YOICHI YABE
ONBOARD
Above: Far from land, the benefi ts of AIS lifejackets are obvious
AIS lifejacket: Another reason to wear it “The
As the slogan goes, lifejackets are useless unless worn. Better design means that modern self-infl ating lifejackets are more comfortable, but crossing the Atlantic on the 1936 Fife ketch Eilean in January, I discovered another powerful motivation to wear one. We were issued with Kru lifejackets
fi tted with an AIS (Automatic Identifi cation System) transponder, which is developed by Kannad. Like many models, they are designed to infl ate automatically on contact with the water. But as they do so, they also unfurl a small aerial on the AIS unit, which starts transmitting position data via VHF.
The key to getting back to a man overboard is being able to see him.
66 CLASSIC BOAT JUNE 2012
personal AIS
system is one of the best we’ve come across”
Recently, heat sensitive cameras for boats and the advent of personal locator beacons have all improved safety standards in this area, but the personal AIS system is one of the best we’ve come across.
HOW IT WORKS
AIS was originally developed as a system for broadcasting information about merchant vessels under way, including speed, heading and destination. This data, once decoded by an AIS receiver, can then be displayed by a chartplotter, giving navigators a much clearer idea of the movements of nearby ships. It is mandatory on passenger ships and any vessel over 300 gross tons, but a growing number of smaller yachts
are fi tting it as well, with receiver- only retail prices falling below £300. The personal AIS lifejacket has a range of around four nautical miles and transmits every 60 seconds for at least 24 hours. The advantages of using it at night in a rolling sea, far from land, are obvious.
Kru offers AIS on four models, including the popular Sport Pro, with prices from around £300. Kannad also makes a standalone AIS unit, the R10, which can be fi tted to a lifejacket or carried by crew on watch. The £239 device claims a seven-year standby battery life and works in the same way as the lifejacket described above.
Tel: +44 (0)23 8072 0800
www.oceansafety.com
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