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Mayday – Voice Distress Call

Mayday – Voice Distress Call. Practice maritime VHF scenario.

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Scenario briefing

Key teaching points

Channel 16, full power: "MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY, THIS IS [vessel name × 3], MMSI [if available]".
Position (lat/long or bearing/distance from named point), nature of distress, persons on board, any other relevant information.
End with "OVER" and listen for acknowledgement; coastguards typically respond within 15 seconds.
If no reply, re-transmit at 1-minute intervals — switch to another distress frequency only after multiple attempts.

Common mistakes to avoid

Forgetting MMSI or position because of stress. Practise the call sequence dry so it is automatic.
Skipping "persons on board" — the coastguard needs this to scale the rescue response.
Pressing PTT and speaking before tone settles — the first second of the message is often lost.

Why it matters

The voice MAYDAY call is the radio procedure every skipper must be able to execute under stress — typically while the boat is taking on water or fire is spreading. Practising the exact ITU/IMO sequence on a simulator builds the muscle memory that prevents a panicked, incomplete call.

Exam relevance

The Rule 36 / ITU MAYDAY procedure is THE central skill examined in the VHF Short Range Certificate (SRC) — candidates are graded on completeness, order and clarity.

Related scenarios

About SkipperCheck simulators

SkipperCheck offers two browser-based maritime training simulators:

ARPA · AIS · COLREG Bridge Simulator — 54 scenarios covering Rules 2, 5–10, 12–19, 23–30, 34 and 35.
VHF SRC Radio Simulator — 15 scenarios: voice Mayday, DSC distress, Mayday Relay, Pan-Pan, Sécurité, routine.

Both run in any modern browser, on desktop or mobile. No install, no plugins.