The demise of CG66 brought forward to end of March 2020

Many boaters will be aware of, and possibly will have used, the CG66 boat registration scheme. CG66 was a scheme whereby a boater could register a boats details with the MCA.  Registering the vessel would greatly assist the Coast Guard in identifying the vessel in the event of an emergency or Search & Rescue situation.

The CG66 registration scheme is being replaced by the ‘Safe Trx’ registration scheme administered by the Royal Yachting Association (RYA).

“HM Coastguard recommends that all recreational boat users download the RYA SafeTrx app,” the MCA spokesperson says. “A web-based version of RYA SafeTrx is also available on the RYA’s website. HM Coastguard replaced its old safety identification scheme, CG66 in July 2018 and recommended that all CG66 users registered with RYA SafeTrx. From the end of March 2020 the CG66 data will no longer be accessible to HM Coastguard due to other MCA systems being updated and the CG66 data being out of date. From that point forward Coastguard coordinators will use RYA SafeTrx data only to give them additional information to assist with search and rescue response.”

The RYA ‘Safe Trx’ user guide has all the information that you will need to get started with ‘Safe Trx’.  The user guide can be found on the RYA website or by using the link HERE .

As responsible boaters, safety must be our paramount concern. Using ‘Safe Trx’ is relatively simple and very quickly becomes part of your pre-departure routine. Once your vessel is registered you use the Safe Tax App prior to departure to enter brief passage details: name of vessel, number of persons onboard, ETA, purpose of passage, departure point, destination, any waypoints that you want to list, emergency contact details and there is even a checklist if you want to add more detail.  When you have entered all the required information, which only takes a couple of minutes, you select ‘Set Sail’ and your passage begins.

It is important to cancel your sail plan/passage when you have completed it otherwise your ‘Emergency Contact’ will be notified that you have failed to arrive at your intended destination within the time you stated.  We have found this to be a good system and we would encourage all boaters to follow the link above for a more in depth brief on the ‘Safe Trx’ App.

RYA ‘Safe Trx’ is a free download from the App Store. It’s pretty intuitive, there is a link to the Met Office for weather and a means by which your nominated contact and others can check on the progress of your passage.

PLEASE remember to END your trip using the Safe Trx App when you reach your destination.

Enjoy using the App, boat responsibly and have fun out on the water.