Best alarm

[Moody Mike]

Originally Posted by ausaviator

Subs do use blue and red lights so as to not upset night vision, even on the outside is my understanding. They wouldn't use red on the outside so as to not affect the navigation of other vessels.

If you were using radar they may have detected this and then dived under you rather than change course.


I can't help but think that there was a movie once where a family was in a life-raft and a sub went under them, however they heard it coming.

Well i can tell you it freaked us out a bit at the time. I had an aeronautical engineer on board Infact he was on watch, ( he can be contacted for proof) another captain with years of delivery experience as well as myself & wife with a few years experience on trawlers & cruising. None of us had seen anything like it before . We reported the incident to customs on arriving in Brisbane a week or so later.
We all agreed it must have been a sub anything else could get us locked up Lol.


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[Jim Cate]

Hi Mike,

Ah ha! Now I see it. What threw me off is that that Hunter Island is about 300 miles EAST of Noumea, not south!

But your incident is indeed kinda scary. There have been enough validated incidents between subs and small craft to suggest that there have likely been others where the small craft just disappeared. Talk about a no witness hit and run!

We've seen some strange things at sea, but never one like that.

Jim

PS Hunter is also east of the southern islands of Vanuatu. One can understand why the NiVans might contest ownership!

[fgraham]

I want back up for the person on watch. just in case.

[Waterrat10]

Originally Posted by Moody Mike

Yes a crewman on watch is best second best is a radar & ASI proximity alarm. You set your proximity alarm to a range say 3 nm any ship or other item like say a floating container the radar picks up inside that or as it crosses that 3nm line sets off an alarm. ASI can be set up for the same but will only ho off when vessels fitted with ASI enter your protection zone. These radar packages are very reasonably priced these days no reason not to have one.
Mike


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I would be shocked if your radar could pickup a half submerged shipping container. I question if I should even say this if it makes you feel better.

I believe you have 15-20 minutes from no ship to O Crap! I thought the OP was talking about egg timers not radar and AIS. All are helpful but off course well rested crew with eyes up and ears open is best.

[DDabs]

Not saying that radar is a substitution for actually being on watch, but a half submerged shipping container should be pretty easily picked up on radar. Hell my radar picks up crab pots on a calm day.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by fgraham

I want back up for the person on watch. just in case.

What do you mean?
Can you please phrase your question in clear English?
You will note the diversity of answers means no one here properly understands your question.


Thank you


Sent from a stupid phone that replaces words with weird stuff.

[Moody Mike]

Originally Posted by DDabs

Not saying that radar is a substitution for actually being on watch, but a half submerged shipping container should be pretty easily picked up on radar. Hell my radar picks up crab pots on a calm day.

I agree new digitals are great they let you see in the dark miles ahead. A crew member with an egg timer around his neck at night wont see a half submerged container until its come through the galley.


The alarms let the crew know to be on the lookout , change course if necessary ,use the night vision gear or wake the captain. If they pick up a ship then you can alter course to
avoid a collision long before it gets dangerous & the ship can see by your change of course that you can see them.
With AIS you get the name of the ship its size , speed and heading . You can call them up on 16 & say Hi or send them a text if you have DSC transceiver.






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[fgraham]

Things I can't see like containers are what concerns me. Any radar recommendations and cost estimates?

[JPA Cate]

MoodyMike,

There are countdown timers, which both vibrate, and make a sound, for training aids for folks who are into fitness. They are not too expensive, but buy a couple, because they are not terribly durable. The ones we had were called GymBoss.

Just remember when relying on tools like radar and AIS, that there are times when the person on watch will not be alerted, all it takes is a broken connection on your vessel or the target vessel, an object such as a timber fishing boat, a sudden downpour, and you're back to the #1 eyeball. Using all the tools to hand is great, AND it still comes back to the eyes and mind. Use binoculars that have good light gathering capabilities, and image stabilization. Keep your night vision going, protect it.

