The Emergency drawer — what's there and when to use it
Mayday assist, nearest harbors, USCG districts.
Emergency is the drawer you hope you never need. Open it from the red triangle at the top of Mission Control, the chart drawer's Man Overboard row, or by asking Siri; the Emergency button on theONE's own lock screen opens the reference part without unlocking. The first thing in it is Drop MOB pin now — full width, top of the screen, one tap. Under it: the calls; the VHF radio card — Channel 16 and the DSC distress button; the Mayday call template with Open interactive Mayday assist (it scripts the radio call); then File a float plan, USCG district numbers under Coast Guard directory (who has jurisdiction where you are), and Find a safe refuge under Nearest harbors (a bundled list of 30 harbors, sorted from your position — from your home port when there is no fix).
Steps
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Drop MOB pin now — first, on purpose
The pin button sits above everything else in the drawer so it is the biggest target on the screen. One tap saves your position for the Coast Guard; it works with no signal. See the MOB article for what the pin records.
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DSC distress button
On the VHF radio card, under Channel 16. If your VHF has a red DISTRESS button, is programmed with your MMSI and has a GPS position: lift the cover and hold DISTRESS for about 5 seconds, until the radio sends. The alert carries your MMSI and position to the Coast Guard and every DSC radio in range, and the radio goes to Channel 16 — make the voice Mayday there. Until someone acknowledges, the radio repeats the alert on its own.
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Mayday Assist
The row reads Open interactive Mayday assist, under the Mayday call template. If you've never sent a Mayday, the panic in the moment makes phrasing hard. Mayday Assist scripts the call: 'Mayday, Mayday, Mayday. This is [vessel name], [vessel name], [vessel name]. Position: [auto-filled from GPS]. Nature of emergency: …'. You read it off the screen, on Channel 16.
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Nearest Harbors
Under the Nearest harbors heading, tap Find a safe refuge: a list of harbors nearest your current position, each with bearing, distance and a one-line note — Annapolis reads "USCG Sector Maryland-NCR · fuel, haul-out, transient slips". It shows the five nearest, with "Show all 30 harbors" underneath. The list is bundled with the app and covers the busy US cruising grounds; well outside that coverage it has nothing to offer. With no GPS fix it sorts from your home port instead.
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USCG Districts
Under Coast Guard directory, tap USCG district numbers: a reference of which USCG District covers which water. Useful when you're crossing district lines and need to know which station to hail.
Related
- Safety Equipment — the gear, where it is, and when it lapsesKeep the boat's safety gear and its dates on file so nothing expires unnoticed.
- MOB (Man Overboard) — what happens when you tap itThe pin, the history, and why this is on every screen.
- Send a float planGet your plan to the right people, before you leave the dock or while you are underway.