| As more of these AIS products for sailboats and | | | | the youngest person to circumnavigate, single handed. |
| yachts come onto the market, I thought it was time | | | | Following her earlier contact with a merchant vessel |
| again to run a brief review of what might be best to | | | | on her shakedown cruise, she has since sailed north |
| suit your requirements for you and your sailboat. | | | | from Sydney, crossed the equator and now making |
| Like GPS, when that technology first hit the market, it | | | | good progress heading down to the Roaring Forties |
| was slow to be taken up by recreational yachties, and | | | | and Cape Horn. She is making excellent progress and |
| was several years before it was embraced fully by | | | | in good shape to tackle the challenging sailing ahead |
| the sailing community. I believe that at the time, that | | | | I am sure that if she had had installed an AIS unit on |
| was partially due to the general unreliability of its | | | | her 'Ella's Pink Lady' in the beginning, it would have |
| predecessor, Satnav, and folks took some time to | | | | given her a warning of the approaching vessel in |
| understand that GPS was not of the same stable and | | | | sufficient time to get up on deck and take avoiding |
| was much more reliable and accurate. The other main | | | | action to miss the freighter. Suffice to say that whilst in |
| advantage of GPS over Satnav was that a vessels' | | | | Sydney making final preparations prior to leaving port, |
| position was shown constantly as opposed to an | | | | a AIS system was installed. |
| update every six or twelve hours. | | | | To many, it would seem to be just another electronic |
| As an example of the growth of GPS, I can recall the | | | | device to clutter up your nav area and something else |
| first time I sailed in the ARC (Atlantic Rally for | | | | to go wrong and cause you trouble. However, as this |
| Cruisers), of the fleet of 130 yachts, only twenty or so | | | | technology is available, easily installed and not costly in |
| vessels had GPS units installed, and of those, most | | | | its basic form, why not use it - after all, if it saved you |
| were receivers only, just gave lat/long data and | | | | just one potential collision incident at sea during your |
| nothing else. Five years on in 1995, when I did the ARC | | | | voyage, it would have been worth it |
| in my own vessel, every yacht of the then 140 fleet | | | | There are already a number of brands available, |
| had fully fledged GPS units installed. Since then, the | | | | starting with a 'receive only' unit from Comar, their |
| proliferation of units, both hard wired and hand held has | | | | AIS-Multi for $400, moving up through the Simrad |
| been astounding, along with the reduction of cost, | | | | range, Yacht Digital, Icom (you can check them all out |
| which in turn has made them affordable for all boaties. | | | | on the internet) etc., to the top of the range currently, |
| AIS systems for the sailing community are currently | | | | from Furuno. This is the Navnet 3D which integrates |
| going through a similar acceptance period. Already, | | | | AIS capabilities into a suite of chart plotting, GPS and |
| there are a greater variety of units coming onto the | | | | 3D radar. This total package price is around $8500. |
| market and the price also is gradually decreasing, to | | | | There is an excellent four minute video demonstrating |
| the point where a basic AIS receiving only unit can be | | | | the Furuno Navnet system you can see on Youtube |
| purchased for around $400. | | | | and click on 'Navnet 3D sea trial showing radar overlay |
| You may have read about young Jessica Watson | | | | and AIS'. Alternatively you can type in 'Furuno Navnet |
| who is currently making the sailing trip of her life to be | | | | 3D Sea Trial' into Youtube and it will come up. |