Are leisure yachts required to keep a radio log for VHF communications?

A. Not legally required for leisure vessels in UK waters, but strongly recommended for offshore passages — logging distress traffic heard, Coastguard communications, and position reports creates a record that may be vital in a legal or SAR context

B. Yes — a radio log is mandatory for all vessels fitted with a VHF radio under UK law

C. Radio logs are only required when carrying paying passengers

D. A radio log is only required for cross-Channel passages

A. To operate the radar system remotely

B. To broadcast weather forecasts to other vessels

C. To make telephone calls from the vessel to shore

D. To send a digitally coded distress alert containing the vessel's MMSI and position automatically to all DSC-equipped stations and the Coastguard

A. Maritime Mobile Service Identity — a unique 9-digit number identifying the vessel; without it a DSC distress alert cannot identify the vessel to rescuers

B. A GPS waypoint identifier used in coastal navigation

C. A VHF channel number allocated by Ofcom for distress use only

D. A vessel survey certificate number required by the MCA