[davidjade]

The class I took was for recreational/non-commercial sailing so some of the GMDSS requirements do not apply to those vessels.

I’ve done re-certification every 5 years or so. At every class a SAR person has told us to not expect them to make contact over a sat phone. Now who they will contact first are your EPIRB contacts and ask for your float plan, vessel description, etc.

Maybe it is because they don’t want people to have just a sat phone or InReach and believe they’re good to go.

People seem to regularly be unable to tell SAR where they are even if they have a GPS onboard. I’ve witnessed this just listening to VHF request for assistance in inland waters many times in the Pacific Northwest.