No discussion of VHF should be conducted in isolation from the wider context discussed in such documents.
The UK Sea Kayak Guidebook maintains an excellent resource page dedicated to the use of VHF radios whilst coastal paddling.
In addition, Keith Morris has noted elsewhere that:
UK regulations permit you to monitor the radio for safety purposes or to use it to request assistance in an emergency without a Certificate of Competence and Authority to Operate
VHFs have dual monitoring so you can have it set to your working channel (eg 08) but still be able to hear Ch16 for other calls, emergencies. The coastguard broadcasts the weather every 3 hours as well