It's gone off 3 or 4 times over the past few months since moving here, but tonight was different. Tonight the call registered an MMSI (Maritime Mobile Service Identities) number; MMSI is a unique number assigned to a unique vessel; reason enough to start thinking this call was real ... and not a false alert.
I called the Coast Guard on the VHF and reported the vessel's coordinates and MMSI. Right away they were back on the air with an alert for any vessel in the area, about 15 miles away, to respond to Rosie's distress.
Then just after 9 PM the DSC alerted again with the same GPS coordinates.
Makes you wonder what's happening out there. And about how quickly things can go badly, badly wrong.
