AIS - Don't leave home without it!
11 June 2016 | ITCZ
Colin
We are slowly motor-sailing north through the ITCZ. Since last night and today we have seen little wind and numerous large rain squalls; most of which we have managed to dodge. From the few that have kissed us so far, we have seen brief periods of wind up to 20 kts, followed by rain, sometimes heavy for another short period. From that we emerge blown and bathed and proceed down our course on the lookout for the next one. They are most easy to spot by radar where they show up as amorphous red and yellow blobs that form and dissipate like ghosts, sometimes all around us. Hopefully, the next 24 hrs will see us clear of the ITCZ and into the NE trade winds. From there we will fall off and sail NNW for Honolulu, now about 1000 miles distant.
This morning we crossed paths with a huge freighter named Polynesia and bound for Long Beach. I'm not sure what she might have been carrying to the USA. Maybe a shipload of those little hula girls that ride on the dashboards of the LA car clubs? I'm pretty sure on the return trip the Polynesia's hold will be stuffed with Abercrombie and Hollister fashion wear as well as Lakers jerseys and hats. All very popular in the south pacific. Sadly, I guess the topless wahine in grass skirts are a lost age.
Anyway, we first spotted this freighter about 15 miles out using our Automated Identification System (AIS). This is a type of automatic radio that broadcasts relevant ship information such as course and speed as well as assorted identifiers. Not only does this let us see the big guys coming, more importantly it lets them see us itty bitty guys out in the big blue. I've been told by sailors in the merchant marine that AIS is the slickest thing since sliced bread and has dramatically improved our chances of being seen and better yet, not hit. Another nice feature is that you can call an AIS boat directly over the radio using their unique identifiers and tell them exactly where you are relative to their course. We have done this several times and have always quickly engaged the ships watch to confirm their notice of our position and their intentions. For these reasons I am a huge fan of the AIS class B transceiver, which both broadcasts our position and receives other ships positions while plotting them on the chart plotter.