Marine Glossary

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MAREP

Acronym for mariner's report, meaning most generally any report that underway mariners send back directly or indirectly to a NWS forecast office intended to help the agency prepare a more accurate weather report or forecast.

More specifically, it is a program set up by the NWS to assist in data gathering in coastal waters. Participating mariners (commercial or recreational) send in their observations to specific MAREP stations. The volunteer MAREP operator then coordinates this information and relays it to the NWS. Some stations collect information by VHF and others use HF (SSB) radio as well.

By participating in this program, the mariner benefits from the latest information on current conditions which is provided them by the MAREP operator. Sometimes, for example, conditions change before the official NWS broadcast has been updated or conditions in a particular region are not well represented by the general reports. Contact with the MAREP station can provide the latest and most specific information. Many of the MAREP stations also provide a regular radio broadcast of their own giving local weather reports.

This has been a very successful program and many mariners around the country have benefited greatly from it over the years.

Notable stations in the Pacific NW were those of Peggy Dyson in Kodiak, AK and Jose Dyas in Westport, WA. It is also a popular and successful program in the Great Lakes. There are some 17 established MAREP stations around the country. There is a list of stations and a User's Guide at

https://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/voluntary.htm

This program differs from the Voluntary Observing Ship program in that the reports are given in plain language rather than in the synoptic code (G176).

In Canadian waters, MAREPs can be send directly to the Canadian Coast Guard on their working VHF channels, in addition to their numerous regular MAREP stations (two in BC are Cape Scott and Kyuquot using VHF 69, 10, or 78A). To our knowledge there is not a similar structured program within the USCG. Naturally, though, local USCG stations would certainly be interested in hazardous conditions that clarify or expand on current weather broadcasts, or any other information that would contribute to the safety of navigation.

This note below has not been checked in some time:
A similar program has been operated by Herb Hilgenberg in the Bahamas for many years, called "Southbound 2." As we understand it, the operation has changed recently. For information contact: Herb Hilgenberg, 5468 Hixon Avenue, Burlington, Ontario, L7Z 3S2, Canada. Weather coverage was for S. Atlantic, south of 37 N from 2000 to 2200 UTC on 12359.0 kHz daily, with 8294.0 kHz at 2100 for N of 37 N. covering Caribbean, US to Bermuda to St Thomas and on to the Azores.