety — navigational or meteorological warnings). Mayday takes absolute priority.
Question 5: When can a Mayday call be cancelled?
- It cannot be cancelled
- When the distress situation is resolved and the vessel is no longer in danger, the originating vessel should cancel it with 'MAYDAY — ALL STATIONS — SILENCE FINI' (Correct answer)
- Only the coastguard can cancel it
- After 24 hours automatically
Correct answer: When the distress situation is resolved and the vessel is no longer in danger, the originating vessel should cancel it with 'MAYDAY — ALL STATIONS — SILENCE FINI'
The vessel that originated the Mayday (or the coast station coordinating) should cancel it when the emergency is over, using the proword 'SILENCE FINI' (pronounced 'SEE-LONCE FEE-NEE') to indicate the distress traffic is ended.
Question 6: What is a 'Mayday Relay'?
- A race between rescue vessels
- A distress message transmitted by a station on behalf of another vessel that is in distress but unable to transmit (Correct answer)
- A repeated Mayday call by the same vessel
- A test of the distress system
Correct answer: A distress message transmitted by a station on behalf of another vessel that is in distress but unable to transmit
A Mayday Relay is transmitted when a vessel or coast station becomes aware of a distress situation where the vessel in distress cannot transmit, or when the original Mayday has not been acknowledged.
RYA SRC Distress and Urgency Calls
What is the difference between a 'Mayday' and a 'Pan Pan' call?