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I feel your pain. The cellular reception in Venice is a shadow of what it was even post Katrina based on my experience earlier this month. I’m told that it is because of the diminished numbers of manned platforms with repeaters, but in any case- it’s worse. Like, terrible if you are on AT&T. And the AT&T satellite messaging is extra spotty. More on that below.
The suggestion above for the Garmin InReach in any of it’s various iterations is solid, but comes with a fee. I’ve used one (InReach Explorer) from Breton Sound to Alaska to Africa and all points in between for over 10 years without a hitch, albeit at a price. The EPIRB type devices such as the ACR are great when you’re in a 9 line bind and need to send an SOS. They are also not so great if you’re just trying to let your wife know you’ll be late for dinner.
Just this week I had the chance to test out the satellite function of the iPhone 17 in SE Alaska west of Prince of Wales Island. It worked, but not as well as my 10 year old InReach Explorer. I think the InReach Mini works just as well, just without the tracking and GPS capability of the Explorer. Then there’s the option to put Starlink on your T Top. But that isn’t much help when you’ve been unassed from your boat and are needing to dial 911.
If I’m in a wild and dangerous place, my InReach is attached to my person or in my pocket. YMMV, but there’s a lot of our coastal waters and remote marsh that meets that description to me.
