Not long ago, I decided to take my boat to a new yard, and went for a visit to inspect the place first. The facility looked okay to me and as I was leaving the office, I asked what channel they monitor. The answer stunned me.

"We don't do that," she said. "You can just call us."

A marina and boatyard that doesn't use a VHF? It gave me pause, but I wrote it off to local custom – until it happened again. My wife called to book a slip for a trip this coming weekend, and I asked her to find out what channel to use on approach. She was told that we should just ring them up when we arrive.

Could it be that the mobile phone is replacing the VHF as the communication device of choice?

Indeed at first glance, using a cell over a radio may make sense to some people. Mobile phones are inexpensive and most of us have one. They are easy to use and can be programmed with important numbers. And you don't have to speak in jargon, like you do on the radio.

As mobile phones get more sophisticated, many companies are making marine applications that allow users to navigate and obtain information on weather and tides (for more, read the Mad Mariner series Going Mobile). In fact, just last week, the Panbo Marine Electronics Blog noted that Cobra now makes a command mic for cell phones.

But on closer examination, there is one extremely serious drawback to relying on a phone: safety.

The Coast Guard – the guys who come get you when all goes wrong – monitors VHF Channel 16, where they can determine your location immediately via DSC, if your radio is so equipped. They also have procedures in place to triage your call, take the relevant information and formulate an appropriate response.

Using a mobile phone thwarts much of that.

Seems to me that the best strategy is to use both, making sure that the mobile is charged, the DSC is setup properly and that you know how to use the radio. Obviously, distance cruisers will want to use an EPIRB, PLB or both.

I keep a dedicated mobile phone on my boat, a cheap model that I will not miss if dropped. This keeps my Blackberry out of harm's way, a strategy I enacted after losing a Treo in the harbor at Solomons Island a few years back. I have plans to turn my Blackberry into a more helpful onboard device, taking advantage of some of the amazing technology out there. Until I get to that, I want to keep it safe.

I also have a VHF in the cabin, with a command mic on the flybridge, and a separate radio on the fly as well. Because my upstairs radio is broken, I have a hand-held unit up there as a temporary solution until I replace it. I also have a hand-held VHF in the ditch bag, along with an EPIRB. If something goes wrong, I want to be sure I can reach the Coast Guard and that they can reach me.

Hailing my marina, however, may be another matter.