Since you last heard from me I sprained my ankle, went to France for a wonderful vacation, and then got hard to work getting the boat ready for the trip. 3 weeks of 12 hour days later and my long list is coming to a close. The short version is we got the bottom painted, running gear serviced, and the rig painted. While that was being done by the yard I tore down, cleaned inspected and re-assembled the rigging, added a masthead antenna for AIS (see more below) installed the Iridium Openport system on a custom spreader mount and installed a matching mount for a future Fleet Broadband system we will be testing when it is released. Onboard many items were installed, repaired, or tinkered with including a nice new Dive Compressor and this week I have been putting the finishing touches on things such as foredeck locks and equipment stowage. More on all that in coming weeks, but today I will talk a bit further about AIS.
The system is now fully installed with the masthead antenna and I am very pleased with the results. Even in a "noisy" environment like Newport I can pick up ships 30 to 40 miles out and can also see that I am broadcasting well using MarineTraffic.com's AIS viewer.
Below is a screen grab from the delivery from Cove Haven Marina in Barrington back to our the Newport Harbor Hotel & Marina.
Pretty cool I think, and very nice to know you are transmitting and being seen by the big boys.
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