It is not often that this blog is actually bang up to date and ‘real time’ but if you are reading this soon after I post it (i.e. by 11 o’clock on Saturday 22nd June) you will be able click on the links and have some fun with this the same as I am doing now. The Cambria team have had a rush of blood to the head and lashed out a bit of money on a shipping electronic system called AIS (Automatic Identification System). This 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, AIS base stations, and satellites. When satellites are used to detect AIS signatures then the term Satellite-AIS (S-AIS)is used. AIS information supplements marine radar, which continues to be the primary method of collision avoidance for water transport.” (says Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_Identification_System ) but in simple terms we now have a box of tricks on our wheelhouse which transmits a signal to tell the world out there who and where we are.
Marine Traffic website screen-grab showing Cambria’s position at about 10 am this morning, involved in the Passage Match
The public can go in to a website called Marine Traffic and ‘find us’ by clicking on options like ‘select vessel’ (Use “SB Cambria”). So, rather superbly, you can follow the feed on Facebook where Dave Brooks is commenting that the start was held up by Lady of the Lea thinking the start was 10 am rather than 8 am and showing pictures and then you can nip into the Marine Traffic website
http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/
and ‘see’ us charging down past Canvey (now at 10:15 a.m.). Obviously you cannot follow the race over all as AIS is only fitted to some of the barges, but it will be nice into the future to check up on her where-abouts. This is a bit of fun for us but obviously deadly serious to the crew in terms of knowing that port managers and the crews of other vessels can always know our location and avoid any chance of collision. I will post the Marine Traffic link on our useful links page. Good hunting and, of course, best of luck in the Passage Match, the crew.
I was on the Cambria for this match yesterday. It was my first time on a Thames barge along with a group of keen sailors from our London sailing club. It was the most wonderful and exhilarating experience to charge down the Thames in this fantastic vessel in sometimes gale force winds. And the best part: the Cambria won! After sailing for 8 hours three of the four boats that started finished within less than 2 minutes of each other. Thank you so much to Richard, Hilary and their wonderful crew for this unique experience.
Is Cambria’s AIS equipment switched on all the time?
I was able to follow her earlier in the week but at present the only ‘sailing vessel’ Cambria that the AIS site indicates is a British yacht down in the Marseille area?
I know they’ve been up on the blocks scraping off barnacles, so I guess they turn everything off while they are ‘parked’. I think Hilary reads this, so maybe she’ll comment accordingly.
I see they are back on air and enjoying some shore leave at the Butt & Oyster!