From 2/8/01</font id=blue>
I am probably the last person on this site to watch the movie The Perfect Storm. As I sat and watched the movie Saturday night I thought about the many storms we have dodged over the years by keeping a keen eye on the horizon. I also thought about the ones that moved just a little too quickly for us to avoid. While most of the storms we have encountered on the water have been small I have seen a few that turned the conditions of the ocean to a frothing, rolling mess in a very short amount of time. As I watched The Perfect Storm, I found myself hoping the guys were going to make it, even though I was already familiar with the story and knew how it ended. I was hopeful all the way up to the point when they lost radio contact and could no longer be warned of the danger they were navigating their vessel into. I began to think about recent discussions on this site about using a cellular phone versus a VHF radio. We all enjoy the sport of fishing, but anytime you are dealing with the elements, fish with big teeth, hooks, gaffs, and assorted other unexpected surprises, being safety conscious is a must.
Cell phones work well inshore and are great for calling someone you know from the water. They are also great if you are fishing in tandem with another boat and don’t want everyone else to hear where you are catching fish. I always take mine to let my wife know just how late I am running when I fish. Cell phones are designed just for the purpose of contacting someone directly, but they are not a substitute for your VHF radio and here is why.
You can leave a service area of a cell phone without warning and the ranges of reception may vary depending upon weather conditions and other factors. Offshore reception on cell phones is either poor or non-existent in most cases. Cell phones cannot provide contact with other vessels on close proximity unless they have a cell phone and you know their number. If you have an emergency on your boat even inshore, you may not be able to d