SPIRIT OF VANCOUVER ISLAND - Photos & Discussion

[FNS]

Mar 12, 2019 15:03:07 GMT -8 tak22 said:

I can't afford a monthly SAT AIS subscription so any tracking I do has to stop at the coast. But, I noticed today that Marine Traffic has a credit billing system for a sort of pay-as-you-go service. You get 100 free credits with your API Key, and each SAT position request is 6 credits. So for $41 CDN I can get 500 + 100 free = 600 credits, which is good for 100 position reports! With that I could easily grab enough position reports to track SoVI back to BC! 

Does anyone know of any other way to get low cost/free SAT AIS data?

I use Marine Traffic's website for tracking. No software needed on my part.

When a ship of our interest goes out of data range, the blip shows "Passenger Vessel Position received via Satellite".

This screen shot was taken at about 0145PDT within the hour of this posting.

200 miles is the range I'm using right now.

Sometimes I may need to zoom in to get a blip.

As said before, my next shown plot here on this page is planned when the SPIRIT OF VANCOUVER ISLAND's "PVPRVS" blip reaches the middle of the "Big Pond".

[tak22]

Turns out the MarineTraffic credit billing system does NOT include SAT-AIS!

The suggestion to use the MarineTraffic live map for current SAT position is one I hadn't though of (thanks FNS!) and I'll probably write some code to automate a scheduled position data capture. SoVI is still showing out of range, but when her SAT position starts to show up I'll do manual position grabs until I get the programming finished.

Edit 1: OK, maybe I get it now. MarineTraffic is showing 2 icons for SoVI, first is the greyed out one of her last AIS position, the second is the one FNS highlighted as "Passenger Vessel Position received via Satellite", which is her latest SAT position. I was expecting the current SAT position to be be labeled with the ship name, WRONG!

Edit 2: I've found a way to get easy twice a day SAT-AIS position data so am using that for now. Updates will be at 8am and 8pm PST.

Edit 3: MarineTraffic reached out and let me know that their credit billing system DOES do SAT-AIS, you have to request it after you get your base API Key.

[FNS]

The blip of interest is now about half way across the big pond as of the time of this posting.  My next plot I plan to show on this page is when our ship of interest has punched herself into the Caribbean Sea (the blip should show her name then).

[paulvanb]

Vesselfinder has her entering Caribbean waters this evening.

[FNS]

Yes, she has.  This map was captured at 0520PDT on Tuesday, March 19, 2019.

Now showing "PVPRVS" again.  0530PDT.

[FNS]

At 0130PDT on the 20th day of March 2019, the blip of interest was north of Curacao, island home of the port city of Willemstad.

[FNS]

At 0400PDT on the 21st day of March 2019, the SPIRIT OF VANCOUVER ISLAND was passing by the Colombian city of Barranquilla.  She will now be setting a course to the entrance foyer of the Panama Canal, drop hook, and wait for her turn to transit besides adding fuel and stores.

[FNS]

The SPIRIT OF VANCOUVER ISLAND has arrived at Panama.  0423PDT, 22 MAR 2019.  She now awaits her turn to transit.

www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camera-java.html

[Low Light Mike]

Mar 22, 2019 3:30:40 GMT -8 FNS said:

The SPIRIT OF VANCOUVER ISLAND has arrived at Panama.

The Van Halen portion of the return trip has begun...

[FNS]

Her crew has just weighed the hook and she's heading for the locks.  The destination sign has been changed to "VANCOUVER".

[Variable Pitch]

15 minutes ago at Miraflores Locks..

[tak22]

I've got over 600 images of the Panama passage through the Gatun and Miraflores locks.

I'll do some image processing and make up time lapse videos in the next day or so.

I'm also working with marinetraffic.com support on the issues I'm having getting reliable satellite AIS data using their API service.

=============================

Current tracking link: Spirit of Vancouver Island

[paulvanb]

Vesselfinder now has her through the canal and heading into the Pacific Ocean.

[FNS]

Here are my select captures of the SPIRIT OF VANCOUVER ISLAND as she passed through the Gatun Locks on Friday, March 22, 2019:

After her arrival in the waiting zone, her hook saw very little holding time before being weighed for the transit through the Panama Canal.

[FNS]

Here are my select image captures of the SPIRIT OF VANCOUVER ISLAND as she passed through the Miraflores Locks on Friday, March 22, 2019:

After leaving Miraflores, she dropped the hook outside of the Canal to receive new supplies for the trip up the Pacific coast.

These are most likely the last webcam images of this ship until she becomes visible on the Race Rocks cam, unless she makes a stop in Mexico or passes east of Catalina Island.  San Francisco?  That would be a treat.

We thank the operators of the Panama Canal webcams for being a source of these images from the Gatun and Miraflores locks.

[FNS]

Reloaded with goodies, the SPIRIT OF VANCOUVER ISLAND's propellers are spinning again on her long journey up the Pacific coast to her home waters.  She can't wait to "see" her fleet mates, once again.  She will soon!

This is my last posting of her in Panama.

[Starsteward]

Thanks 'FNS' for tracking our refurbished 'SOVI' through her journey back to B.C. Appreciate the time and effort in compiling all the tracking and passage through the entire course of the Panama Canal.
Great to see the 'SOVI' ready to gallop up the coast and show off her MLU. The 'SOBC' will be eagerly awaiting for a good close-up.
Thanks again!

[Departure Bay]

Mar 23, 2019 0:52:30 GMT -8 FNS said:

San Francisco?  That would be a treat.

I see what you did there.  

[terrybc]

As of 1030pm Spirit of Vancouver is off the coast of Costa Rica doing 15.7 Knots

[tak22]

I've made timelapse videos of the Spirit of VI going through the Panama Canal on March 22nd.

patbaywebcam.com/spiritvi.php#panama



edit: I've been asked, "what's with the little sailboat at the end?" I created my first Panama timelapse video for some dear friends many years ago that were coming home to BC through the canal after a dreadful stretch of bad luck on their sailboat, and I was trying to cheer them up from a distance. It worked, and seeing the sailboat trailing SoVI I had to leave it in ....

[terrybc]

As of 745pm Spirit of Vancouver Island is abeam with Cabo San Lucas Mexico

[FNS]

Mar 28, 2019 18:47:36 GMT -8 terrybc said:

As of 745pm Spirit of Vancouver Island is abeam with Cabo San Lucas Mexico

Right you are!

She continues up the west coast of North America to her home waters on the Salish Sea.

[1foot2ships]

just curious: i assume they come ashore to refuel right? 

if so, why dont they do open houses for the locals to check it out?  its free PR right?  aside from the bridge crew and the deckhands, the tour guides leading these open houses dont even have to be bcf employees.  there are tonnes of ferry fans (here alone), who would actually PAY money to be on this journey right?

building on that, im sure tourism bc, tourism vancouver, and tourism victoria could find lots of volunteer ambassadors to join and sell bc as well.

[FNS]

Good Sunday morning, ferry fans!

It's just after 0500PDT on the last day of March, and the SPIRIT OF VANCOUVER ISLAND is nearing due west of Los Angeles.

[Starsteward]

If all goes well could we expect 'SOVI's' arrival at Victoria on April 3rd?
So far it appears 'SOVI' has had a relatively problem free journey from Gdansk, hope I haven't put a hex on her by even saying that.