Hitting an anchored boat in a sparsely populated anchorage while under sail

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Why link your ais to your Internet life..???
If someone knows your boats name they just go on Marine Traffic to get your location.. if your switched on.
If you only have a receiver, no sweat.

I really don’t know. It was discussed up thread. Like people didn’t care that their identity was out there on the Internet with their boat name or MMSI number (therefore exact location)

[Drunkonwatch]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

As long as they bring enough rum to share that is fine. Most cruisers like company.

Exactly what drew us off a well appointed trawler we liked the canvas crowd more it seemed they had more to visit about instead of fuel prices and where can the dog **** after tiring up. It seemed more sporting and communal. Hilo bay sail comet watching.

[Drunkonwatch]

So is it common in Florida or just full moons.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

In this situation radar is certainly better. But most importantly, it has to be recognized what any of these tools are telling you. It's saying "hey, there's something in this spot." And in the case of AIS, it'll tell you a little about the boat if you care. It doesn't tell you that there's nothing in another spot though.

More importantly, I still can't see a downside to broadcasting AIS while anchored. Worst case, nobody makes use of the information and it's gained you nothing. Best case, it makes someone more aware of you when they're coming into the anchorage at night.

Indeed! We certainly broadcast AIS at anchor (actually we switch it on in the spring and off in the autumn), but NEVER look at it negotiating a dark anchorage. Radar! And dark-adapted Mark I's.

[smj]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Indeed! We certainly broadcast AIS at anchor (actually we switch it on in the spring and off in the autumn), but NEVER look at it negotiating a dark anchorage. Radar! And dark-adapted Mark I's.

So why do you broadcast AIS at anchor?

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by smj

So why do you broadcast AIS at anchor?

Not everyone operates as do, as we have already seen in this thread.


Someone's AIS alarm might save me some unpleasantness.

[smj]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Not everyone operates as do, as we have already seen in this thread.


Someone's AIS alarm might save me some unpleasantness.

So it’s to inform you of incoming boats?

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by smj

So it’s to inform you of incoming boats?

I interpreted the comment as by broadcasting AIS, an incoming boat with AIS might get a CPA alarm to make them pay attention if they're not paying enough attention while coming into the anchorage.



But more importantly, there's no downside I can think of to broadcasting AIS at anchor. And you still haven't provided any downsides beyond "you don't like it".

[smj]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

I interpreted the comment as by broadcasting AIS, an incoming boat with AIS might get a CPA alarm to make them pay attention if they're not paying enough attention while coming into the anchorage.



But more importantly, there's no downside I can think of to broadcasting AIS at anchor. And you still haven't provided any downsides beyond "you don't like it".

Maybe if someone enters an anchorage and sees a few AIS signals they rely on just that as all the boats at anchor.
We started cruising before AIS, chartplotters and GPS. I see an increasing amount of new cruisers relying entirely on the screen in front of them and not using their eyeballs to view their surroundings. A sign of computers and the internet I guess. I’ve also witnessed some mishaps because of this new trend. All the electronic goodies are great if they are secondary to eyeball navigation. In my opinion there is really no need for AIS at anchor or at a dock, it’s an absolute false sense of security.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by smj

Maybe if someone enters an anchorage and sees a few AIS signals they rely on just that as all the boats at anchor.
We started cruising before AIS, chartplotters and GPS. I see an increasing amount of new cruisers relying entirely on the screen in front of them and not using their eyeballs to view their surroundings. A sign of computers and the internet I guess. I’ve also witnessed some mishaps because of this new trend. All the electronic goodies are great if they are secondary to eyeball navigation. In my opinion there is really no need for AIS at anchor or at a dock, it’s an absolute false sense of security.

That's 100% on the people looking at the screen and absolutely not a valid reason why you shouldn't transmit. What it does mean is that the average new boater doesn't know enough about navigation, their electronics, how to use them, what it's really telling them, etc.

[smj]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

That's 100% on the people looking at the screen and absolutely not a valid reason why you shouldn't transmit. What it does mean is that the average new boater doesn't know enough about navigation, their electronics, how to use them, what it's really telling them, etc.

An example would be my previous post. Between moored and anchored boats about 350 in the harbor with 14 transmitting AIS. Would it be better for a new boat entering to see no AIS hits on their screen or the 14? The 14 is an absolute distraction on their screen while no hits showing up would keep their faces out of the screen and concentrating on what’s around them.
And your right. I look at the people using AIS at anchor and consider them to probably be newbies and not confident in their skills.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by smj

An example would be my previous post. Between moored and anchored boats about 350 in the harbor with 14 transmitting AIS. Would it be better for a new boat entering to see no AIS hits on their screen or the 14? The 14 is an absolute distraction on their screen while no hits showing up would keep their faces out of the screen and concentrating on what’s around them.
And your right. I look at the people using AIS at anchor and consider them to probably be newbies and not confident in their skills.

Personally, I'd probably see the 14 on AIS long before I was at a point where I could visually see any of the boats in the anchorage. So I'd know the anchorage had at least some boats in it. As I got closer, it would be very apparent that there are far more than 14 boats in it, and at that point, it's either radar or eyeballs to find an appropriate spot and the AIS targets on the plotter are no longer of any use. At the same time, if one of the 14 showing on AIS happened to be someone I know, then I might look for a spot in that part of the anchorage vs on the other side. And in any case, having the AIS targets showing isn't going to make things any worse. Plus, if I wanted, I could easily set my plotter to hide non moving targets (if I determined I didn't care about them), at which point they wouldn't show up for me in the first place.

[ThereAndBack]

Originally Posted by smj

And your right. I look at the people using AIS at anchor and consider them to probably be newbies and not confident in their skills.

I look at them as courteous.

[smj]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

Personally, I'd probably see the 14 on AIS long before I was at a point where I could visually see any of the boats in the anchorage. So I'd know the anchorage had at least some boats in it. As I got closer, it would be very apparent that there are far more than 14 boats in it, and at that point, it's either radar or eyeballs to find an appropriate spot and the AIS targets on the plotter are no longer of any use. At the same time, if one of the 14 showing on AIS happened to be someone I know, then I might look for a spot in that part of the anchorage vs on the other side. And in any case, having the AIS targets showing isn't going to make things any worse. Plus, if I wanted, I could easily set my plotter to hide non moving targets (if I determined I didn't care about them), at which point they wouldn't show up for me in the first place.

So for an experienced boater maybe the AIS at anchor wouldn’t be a big deal, but we aren’t all experienced are we? For some having the AIS targets on their screen is distracting. And if one determines they didn’t care about them, then they have more work to do on the screen to remove them.
AIS has its place, but in anchorages or as being used as a find ones friends app it has no place that I can see.

[smj]

Originally Posted by ThereAndBack

I look at them as courteous.

A well lit boat is courteous, AIS can be an unneeded distraction for those that choose to use it in those circumstances.