Solent based: Do you have AIS?

[lustyd]

Given the 1NM exclusion zone in front of them I'd have thought it quite nice to click on any boats in the zone and call them up rather than just doing the usual 5 blasts. Shouldn't be any clutter in the exclusion zone at all!

 

[Blue Sunray]

Good point, I'll be switching it off when ploughing for seahorses!

I assess the bigger vulnerability as being traced back to one's mooring having been seen (in the traditional, non-AIS, manner) anchoring without NGM or Packham's approval, especially if it is a swinging mooring (qv Falmouth '19),

 

[lustyd]

In that case I'll use your boat when ploughing for seahorses

 

[Stemar]

Since I seem to be the one who sparked the comments about always on AIS, I'll clarify. My "beef" - not even that - is with people who leave it on when parked up in the marina. Were I to fit it, it would come on when I turn on the plotter and VHF, so no danger of it being off when out and about, There would also be an override so I can have it on at anchor should I be in an exposed location.

 

[lustyd]

I often have my VHF on when in the marina, so I am very likely one of the ones causing you anguish. It's a part of the VHF, just like DSC, so it's always on and working when the VHF is. I sometimes also have the plotter on in the marina too, as that means they all update their firmware over wifi before I leave.

 

[Robin]

Since I seem to be the one who sparked the comments about always on AIS, I'll clarify. My "beef" - not even that - is with people who leave it on when parked up in the marina. Were I to fit it, it would come on when I turn on the plotter and VHF, so no danger of it being off when out and about, There would also be an override so I can have it on at anchor should I be in an exposed location.

When we lived/cruised aboard in the USA we once spied a target doing 0ver 75mph up insterstate I70 . Local hero trailing his boat home after a fishing trip with AIS still switched on.
Knowing several boats that had been intercepted by local poop plod/sheriff after returning from the Bahamas and forgetting once inside 3 miles zone to re-fit the locking cable ties to the heads 'Y' valve and seacocks to prevent overboard discharge. A neighbouring boat was actually fined $400 because they had a roughish trip home and didn't fancy the on yer knees in the bilges job until back in the shelter of the ICW waters where'poop plod' awaited. With that very much in mind as part of our electronics upgrades we installed a Garmin transceiver AIS with a simple switch option as standard to turn off AIS transmission whilst retaining reception, it was a standard option on the Garmin (AIS600 IIRC) we had at that time. We never got boarded by surprise thereafter.

 

[flaming]

Race boat has it. A surprising number of races are now making it mandatory all Cat 3 (offshore) races do for example. But many inshore races, Cowes week for example, are starting to insist that you use their mobile tracking if you don't have AIS.
Given that this is principally to enable the race committee to do a better job, especially when it comes to things like shortening course etc, I have no issues with it at all.

We have once used AIS in anger in the solent, on our way from Hamble to the JOG line off Cowes early one morning we ran into a thick bank of fog. We were then able to check for large ships in the channel before striking out from the Bramble bank across to Cowes. Without AIS we almost certainly would have stayed close to the bank until it lifted.

Useful tool.... But would it drastically alter the way we sailed in the Solent if it didn't exist? Not really.