I have friends that are HAM operators and one quickly set me straight on how marine weather broadcasts are designated: frequency
Yep 100% correct. The frequences are the official designation. Referernce to channels is how the radios are configured.
Some details here from NOAA –
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/os/marine/wxradio.htm
A snip –
Channel numbers, e.g. (WX1, WX2) etc. have no special significance but are often designated this way in consumer equipment. Other channel numbering schemes are also prevalent.
S/V Swallow 