AIS question for the experienced

[MJH]

Originally Posted by Bmorgan562

I have the opportunity to crew on a boat from california to hawaii along with a buddy ( neither of us have watch /passage experience.) other crew: The Captain and one other person with coastal experience. The boat doesn’t have AIS. capability, it does have radar but i’m not sure yet if you can see it from the cockpit or what the range is ( i will find this out) Am i being overly apprehensive? I know of 4 major shipping company’s that head straight to Hilo from the mainland. If i had to get their attention as they were racing up behind. i’d like to hail them by name. I’d really appreciate some input. cheers!

If I were the captain I would pair one of you new guys up with one with more experience. AIS is very nice but not a necessity on an ocean passage. Most important is to stay awake on watch and do your job no matter how boring it may get.

There are other things more important when sailing over a 2,000nm ocean leg...like total fresh water supply, jack lines installed, and numerous backup plans for starters. Take all your concerns to the captain.

Have a good trip.

~ ~ _/) ~ ~ MJH

[Bmorgan562]

Originally Posted by jordanbigel

"Am i being overly apprehensive? I"

I'm not sure, are you saying that you would consider not going because the boat has no AIS? If so, then yes, I think you are being overly apprehensive. Radar, when used properly, will keep you aware of what is around you. It is hard to resist the urge to point out that cruising boats have transitted the oceans of the world without AIS for decades and decades. Not saying AIS isn't great, I have one a few years now and I love it. But I don't consider it to be "required" equipment at this point, like a radar, which you say the boat has.

Literally just went out yesterday for a shake down. just doing my due diligence. thx.

[Emouchet]

Originally Posted by Hoodsail

Regarding your question on PLB, I would recommend the ocean signal MOB1. Reason...it displays on the boats chartplotter so the crew on board can track you and on board you. down side is its not a global EPIRB so if the crew on board dont pick you up, you're doneski...should be an amazing trip...

Do not get confused:

There is PLB and Man Overboard Personal AIS Locator Beacon. Those are 2 different devices.

PLB is like a personal EPIRB: that means this will be the SARSAT system that will be involved to get you. It will take hours before a plane will fly around you and a ship is diverted to your position. Most probably, you will be dead by that time especially if you are in the water. The local boat unless it can communicate with SARSAT will be keyless of where you are.

The Man Overboard Personal AIS Locator Beacon is like a mini AIS, that will xmit your distress signal and position is the range of its VHF mini antenna.
Meaning your boat IF IT HAS AN AIS receiver will be able to get back to you much faster than the SARSAT people.

[Hoodsail]

Originally Posted by Bmorgan562

I see what your saying. If it’s my watch i would be tethered but It would be nice to have a unit with both?

Bmorgan; I dont believe there is a PLB that sends a signal to both locally (to chartplotter) and (satellite) EPIRB, but could do some quick research. Makers are Ocean Signal, ACR, and McMurdo. Actuallly i quickly checked and the Ocean Signal MOB1 requires the boat to have AIS....so disregard my earlier recommendation and check on other models/brands. And good you will be tethered in, as all should on nite watches & heavy weather. thnks

[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by sinnerman

Christian Williams has a YouTube channel with videos about his Los Angeles-Hawaii trips singlehanded at 74 years old.

He deals with AIS on the trips.

The videos are great. He is a good story teller, as he was a Washington Post editor during Watergate and a screenwriter for shows like "Hill Street Blues".

He has books about the trips, both of which I found enjoyable reading especially "Alone Together" .

His YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/ChristianWilliamsYachting

First LA to Hawaii trip video:

cheers

Williams is fun to watch, I'm more concerned with his age, taking a bad spill aboard with no one to watch over him.
But, his choice and respect him for it.
Boatyarddog

[Bmorgan562]

Originally Posted by Emouchet

Do not get confused:

There is PLB and Man Overboard Personal AIS Locator Beacon. Those are 2 different devices.

PLB is like a personal EPIRB: that means this will be the SARSAT system that will be involved to get you. It will take hours before a plane will fly around you and a ship is diverted to your position. Most probably, you will be dead by that time especially if you are in the water. The local boat unless it can communicate with SARSAT will be keyless of where you are.

The Man Overboard Personal AIS Locator Beacon is like a mini AIS, that will xmit your distress signal and position is the range of its VHF mini antenna.
Meaning your boat IF IT HAS AN AIS receiver will be able to get back to you much faster than the SARSAT people.

So, if the boat doesn’t have a AIS receiver then the The Man Overboard Personal AIS Locator Beacon isn’t an option. and the first option above is not really an option? 🤔 what to do?

