FERRY FARE

Radar: more than blips on a screen

The flat voice on the phone said “We don’t allow the public to ride in the ferry pilot house any more … for security reasons.” Rats! But the voice brightened as it continued. “… You could call Capt. Bill Hughes, he runs the radar lab.” So in April, Kingston’s Ferry Advisory Committee found ourselves in Everett at the Washington State Ferries radar lab and training simulator.

In the 1990s, complex shipboard electronics grew by leaps and bounds. While computerized radars were exceptionally capable, their complexity was not something a crew could learn while driving the ferry. In 1998, Capt. Bill Hughes set up WSF’s first radar lab in a Bremerton basement for testing and training.

The lab, now in Everett, has also become a place to refine radar technology.

Working with Furuno, the world’s leading radar manufacturer, WSF not only improved radars but also optimized them for the close maneuvering situations that ferries encounter. Today, Furuno sells a WSF version of its radar. One example of a WSF improvement is a portable flash drive that plugs into the radar. Each skipper has his own drive and by plugging it into the radar can ensure that ship’s hundreds of electronic system settings are correct.

Today’s radar bears little resemblance to the device that displayed blips on a screen a decade ago. What we saw in the lab was an operational information center with radar, GPS, electronic charts and AIS integrated together. AIS is an automated system where ships in an area tell each other their position, name, radio call sign, cargo, course, speed and destination. These integrated features make the radar lab an ideal training simulator.

The Everett lab has all the equipment in a ferry pilothouse and replicates the characteristics of all WSF ferries, as well as shipping traffic and conditions on ferry routes. There are two complete pilothouses so independent ferry crews can operate separate ferry boats as they would on a two-boat run. They can also be in the two pilothouses on the opposite ends of the same ferry. This allows practicing a man-overboard rescue. If you fall off the ferry, it will stop and reverse while the bridge crew dashes to the opposite end to drive the boat. Besides learning new equipment, ferry crews also practice maneuvering in challenging navigation situations.

The WSF system also learns through the lab staff. Bill and the staff analyze ferry runs and reenact the situations that have occurred on them. This provides lessons learned for the fleet and identifies needed improvements. When electronics casualties occurs on a ferry, the lab analyzes their impact and what must be done to compensate. If the U.S. Coast Guard agrees, the ferry may continue sailing.

A training scenario that we observed started while loading at the Kingston dock. The radar display showed, on a chart, all the ships in the area – even those on the other side of Kingston’s ridge – thanks to the AIS. We asked the system to calculate what the conditions would be when it was time to get underway and we found two merchant ships would be crossing in front of our path. By experimenting we determined that, by waiting a few minutes for the ships to pass, we would avoid a close situation and still arrive in Edmonds on schedule. Had we left on time, not only would the extra maneuvers use up fuel but would also have gotten us into Edmonds late.

So we didn’t get to actually ride on the bridge of a ferry. But after that tour we’re riding below with a greater sense of comfort … even if the boat leaves a few minutes late.

(The Kingston Ferry Advisory Committee includes Rex Carlaw, Dennis Cziske, Walt Elliott, Paul Lundy and Linda Paralez. Contact the committee at (360) 297-2845 or elliottmoore@comcast.net.)

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