LEDs, AIS, AND THE 2019 BAJA HA-HA
 Among the greatest new products for mariners in recent years are LED lights and AIS (Automatic Identification System).
LEDs dramatically cut the use of energy, always a welcome thing on a boat.
As for AIS, it's all but eliminated the chance of two well run vessels to collide. For users are alerted to potential collisions, when they might happen, and dozens of miles in advance.
There are two kinds of AIS. Receive only, and transmit and receive, the latter being mandatory on boats over 65 feet.
If I had to chose between radar and AIS, I might well chose AIS — although it would depend on where I was sailing. Of course it's best to have them both.
Alas, as perhaps first discovered by a number of Ha-Ha participants, including Michael Britt on the Catana 47 Footloose during the 2016 event, turning on some LED lights at sunset 'erased' a sometimes large number of AIS targets. They just disappeared! If the LED lights were turned off, the all the AIS targets would reappear.
There seems to have been a strong correlation between the proximity of some LED lights and AIS/VHF antennas. Curiously, some LED lights didn't seem to have any negative effect on AIS and VHF radio operation.
But the Coast Guard is still warning mariners about possible LED and AIS conflicts.
So if you're getting your boat ready to do this fall's Baja Ha-Ha, make sure you do sufficient testing to make sure you don't have a LED conflict with your AIS and VHF.
Just to remind everyone, the Baja Ha-Ha is the 750-mile cruisers' rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, with R&R stops at Turtle Bay and Bahia Santa Maria. The dates of the 26th running will be November 3-16. Entries will start being accepted starting on May 8 at www.baja-haha.com.
Over 3,000 boats and 1,000 sailors have done the Baja Ha-Ha. We hope you'll be joining their ranks this fall. Speaking as the Grand Poobah of the event, I've done all of them to date, and don't plan on missing any in the future.
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