[cajucito]

AIS is fantastic but not essential for safe passage. It's just another tool that we are privileged to have at our disposal. Any vessel should be able to sail safely without any electronics
Hailing a big ship and asking him to alter course to avoid hitting you isn't how it works. With ships stay well out of their way. They generally wont or can't manouver around you. The exception is high speed vessels. Such as war ships ferries ect. They will manouver to avoid you and you should always hold your course and speed until they pass. If you are nervous of their approach you can always call them up without knowing the name and advise them of your intentions. Cargo vessels tankers and large ships have no one on watch lots of the time and won't answer you. They should have someone in watch but he can be asleep or drunk so always give them a wide berth

[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by Bmorgan562

So, if the boat doesn’t have a AIS receiver then the The Man Overboard Personal AIS Locator Beacon isn’t an option. and the first option above is not really an option? �� what to do?

Your vessels VHF radio can have AIS receive as an option then your AIS,PLB, can then be located.
You must have at least a receive function.
There may be hand held AIS receive only units available.
The options for a class B transiever are pretty inexpensive these days.
Boatyarddog

[sv_pelagia]

Icom M94D VHF Handheld Radio with DSC and AIS
(AIS is receive only)

To be really useful, however, AIS should be on continuously (at least, at night or in poor visibility)

[Bmorgan562]

Originally Posted by Boatyarddog

Your vessels VHF radio can have AIS receive as an option then your AIS,PLB, can then be located.
You must have at least a receive function.
There may be hand held AIS receive only units available.
The he options for a class B transiever are pretty inexpensive these days.
Boatyarddog

the vessel doesn’t have ais receive.i’m looking into a Handheld with that function also dsc

[r2frame]

Originally Posted by PippaB

Not sure how many times I've made this trip over the past several decades, but only the last couple have I had AIS. Would I prefer (strongly) to have AIS? Yes. Would I do it without AIS, absolutely. AIS is very nice to have, but it's a big ocean and the odds are pretty small.

If adding AIS a transceiver, IMO, is the only way to go. However, that does require some legwork and it's not your boat. For your use case you can get a handheld VHF that has AIS receive capabilities and be able to identify the barge about to run you down. That may increase your comfort level, you'd have to weigh the value proposition for yourself.

What's the range of the AIS on a handheld. In the open ocean commercial ships can be travelling at 20 knots, Some military ones much faster. AIS or radar may not give adequate warning if the range is limited.

It's a bit spooky to be out in the open ocean on a clear night and see the loom of a large ship....and not know where they are heading.

[Cpt Mark]

Has the Captain ever done this trip or any other long distance passage? If it's a bunch of inexperienced crew I'd be more concerned about that. AIS is awesome. I have it. I have radar too and I know how to use it. Radar is not just looking at the display where everything is obvious. More to it than that. Have you thought about sea sickness? Get one of these https://www.amazon.com/Reliefband-Mo...28&sr=8-8&th=1

They work incredibly well and have replaceable batteries. The rechargeable ones won't even last a day on a charge. These will last you until you're well past the initial stage of sea sickness. You may not be prone to getting sea sickness but with nervousness etc, you will be more prone. And despite what people say, everyone can get sick and incapacitated, it just takes the right swell, timing and hull shape. I've used this on my airplane for passengers and keep 2 on board.

[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by Bmorgan562

the vessel doesn’t have ais receive.i’m looking into a Handheld with that function also dsc

Okay, do you have a CP?
This one works with a plotter, via: GPS
https://www.nauticexpo.com/prod/mcmu...04-385245.html
Boatyarddog

[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by Bmorgan562

the vessel doesn’t have ais receive.i’m looking into a Handheld with that function also dsc

IMHO, You might consider a permanently mounted AIS/VHF.
Why?
Simply a Small handheld while convienant, can be lost or misplaced easily!
Then what are you left with?
Get both, spend the money!
You and your crew will consider you a much safer person to sail with.
Equipment on your vessel says a lot to crew where your level of Safety is, and is an indicator of your abilities and seriousness.
Not the best indicator, geeze though if your in the fog and cannot see in front of you..... Uhh anyone seen the portable AIS/VHF?
Uh, we left it on deck, where?
Boatyarddog

[donradcliffe]

Originally Posted by Bmorgan562

Thank you kind sir, i was just looking at the ICOM IC-M94D AIS & DSC VHF and i’m planning to get a PLB (recommendation? )

I bought a ICM94D, and I can't recommend it. The concept is good, but Icom really dropped the ball on this one.

1. Battery life is about 9 hours, BUT YOU CAN'T USE IT WHILE YOU ARE CHARGING IT, so its useless for 24/7 monitoring. i called Icom and confirmed this.

2. Range wasn't too bad, maybe 8-12 miles for class A ships, but many of the targets never picked up the ship's name, even within 3-5 miles for more than 20 minutes. That removes the biggest benefit of AIS.

3. The user interface is pretty clunky, and requires you to have the manual in one hand at all times. I never did get the CPA alarm to work.

I use it delivering boats with no AIS and its better than nothing, but it costs more than an AIS receiver.