You should read the full report
http://www.maib.gov.uk/publications/.../2007/ouzo.cfm -
it's very sobering, with good information on night vision and ship-to-yacht
interactions.

The Pride of Bilbao did have AIS equipment ( JRC JHS-180, whatever that
means). However "Had Ouzo carried AIS it would have made no difference to
the outcome as AIS information was not displayed on the radar of Pride of
Bilbao." (p 30)

The radar reflector on Ouzo sounds like yours, Peter - "but, in practice,
its overall performance is poor, and it is now evident that at best there
was only a 50% probability that the ship would have been able to detect Ouzo
on the radar at close range."- read the report for a full explanation.

Sal's Dad


Full AIS transponders.....the sooner, the better for everyone.

If you can afford a yacht, you can afford a small AIS transponder. Noone
HAS to die. Ouzo would have had the same size target on the AIS screen in
that ferry as a big aircraft carrier. No need, any more, to rely on some
plastic reflective ball to make you a tiny blip on someone's 1957 tube
radar screen, fading in and out as the mast lays over. EVERY yacht going
to sea in this traffic needs a full AIS transponder running 24/7.

There's too much big traffic, today, to go on without it.

Larry
Larry,
Great idea. I have been in situations where the ships can visually see
me but I do not appear on their radar screen - sea state and waves
etc. - I have the old metal "forget what it's called" aluminium sphere
permanently swinging at my cross trees.