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

[Cwens]

Originally Posted by smj

Many boaters nowadays rely mainly on their electronics and gadgets rather than eyeball navigation. Many would focus on your AIS signal.
So what good does it do?

You may have the last word in this conversation.

[smj]

Originally Posted by ChrisOwens

You may have the last word in this conversation.

There’s a reason anchor lights are the law, that way all boats are visible to those transiting the area.

[Scubaseas]

Originally Posted by smj

There’s a reason anchor lights are the law, that way all boats are visible to those transiting the area.

Unless of course it's a designated anchorage...

[smj]

Originally Posted by Scubaseas

Unless of course it's a designated anchorage...

Absolutely, but still not a bad idea to run an anchor light in a designated anchorage.
We are in a mooring field/anchorage with over 300 boats and maybe 30% are using anchor lights.

[Scubaseas]

may as well use an anchor ball too. And of course your AIS. Can't hurt

[smj]

Originally Posted by Scubaseas

may as well use an anchor ball too. And of course your AIS. Can't hurt

Matter of opinion of course. Either way it doesn’t affect me as we don’t have AIS

[Jim Cate]

SMJ, you seem bound to focus on the issue of AIS in an anchorage as a close quarters system for avoiding imminent collision. And I agree that it is of little use in that application. However, as several others have pointed out (repeatedly), at longer range there is useful information in the broadcast AIS signal, and it can be (and has been for me) useful in planning approach, estimating density of anchored boats, soliciting information from an anchored boat and garnering various other potentially useful bits of info.

I have yet to hear of someone having a collision due to watching the AIS screen whilst anchoring instead of looking around, so I'm inclined to ignore your repeated protestation that such practice is a serious hazard. Incidentally, I'd imagine that such a person would be staring at their screen anyhow, even if there was no AIS representation thereon!

And so, please add me to your list of inexperienced and unconfident sailors who leave our AISs on at anchor.

Jim

[smj]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

SMJ, you seem bound to focus on the issue of AIS in an anchorage as a close quarters system for avoiding imminent collision. And I agree that it is of little use in that application. However, as several others have pointed out (repeatedly), at longer range there is useful information in the broadcast AIS signal, and it can be (and has been for me) useful in planning approach, estimating density of anchored boats, soliciting information from an anchored boat and garnering various other potentially useful bits of info.

I have yet to hear of someone having a collision due to watching the AIS screen whilst anchoring instead of looking around, so I'm inclined to ignore your repeated protestation that such practice is a serious hazard. Incidentally, I'd imagine that such a person would be staring at their screen anyhow, even if there was no AIS representation thereon!

And so, please add me to your list of inexperienced and unconfident sailors who leave our AISs on at anchor.

Jim

Added!

[Drunkonwatch]

Originally Posted by smj

Many boaters nowadays rely mainly on their electronics and gadgets rather than eyeball navigation. Many would focus on your AIS signal.
So what good does it do?

There you go again saying navigational aides are bad because they provide a distraction that’s personal. Why deprive a good pilot more information. Has there ever been an instance of too many ais? I personally never been in that situation.

[smj]

Originally Posted by Drunkonwatch

There you go again saying navigational aides are bad because they provide a distraction that’s personal. Why deprive a good pilot more information. Has there ever been an instance of too many ais? I personally never been in that situation.

Please read my posts. Numerous times I state that AIS no doubt has its place for what it was intended. I don’t think it was intended for anchored boats and I personally see more negatives than positives. Is that a problem?

[smj]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

SMJ, you seem bound to focus on the issue of AIS in an anchorage as a close quarters system for avoiding imminent collision. And I agree that it is of little use in that application. However, as several others have pointed out (repeatedly), at longer range there is useful information in the broadcast AIS signal, and it can be (and has been for me) useful in planning approach, estimating density of anchored boats, soliciting information from an anchored boat and garnering various other potentially useful bits of info.

I have yet to hear of someone having a collision due to watching the AIS screen whilst anchoring instead of looking around, so I'm inclined to ignore your repeated protestation that such practice is a serious hazard. Incidentally, I'd imagine that such a person would be staring at their screen anyhow, even if there was no AIS representation thereon!

And so, please add me to your list of inexperienced and unconfident sailors who leave our AISs on at anchor.

Jim

How can AIS help to plan your approach and how in gods name can you estimate boat density without knowing what percentage of the boats have their AIS turned on?
As an example again. In a harbor with over 300 boats on moorings and anchored and 14 AIS signals. If I’m making my approach I’m overjoyed that the anchorage is empty!.......until reality hits me when I see with my EYEBALLS that it’s completely crowded.

[Drunkonwatch]

Originally Posted by smj

Please read my posts. Numerous times I state that AIS no doubt has its place for what it was intended. I don’t think it was intended for anchored boats and I personally see more negatives than positives. Is that a problem?

I’m wondering if you have ever seen the ais not working because of too many users is that why? No problem here maybe in the ferro boat or the drunks who slammed her but not here.

[Drunkonwatch]

why would anyone object to ais on at anchorage say your visiting Alaska and knowing if other boats are there might give the inexperienced clues to massive tidal movements being on your side sucks. It gives a glimpse if there are other boats maybe it’s a place to hide from the weather or just get beer…..often it’s a courtesy we use it to not share bays or state docks go on to the next why disturb each other. Anchoring big deal glance down at the screen. am I missing something is the bandwidth limited? I mean filter moving objects or not I’m confused.

[smj]

Originally Posted by Drunkonwatch

why would anyone object to ais on at anchorage say your visiting Alaska and knowing if other boats are there might give the inexperienced clues to massive tidal movements being on your side sucks. It gives a glimpse if there are other boats maybe it’s a place to hide from the weather or just get beer…..often it’s a courtesy we use it to not share bays or state docks go on to the next why disturb each other. Anchoring big deal glance down at the screen. am I missing something is the bandwidth limited? I mean filter moving objects or not I’m confused.

So we have class A AIS for large commercial traffic, class B AIS for more of the recreational variety, now its time for class C AIS for use around docks and anchorages. Think of it more as a social app, a way to find your friends, check out the amenities at an anchorage before arriving, any good happy hours coming up? Come up with that and it would be a total moneymaker! Of course on its own frequency so it doesn’t interfere with the other navigational AIS’s meant for boater safety. [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]please note the smiley faces.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by smj

How can AIS help to plan your approach and how in gods name can you estimate boat density without knowing what percentage of the boats have their AIS turned on?
As an example again. In a harbor with over 300 boats on moorings and anchored and 14 AIS signals. If I’m making my approach I’m overjoyed that the anchorage is empty!.......until reality hits me when I see with my EYEBALLS that it’s completely crowded.

It comes back to what I mentioned earlier. Before you're close enough to see, call one of the boats showing on AIS and ask how full the anchorage is. Plenty of us keep our VHFs on at anchor (until bedtime in our case).