T&T: Class B AIS Transponders

[Bob Austin]

I disagree with Tom Moses.  The reason is that first, very few of the small
boats will not buy AIS transponders (which means transmitters) because of cost
(unless mandated by Homeland security dept).  Second, the place I want to be
seen is in limited visablity, at sea, in fog and especially at night.  I have
had to take evasive action to  avoid being run down in poor visablity at least
a dozen times at sea.  I have had a number of tense moments with thump, thump
of prop wash and an occasional blast of the fog horn from an unseen vessel in
constricted harbors.   I have lost several friends who have been run down by
commericial traffic or fishing boats at sea--and know of a number of others
who have been hit, but not sunk.

This is a new generation of safety technology which needs to be embraced--not
condemed.  I ask Tom Moses how many times he has been out in the fog at night
with large ships bearing down on him at 16 knots?   Or how many times he has
come upon a fleet of real trawling (fishing) vessels which are constantly
changing patterns , in limited visability? I can cite at least a dozen more
scenerios where having information would be invaluable.

An example: Closing Cape Finestere across the Bay of Biscay with detiorrating
weather predicted, with pea soup fog at night, we come upon a fleet of at
least two dozen trawlers on the radar screen at 6 mile range.  If one had the
position, speed and course of each vessel, it would make navigation much
safer--let alone easier.

There are places and times to use information such as AIS--and when that time
and place occures, it will be a great safety feature--but still one should not
decrease vigilance. There will still be small vessles without any identifiier.
I suspect that most skippers of the large ships would also appreciate knowing
the name,  position, speed and direction of each of the small boats in the
area,  Probably those of us who started boating before Radar or accurate
electronic position finding systems were available, appreciate new innovations
in safety more than those who have come on the scene later.  You are darn
right--I want to know were every one of these boats are and what direction
they are going and how fast--I have the choice of utalizing or ignoring this
information.  I will utalize it.

Incidently, Tom, the largest vessels I have seen in the San Juans are either
the Ferry's or a large mega yacht--not many freighters there--or in the ICW,
except in the rare time that shipping crosses the ICW--a better example would
have been San Franscisco or Glaveston Bay.  Incidently in the GC ICW I would
want to know what tug and tow is around the next bend--and the skipper would
love to know what small vessel traffic he will be seeing.

Bob Austin