Cruiseheimers Net  

The Cruiseheimers net is about keeping in touch and helping cruisers connect and communicate.  Since we're a scattered community, it helps
create cohesiveness among us, no matter how distant.

A Net Control facilitates.  Informal.

All cruisers are invited to participate.

The Cruiseheimers Net meets each morning,
seven days a week at 0830 Eastern Time on SSB 8152 kHz / 8.152 mHz
-OR- 6.516 mHz or 6.227 mHz during the seasonal change (very loosely defined as Fall to Spring).

The current frequency is always posted on the left.

Eastern U.S. and Canada, The Bahamas, and northern Caribbean.

Instant Netspeak. Break? Contact? Traffic? At a glance, learn how and when to use these and other terms. They'll never guess you mastered it in less than 5 minutes!

Emergency, medical, and priority traffic
Announcements and queries
Check-ins for short-timers (those who can't stay for the entire net)
Boats actively underway check in
Boats by region check in
Traffic List is run (if the Net Control called for one)
Wrap-up.  Net usually runs about a half hour.

Contributed by Dick on "St Jude"

The Net is very informal. There is a different Net Controller for each day of the week.  Each Controller brings their own style to the way they run the Net, but basically we all follow the same format. It is okay to carry on a short conversation on frequency, although we do ask that if it is going to be a long talk, that people take their traffic off frequency.

Suggested radio procedure for the Net:

Do NOT whistle or tune-up on the Net frequency.

Check-ins: Come with your Boat Name Only and wait to be recognized by Net Control or a relay, and then give your position.

For Boat-to-Boat traffic:  Come with your Boat Name Only and wait to be recognized before proceeding with traffic. Please "clear" when you have made contact, or failed to make contact.

If you need to get into the Net, call "Break."
("Break/Break" is considered an emergency call.)

If you have relevant information, call "Info" and your Boat Name Only, and wait to be recognized.

Boats are asked to switch to another frequency if the conversation is to be longer than passing a short message to another vessel. 

Because there's a whole boatload of nets for cruisers.

Dockside Radio and Call Nugget each provide extensive listings of all the nets cruisers might take interest in. 

The Net was started in March 1997 in the Bahamas by a group of boats from the west coast of the U.S.  They were all missing the informal chat nets that are run in Mexico and Central America on both HAM and SSB frequencies.

The primary founders were Roy on "Temptress", Gill on "Running Free" and Alice on "Lady Helen."  They started a daily radio schedule to keep in touch with each other. Other cruisers quickly jumped aboard simply to chat and the Net was born!

It was originally called the "West Coast/East Coast Cruiser Net" because all of the original group had started their cruising on the west coast, and one way or another made their way to the east coast.  After more boats started joining the Net, the name sounded a little exclusive, so Roy suggested the name of "Cruiseheimers."

Cruiseheimers is a term that originated in the Sea of Cortes, Mexico to describe a malady which affects many long term cruisers.  Specifically it refers to the inability to remember the day of the week, the month, and sometimes even the name of your boat or mate among other things.  It happens after you've been out for awhile.  The bunch of cruisers involved with founding the Net were all afflicted with the disorder to one degree or another as are all of us who have joined them.


Recognition to Dave "Destiny"
who was the Sunday Net Control
from 2001 - 2010.

The Tech Net was conceived by former Net Control, Ron, on "Undine 2" in early 2004.  He noted that cruisers spend a lot of valuable time trying to track down information for their boat problems.  Why not get everyone together at the same time for healthy discussion and solutions.

The net was initially set up to run once a week, but it was quickly expanded to twice a week, so no one would have to wait seven days for help, advice, or clarification.

The net addresses live-aboard issues of any kind, and there's no such thing as a stupid question.

Additionally, cruisers discuss things that work.  Maybe a new use for something, a technique, a product, or...

All cruisers are invited to participate.