[PUP] AIS

[Sonaia Maryon-Davis]

Bob,
This is Chris, Sonaia's other half and Captain and Navigator of
Goleen, our Nordhavn 57.  I wrote the words on the AIS to which you
responded.  I agree with your comments and I would urge everyone to
have at least the simple AIS on board but the complete unit with
interface is the best solution.
We have had issues with fishing boats who don't seem to care at all
for anything else sharing the sea, be it recreational boaters or
commercial ships.  We listened to one commercial officer have an irate
conversation off Sicily with a fishing boat that very nearly led to a
collision.  The ship altered course several times and then had no sea
room.  I would require every vessel of 40ft and over to have AIS of
some kind, including fishing boats.
Ships without anyone on watch do still exist and are the most
dangerous.  Others that just refuse to respond to any VHF calls and
head on a collision course with yachts are an absolute menace.  The
law requires them all to have AIS and that means that we know who they
are and they know we know who they are.  In an accident report, their
officers will be reprimanded and can easily lose their licence and
their insurers will refuse cover.  At last AIS forces them to respond
or risk the consequences.  AIS is the most important new aid that has
come along for a long time and protects all users of the seas.  Of
course, it is not perfect but it is a good start.  But beware naval
vessels.  They don't have AIS or if they do they don't send their
information out.
Chris

On 12/13/06, bob Austin <thataway4@cox.net> wrote:
> I would second the thoughts of Sonaia Maryon-Davis on AIS.  If we had had this
> watch standing in crowded places would have been much easier.  We had 90%
> response rate from ships--the exceptions were boats which seemed to have
> hostile intent--playing with us--as two liberian freighters did in the Med--or
> if there was no-one awake on the bridge--as seemed to happen on two occasions.
>
> The question we had in converging course situations, was were we seen?  I
> would always ask a merchant or fishing vessel, what course change they wanted
> me to make.  Being able to positively ID them is essential.
>
> If I was currently boating in crowded waters, I would have AIS on the boat.
> Even a reciever only I think is essential--in fact it doesn't even have to be
> interphased with the chart plotter (better if it is).
>
> I think we will see NMEA 2000 plug and play AIS units within the year and that
> the price will become affordiable--and it will play as much a role in
> anticollision as Radar.
>
> Bob Austin
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