Great Loop: Melbourne Florida
Two Sailing buddies from the 60's
Vessel Automated Identification System (AIS) is an
invaluable tool for avoiding collisions at sea.
It is also a great way to find your friends who may be cruising nearby. For several weeks, we had been tracking the
location of a friend from high school who had travelled from Chesapeake Bay to
Florida. For a week or so we had been
within 50 miles of each other. Close,
but not close enough to have a beer together or swap stories of our glory days
on Folsom Lake in the Windmill class sailboat my father, brother, and I had
built in the garage. Great way to spend
the days with friends and enjoy the outdoors!
Finally, it looked like I could overtake him, allowing us to
share an anchorage and visit. He was
already headed north. We were also
moving north. He was travelling slower,
giving us a chance to cover more miles in a day, and catch him.
Finally, about 5 miles south of Melbourne Florida, The AIS
indicated we were within a half mile of position. I slowed my closing rate so I could approach more
stealthily. When I was about 50 feet off
their stern, I called them on the VHF to inquire if my buddy was aboard. When they replied and put him on the radio,
he asked where I was. I said 50 feet off
your stern! He was surprised we had been
able to approach undetected.
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