Ann

[Moody Mike]

I gather there are still a few out there who haven't used the latest technology. Human eyesight from the deck in a swell is not that flash . Example we had just rounded South West Cape Tasmania & heading North towards Port Davey a beautiful place well worth a visit. There was a 2 m swell not a lot of wind relatively calm for that area. We were in company of several other yachts. There was plenty of radio chatter as a cray fisherman was warning all vessels rounding the Cape to be aware of his morris line floats.
We had 3 crew on deck in the cockpit and there was a yacht to port about 1/2 nm away. We suddenly had a fishing vessel appear crossing our bow diagonally 100 yards ahead no one on deck no one on watch. He was doing 10 knots. We didn't have radar on or alarm set because so many boats were in the vicinity and it was daylight. Now this boat was disappearing completely between the swells & the timing of both boats on the swells kept him invisible to the last moment. If I had been sailing by myself instead of in company we would have the radar on & alarm set. To say that a bad connection can limit these devices is true but a tired watch keeper is far more limited he can only see what is there to be seen. Personally I think my electronics are the most reliable thing on my boat when installed proffesional with non-conductive silicon grease in all the connections they don't have bad connections. We have some amazing stuff now. My radar / plotter talks to my phone & Ipad via Bluetooth . I can leave a crew on watch in the cockpit yet still have the plotter radar beside me . I have man over board bracelets that activate when they are submerged & give a precise position on the plotter screen of the unfortunate crew mate.
The latest touch screen plotter/radars are easy very easy to use but they don't reef sails, answer the radio or make coffee you still need crew on deck 24/7.


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[fgraham]

What equipment do you recommend?

[fgraham]

Still it's good to have a backup in case you or your crew don't see the threat. Thanks

[JPA Cate]

Hey, Mike,

While it is possible a tired crew member wouldn't pick up the cray boat in those circumstances, we too were out there, one day earlier this year, when a cray boat was there, guarding his pots. We picked him up with our eyes, no reason to be too tired to, we all pick benign weather windows to go around to Pt. Davey.

It is true, that vessel was disappearing in the swells, but also re-appearing. i am astounded that "suddenly" he was there 100 yds from your bow. There was good visibility, it wasn't foggy or raining, and I'd say we, in a similar size vessel to yours picked him up over a mile away. Also saw a huge mess of his floats, too. Bloody hazard, if you ask me, but they gotta earn a living, too.

Not meaning to be offensive, but we humans can get lulled into a sense of safety by our beaut tools, and although it's only an opinion, and we all know about opinions, I trust my life to the vigilant human and his eyes, have done so throughout our sailing years, and less to machines of any kind, and the frailties of both are up for discussion. [I hope you can dim that CP display, it sure is bright!]

Ann

[Moody Mike]

That display was on Red Sky our previous yacht a Moody 54 which sank off Byron Bay Dec 12 2014 . We hooked a NSW Govt wave recorder buoy that had dragged its mooring 20 ks South of its charted position and re anchored itself . It can be dimmed that was in Fiji during commissioning. The proximity alarm went off several times briefly, my first mate Carolyn was straining to see what was ahead in 3 m swells at 1am . The buoy was too small to leave a blip.
She altered course slightly but unfortunately we became entangled and the rudder was pulled out of the hull & the Dynema line cut through the keel above the lead. After a couple of hours trying to stop the flow & with water 300mm above the floor no steering except the bow thruster. I called a mayday. The rest is history we went up the side of an oil tanker and the hull eventually washed ashore & the insurance payed out immediately as it was very obvious by the witness marks & damage what had happened. Manly Hydraulics the NSW Govt body that owned the buoy had not reported it missing to AMSA & no notice to mariners was issued. They now must report all buoys that drift off station. 87 of there buoys were lost up till 2015.
The hull was looted & most of our personal items were stolen. The main is thing no one was injured & we were able to start again.
Now you can probably see why Im in favor of using technology & believing when it tells you there is something ahead. A radar 50 ft up a mast can see a lot further than any crew member on deck ever will.
Looking forward to catching up in the Whitsundays Ann.



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[JPA Cate]

Gosh, Mike,

Am I understanding correctly that your radar proximity alarm went off before you snagged the buoy, but the buoy was too small for it to give a return? Maybe also a bad shape to generate a return? Usually corners work better than round stuff.

Mike, that was such a sad story about Red Sky, just so d----d sad.

We still haven't decided if we'll head north on the Qld Coast, or out to New Caledonia.

Cheers,

Ann & Jim