Coastguard & Emergency Safety Hub
VHF channels • MRCC / Solent Coastguard contact details • what to do in an emergency
In a genuine emergency on the water or coast
Dial 999 (or 112) and ask for the Coastguard. Be ready to give: your position, the nature of the problem, the number of people involved, and a callback number.
On VHF: use Channel 16 (or your set’s DSC distress button) — see the full Mayday procedure below. This box is a summary only, not a substitute for these details being wrong — if in doubt, call.
Deaf or hard-of-hearing? Relay UK and 999 text/SMS emergency services are available, but need to be pre-registered before you rely on them — see gov.uk’s guidance on contacting 999 if you cannot hear or speak on the phone.
Mayday, Pan-Pan and DSC — the VHF procedure
If your radio has DSC (Digital Selective Calling): press and hold the dedicated distress button until the alarm tone stops (usually 3–5 seconds). If the set is linked to a GPS, your position is transmitted automatically. Follow up with a voice Mayday on Channel 16 once the DSC alert has gone out.
Voice Mayday (Channel 16, high power):
- “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday”
- “This is [vessel name, spoken three times]”
- Callsign and MMSI, if you have them
- Repeat: Mayday, vessel name, callsign/MMSI
- Your position (lat/long or a bearing/distance from a known point)
- The nature of the emergency and what assistance you need
- Number of people on board
- “Over” — then release the transmit button and listen
Pan-Pan is the step below Mayday — use it for urgent situations that aren’t yet life-threatening (engine failure on a lee shore, a medical concern that isn’t critical, and so on). Same channel, same structure, “Pan-Pan, Pan-Pan, Pan-Pan” in place of Mayday.
Person in the water? Don’t jump in after them. Call 999/Mayday, throw a lifebelt or anything that floats, keep pointing at them so the crew can find them again, and if you’re the one in the water, the RNLI’s Float to Live technique (float on your back, control your breathing, wait it out) gives you far longer than instinctively swimming hard.
Solent VHF channels at a glance
This isn’t the full national channel plan — just the ones that matter day-to-day on the Solent. Always keep a listening watch on Channel 16 underway.
| Channel | Use | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Distress, safety & calling | International distress/urgency/safety channel and initial calling channel. Monitored by Solent Coastguard. DSC distress alerts and voice Mayday calls both start here. |
| 67 | Solent Coastguard working channel | Routine (non-distress) working traffic with Solent Coastguard is usually moved here after making contact on Ch16. |
| 62 / 63 / 64 | Marine Safety Information | Duplex channels used by HM Coastguard for scheduled navigation and weather safety broadcasts. |
| 65 | NCI lookout stations | Direct-call channel for the National Coastwatch stations around the Solent (radio checks, local conditions). |
| 80 | Marina calling | Duplex channel most Solent marinas monitor for calls requesting a berth. |
| 69 | Cowes Harbour Radio | Cowes Harbour Commission working channel. |
| 68 | Hamble / Yarmouth / Beaulieu River | Shared working channel for Hamble Harbour Radio, Yarmouth Harbour and Beaulieu River Radio. |
| 66 | Lymington Harbour | Lymington Harbour Commission working channel. |
| 12 | Southampton VTS | Associated British Ports Southampton Vessel Traffic Services / Southampton Patrol. |
| 11 | Queen's Harbour Master, Portsmouth | Portsmouth Harbour and dockyard traffic. |
| 06 / 72 / 77 | Boat-to-boat | Simplex channels for direct vessel-to-vessel chat, clear of working/safety traffic. |
| 08 | Tugs (Southampton) | Reserved for tugs operating within the Port of Southampton. |
Channels 9, 10, 71 and 74 are ship-to-ship working channels not intended for leisure craft use. Source: National Coastwatch Institution.
Solent Coastguard & NCI lookout stations
“Solent Coastguard” is the VHF call sign you’ll hear on the radio, but the office behind it is now officially the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) at Fareham — it’s no longer listed as a standalone “MRCC Solent” on HM Coastguard’s own list of centres, but the same operational area and call sign continue as before. The map below also shows the volunteer-run National Coastwatch Institution (NCI) lookout stations dotted around the Solent, who keep a visual watch and monitor Channel 65.
Click a marker to jump to that entry below.
Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (Fareham) MRCC
Kites Croft Business Park, Fareham
The Coastguard coordination centre covering the Solent - still commonly known on the radio by its operational call sign "Solent Coastguard". Non-emergency contact only; see the emergency box above for what to do in an actual incident.
Gosport NCI NCI Lookout
Fort Blockhouse, Gosport
National Coastwatch Institution watch station overlooking the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour.
Lee-on-the-Solent NCI NCI Lookout
Lee-on-the-Solent
Watch station covering the approaches to the western Solent and Southampton Water.
Calshot NCI NCI Lookout
Calshot Spit
Watch station at the mouth of Southampton Water, alongside the RNLI Calshot lifeboat station.
Stone Point NCI NCI Lookout
Lepe, near Exbury
Watch station covering the Beaulieu River entrance and the western Solent shipping channel.
The Needles NCI NCI Lookout
Needles Old Battery, Isle of Wight
Watch station covering the western Solent approaches and the notoriously tricky Needles Channel.
Bembridge NCI NCI Lookout
Bembridge, Isle of Wight
Watch station covering the eastern Solent approaches and Bembridge Ledge.
Non-emergency contact details
Never use these details in an emergency — call 999 and ask for the Coastguard instead. The number below is for general enquiries only (lost property, non-urgent reports, and so on).
Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (Fareham)
Unit 12, Kites Croft Business Park, Fareham, PO14 4LW
Phone (non-emergency): 0344 382 0560
Source: gov.uk — HM Coastguard rescue coordination centre contact details
Register your boat
HM Coastguard’s old paper-based CG66 safety scheme was withdrawn in 2018. Its replacement, RYA SafeTrx, is free, works from a phone app, and lets the Coastguard see your planned route and passengers if you need help — worth setting up before you need it, not during an emergency.
This is a static reference page, checked annually rather than live-updated — none of this content (channels,
numbers, procedures) changes often, but if anything here looks out of date please let us know.
See also: Solent Lifeboat “Shouts” •
Shipping Forecast •
Local Tides •
Local Sailing & Racing Calendar