Kipper is equipped with Class B Active AIS which is an automatic tracking system used on ships and by Vessel traffic services (VTS) for identifying and locating vessels by electronically exchanging data with other nearby ships and AIS Base stations. AIS information supplements marine radar, which continues to be the primary method of collision avoidance for water transport.
Kipper’s normal area of operation for Day Skipper courses is generally The Solent and occasionally West to Poole or East to Chichester Harbour. A few times a year we voyage further afield, perhaps to France, The Channel Islands or The West Country.
When Kipper is at sea our AIS transponder will be normally be active and, if we’re in range (up to about 10 miles) of an AIS Base Station, connected to the Marine Traffic system, you should be able to find us on this chart. If you hover the cursur over the chart, you can zoom in and out to view a wider area if necessary.
If you can’t find us on the chart DON’T PANIC. It probably simply means that either we’re out of range of an AIS Base Station or I’ve turned our chart-plotter off to force students to focus on traditional navigation techniques.
