Electronic Lifesavers
An increasing number of Search and Rescue organizations are equipping their helicopters with AIS to help locate victims
Andrew Taylor was working the foredeck of Derry-Londonderry-Doire, a competitor in the 2014 Clipper Round the World Race, on a stormy day in the Pacific when his worst fears became reality. “At some point, the boat moved pretty dramatically,” Taylor said. “The boat went down, and when it came back up, I wasn’t onboard anymore.”
Taylor survived in the near-freezing Pacific waters and gale force winds for an hour and a half before he was found by his crew and hoisted back aboard. The key factors in his survival were the seamanship of the 65ft yacht’s skipper and crew, the dry suit that kept hypothermia at bay, and—crucially—his AIS man-overboard beacon.
AIS (automatic identification system) is a method of tracking vessels via GPS and sharing this info publicly over certain VHF radio channels. The VHF channels 87B and 88B are reservedceived by dedicated AIS equipment onboard every commercial ship and many recreational vessels. An onboard chartplotter, tablet or computer receives information from this AIS device. When your AIS equipment receives the data from other AIS-equipped vessels, small triangles are placed on your chartplotter screen to indicate where the other vessels are. With such information on your screen, you’ll have greater situational awareness and an increased chance of avoiding collisions. If you’re going to invest in an AIS MOB beacon, you must have an AIS transceiver or receiver installed on the vessel you are sailing on.
