Adventures in AIS and Other Gizmos

As flocks of cruisers prepare to head south this fall, their nav stations will be packed with more state-of-the-art electronics than ever before. The Wanderer has broken down at length the pros and cons of the various systems available to oceangoing cruisers — deciding what’s best for you and your boat includes factors like cost (duh), installation versus a handheld system, the ability to text or communicate with other cruisers over thousands of miles, and even the ability to get Internet in the middle of the ocean.

We’d like to hear about your experiences with these gadgets. Have you recently installed Automatic Identification System (AIS), a single-sideband radio or purchased other new gadgetry? What’s the learning curve been like? Have these new-fangled navigation aids increased your willingness to go cruising or offshore racing? Or are you overwhelmed with all the gizmos you suddenly have to have, and all the owner’s manuals you have to read?

We also want to step back and ask an important existential question: While all of these technologies are undoubtedly useful additions to aid with safety and navigation, do these gadgets start to chip away at sailors’ seamanship skills? Are people too busy staring at screens, rather than trying to sense the hazards around them? With AIS, for example, are you less likely to keep a vigilant watch, know your navigation lights and learn to spot dangers on the horizon because you’re relying on an alarm from a computer?

What’s more, after the Navy was involved in back-to-back collisions, the utility of AIS was called into question, especially considering that some ships might simply disable their beacons to sneak stealthily through the ocean.

Or is this just the natural progression of sailing? Did old-time mariners scoff at the sextant when it hit the shelves, and say: "All you damn kids and your technology! Back in my day, we didn’t have all those fancy gizmos!"

Whatever your gadget stories are, please share them with us.