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 A rugged Grunding Yacht Boy 400, which can run forever on six AA batteries, has enabled this sea captain to keep up with the rise and fall of the world's powerful even when out on a delivery. | |
One night, huddled in the cockpit, I marveled as the autopilot steered the 25-ton boat in huge following seas. What is that cliché about those who don’t learn from history being doomed to repeat it? Anyway, I was spending my watch with the BBC. It was 1990 and Charles Taylor was an up and coming rebel, although today we’d like call him an insurgent. Taylor and his cronies were in the process of taking over the country and I’ll never forget the BBC report as they neared their objective. The broadcast went something like this:
“Our next story comes from Liberia. Unconfirmed sources state that the rebel forces of Mr. Charles Taylor have occupied the Capitol city of Monrovia. Apparently, the entire government has taken flight. Further unconfirmed reports claim that Mr. Taylor’s forces have occupied the Presidential Palace. Witnesses claim that Mr. Taylor’s forces have stormed the Presidential Office on the second floor and thrown the Presidential desk and Presidential chair from a window.”
Alone in cockpit, in the middle of a raging ocean, I was laughing so hard my sides ached. The report still ranks as my all-time-favorite newscast. Can’t you picture it? That’s exactly how I’d do it if I ever stage a coup d'état, “get that f.... desk and chair outta here; I’m in charge now!”
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| "Naturally the one time I didn’t listen to the short wave radio I nearly paid for it with my life." |
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Naturally the one time I didn’t listen to the short wave radio I nearly paid for it with my life. More years ago than I care to admit, (indulge me, I am feeling old enough right now) I was delivering a 38-foot sloop from Sri Lanka to Cypress via the Arabian and Red Seas. After stops in India and Oman, we approached Aden, the port city of what was then South Yemen. Today, everyone knows that this region is one of the most dangerous corners of the globe, the haunting image of the bombed USS Cole being etched into our collective psyche. But then Aden was a waypoint for world cruisers, a decent port to reprovision before starting the tough passage up the Red Sea.
 Aden was once a waypoint for cruisers, but a coup (duly announced over all short-wave radios) dramatically changed the situation making sailboats persona non grata. | |
With the anchor set, I flicked on the short-wave radio—in those days I traveled with a small Sony world band receiver, one of the first digital short waves. News from Aden dominated the BBC World Service broadcast. Long before most of us knew that Yemen was the ancestral home of Osama Bin Laden, the dusty bottom of the Arabian Peninsula was divided into North and South Yemen. The South was ruled by a moderate Marxist regime that tolerated sailboats stopping by for a visit. The BBC confirmed that hardliners in the Air Force and Navy had decided to overthrow their less zealous comrades in the Army; the result was a violent mess that would eventually claim almost 20,000 lives and we’d sailed right into the middle of it!
The gunboat had actually done us a great service. By forcing us to anchor in the outer harbor we were later able to flee the scene with a convoy of jittery merchant ships.The dozen or so cruisers anchored in the inner harbor were not as lucky. They were obliged to abandon their boats and seek refuge aboard a Russian ship that was also hightailing it out of Aden—so much for Communists sticking together. As we sped away, terrified, I chastised myself. If only I had doped up with my usual news fix a little earlier, we could have easily detoured around Aden.
In this age of sophisticated communication systems, when cruising yachts routinely use satellite phones to chat with landlocked family and friends, to send and receive e-mail, or to read an article on Sailnet, the portable short-wave radio seems almost quaint. But I am not alone in thinking it’s a vital piece of equipment. A recent report by the US House of Representatives Committee on International Relations states bluntly, “Short wave radios are the best way to inform the oppressed peoples of the world.” Radio For Peace International, an international political watchdog organization, asserts, “Governments can subvert the Internet and television but short-wave signals can override political and geographic boundaries.”
 Short-wave radios also receive SSB frequencies, making them useful substitutes for a fixed, mounted SSB like the one above. | |
I am in the process of preparing Quetzal for a couple of Atlantic crossing this year. I don’t have an SSB aboard yet, and although it has been at the top of my punch list since the day I bought the boat, now I am uncertain if I will add one. Please, don’t misunderstand me: I am not disputing the usefulness of an SSB, especially as a safety device. However, this past year I have logged 10,000 offshore miles and have used my Global Star satellite phone with great success. I was even part of a link that helped rescue a stricken vessel after they had capsized 200 miles east of Bermuda and lost their mast, rendering their SSB useless. I have the ability to send and receive e-mails with the Global Star, and, with a bit patience can download weather charts. As a result I am wavering about spending another $2,000 for an SSB as well as the additional costs and hassles associated with installing it. Besides, my trusty short-wave radio allows me to monitor Herb’s broadcast and—more importantly—keep up with Charles Taylor. I just can’t imagine him remaining in exile long and I don’t want to miss his next move.
Short-Wave Broadcast Frequencies Below is a list of the best short-wave broadcast frequencies to hit in North America. Day Bands:
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