In a message dated 4/5/2006 4:28:19 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, Truelove39@aol.com writes: 3. Is anyone using AIS and if so, what is your experience? Seems to me that units with a transponder aren't going to be worth it, as the big guys will have Class B switched off due to clutter, at least when coastal. What about off-soundings? Will the big boys be looking for we small fry? If so, it might be worth it. Well, my experience is somewhat dated now, but I'll give this one a shot anyway (grin). I use the terms "big boys" and "small fry" below tongue in cheek of course since many if not most Navy ships have many women aboard. I retired from the Navy in 2004; my operational experience includes a significant amount of sea duty and command of two ships. At all times Navy ships maintain at least one dedicated human being trained as a lookout watching forward in the hemisphere in which the ship is moving and on occasion another such trained person looking aft. Dedicated radar watches are maintained by trained personnel in the ship's Combat Direction Center (CDC) and on the bridge, and the watch officers on the bridge (usually two of them) keep their eyes outside the bridge a majority of the time. The remainder of the bridge team also assists the watch officers in their constant searches. The CDC team is assisted by the ship's ability to sense and identify the radar signals of other vessels. The number of lookouts and the intensity with which the CDC and Bridge teams monitor and observe the ocean (and sky) around them increases, obviously, in shipping lanes and when near land. It is well-known aboard naval vessels that small vessels are difficult to see in the visual and radar clutter, and it is well-known that small vessels are difficult to see in heavy seas (defined in this e-mail as anything including or above 8-10 feet) due to the masking effect of such seas, observer fatigue, radar clutter, and so forth. So, in my opinion, the "big (Navy) boys" will be looking for the "small fry". That's not to say they'll always successfully see them until they are quite close. Wooden vessels, a vessel operating with no radar at night and/or with no lights will nearly always make things interesting. Obviously, Navy vessels operating aircraft (almost any ship now is capable of carrying helicopters) or small boats will find it difficult to safely maneuver at certain times in the launch and recovery process. The big merchants - in fact, any merchant, in my somewhat biased opinion - will usually not be looking for you. They may have a single deck officer on watch on the bridge who is responsible for running the ship, watching for contacts, and observing the radar. It costs commercial ships money to maneuver, and it costs them a lot of money to stop or change speed once at sea. In my opinion, the merchant vessels will not be looking for the small fry. And the smaller commercial vessels - such as fishing vessels, inter-port coastal container vessels and so forth - are certainly not looking for recreational vessels. The larger merchants, though, may well be equipped with transponders. They may work, they may be observed by competent trained deck watch officers, or - they may not. Navy vessels nearly always stay out of the way of big commercial vessels when possible. We understood their limited maneuverability and desire not to change speed. All of the above is intended to give you some general observations. It's not to be considered much more than that. For example, I have seen Navy vessels fail to sight obvious hazards to navigation just as I have seen large merchant vessels or commercial fishing vessels maneuver to assist small vessels in distress. Were I piloting a recreational vessel, I can guarantee you I would follow the Rules of the Nautical Road, keep my navigation lights lighted at night and in poor visibility, keep a dedicated bridge watch awake and alert even on the open ocean off soundings, be prepared to maneuver in accordance with the Rules to avoid contacts at long range, be trained and know how to use my radar, communicate appropriately when necessary, keep my EPIRB in great shape, and above all, assume the other vessels can't see me and won't maneuver to avoid me even when I was in the right. In my opinion, better a slower passage than not arriving at all. Pete Port Ludlow WA