Short answers, each linking to the page that has the whole of it.

Getting started

Do I need a boat to use AIS Fleet?

No. You can watch vessels without owning a boat. You need an e-mail address to create an account. What AIS Fleet is

Is it free?

Following five vessels is free, on a plan that is not a trial and does not expire. The map, the search, the notices, the photos, the messages and your own AIS receiver work the same on it as on any plan. Paid plans follow more vessels and draw a longer track. Plans and billing

Do I need an app?

No. Vessel watching works in a browser on a phone or laptop. The iPhone app, for iOS 17 or later, is in open beta and can also read a receiver on your Wi-Fi. On Android or iPad, use the website; there is no Android app or dedicated iPad layout yet. AIS Fleet on your phone

There is no password. Is that safe?

AIS Fleet uses a short-lived e-mail code instead of a separate password. Protect your mailbox, sign-in codes and signed-in devices. Changing your mailbox password does not end an existing AIS Fleet session; contact us if you suspect unauthorized access. Your account and privacy

My sign-in code has not arrived.

Give it a minute and look in spam. Use the newest e-mail; a code lasts ten minutes and a new one retires the old. If you have asked several times, wait a quarter of an hour. When something is not working

Watching a vessel

Can the boat tell that I am following her?

A linked AIS Fleet member or Saillogger owner can receive a new-follower notice with your display name, according to their notification settings. They never see your e-mail address. Most vessels have no linked account to notify. Follow your first vessel

AIS is an unencrypted safety broadcast, but that does not grant unrestricted rights to record, use or republish it. Local rules and the AIS Fleet Terms still apply. Respect the privacy and safety of the people aboard. Watching respectfully

Why has a vessel disappeared from the map?

Most often she is out of range: AIS is line-of-sight radio and coverage is thin far offshore. Other reasons are the zoom, a type filter, or her transponder being off. When something is not working

Why is her position hours old?

Because nobody has heard her since. A boat at anchor with her instruments off, a boat out of range, and a boat with her transponder switched off look identical from here. The last-heard time on her panel is the number to read. Where the positions come from

Can you tell me when she will arrive?

AIS Fleet does not provide an ETA or arrivals board. The destination line some vessels broadcast is entered by hand and may be out of date. You can follow her for detected departure and arrival notices; for schedules, check with the vessel's operator. Departures and arrivals

Does it cover my area?

Coverage varies with receiving stations and the reports available to our network. Explore your area on the map and check vessels' last-heard times. Coverage is often better near busy ports than offshore. If you already have a receiver, sharing its reports can help; you do not need one to use AIS Fleet. Share your AIS receiver

Does my phone buzz when she leaves?

Departure and arrival pushes are quiet: when Push is available and enabled in the iPhone app, look in Notification Center. Other push notices may make a sound, subject to quiet hours and your iOS settings. If Push is not offered in your app, keep e-mail on for notices while AIS Fleet is closed. Departures and arrivals

I followed a ferry and now I get a dozen e-mails a day.

Turn her E-mail off. She stops filling your inbox and stays somewhere you can look her up, and she keeps her slot. Choosing what reaches you

Can I post a screenshot of the map?

Check the Terms and any map attribution or third-party rights before posting. Keep the report's age visible, and ask permission before reusing catalog photographs or a boater's shared journal. Sharing a screenshot

If you own a boat

Why is my boat on your map? I did not sign up.

She can appear when a receiver reports her AIS broadcasts to our network, without you signing up. Some Saillogger owners also enable direct position sharing. Members may contribute photographs separately. Your boat on AIS Fleet

How do I take my boat off AIS Fleet?

You cannot take an AIS broadcast off the internet, and no site can offer that: your transponder transmits in the open to every receiver in range. What you can decide is what travels with the position. If her marker here comes from Saillogger rather than from a receiver, the AIS Fleet switch under Settings > Integrations turns that off, and Sharing governs the journal and the rest. For a privacy or safety concern, write to [email protected] with her MMSI. What you control

Can somebody else claim my boat?

Every claim is checked by a person against a document showing the MMSI is theirs, and an MMSI belonging to an active Saillogger boat is refused outright. If you think a claim is wrong, write to [email protected]. Claim your boat

Somebody added my boat to a fleet. How do I leave?

Every fleet e-mail ends with a link that takes her out in one tap, and the fleet's page has Leave fleet, behind the row at the top of its roster. Tick Also block as you leave and that organizer cannot add her again. Fleets

Somebody is watching my boat and I do not like it.

You can remove a follower and block messages. You can also report unwanted attention or a privacy concern to [email protected]; include your boat's MMSI and the activity involved so we can review it. Your account and privacy

Somebody published a photo of my boat.

Members can contribute photographs, and every submission is reviewed by a person. If a published photo shows something you would rather it did not, write to [email protected] with her MMSI and we will take it down. Vessel photos

Following, lists and fleets

Following, a list and a fleet: what is the difference?

Following a boat puts her on your map and tells you when she moves. A list sorts the boats you follow, and can be shared for other members to subscribe to. Both run one way: she joins nothing. A fleet runs both ways: everyone in it sees the roster and shares one chat, and a boat claimed here is told when she is added and can leave. Lists or a fleet?

Can I start a fleet for my club or rally?

Yes, on a paid plan, and you do not need a boat of your own to run one. Members whose boats are claimed here join the roster and the chat, as far as their own plan keeps fleets active: on the free plan that is one at a time. Run a fleet

What does subscribing to somebody's list do?

It puts that list's boats on your map and, once you turn its notices on, tells you when they move. It does not make you a follower of each boat: their owners are not told and you see only AIS. Subscribe to a list

I subscribed to a list of ten boats and only some appear.

Your plan's follow limit is full. The rest are listed under Beyond your plan, still there, not drawn and not announced, and they come through when you make room or move up. What your plan counts

The boat in the next berth never announces herself.

Nearby notices are given once per visit, when a boat comes into your chosen distance from outside it. A boat that is already there when you switch the row on, or that never leaves, is not announced; she will be once she has been well outside the distance, away for a while, and comes back. A boat lying still is also not announced when your own boat is the one moving. The list or fleet's notice rows say how many boats are within the distance now. When a boat comes near yours

There is no "comes within" row on my list.

That row is measured from your own boat, so it appears once you have claimed her and she has been heard on AIS. Until then the list keeps its departure and arrival row, and Near your boat in Notification settings says what it is waiting for. Claim your boat

Can a fleet tell me when its boats move, or come near me?

Yes. Open the fleet from Fleets on the map: its page has the same notice rows a list has, behind the row at the top of its roster, off until you turn them on, and only you can set them for yourself. The nearby row needs your own boat linked and heard on AIS. Notices from a fleet

Account and billing

How do I cancel?

If you subscribed on the website, under Manage billing on the Plan screen; the plan runs to the end of the period you have paid for. If you subscribed in the iPhone app, in your Apple ID subscription settings, because Apple bills it. Plans and billing

How do I delete my account?

Account in the account menu, then Danger zone. It closes at once and becomes unrecoverable after thirty days. Cancel an App Store subscription yourself first, and note that photographs you contributed stay published. Closing your account

Is AIS Fleet available in my language?

Not yet. The site, the app and every e-mail are in English.

Something is broken and none of this covers it.

Write to [email protected], or reply to any AIS Fleet e-mail. Tell us the vessel's MMSI if it is about one boat, which screen you were on, what you expected and what happened. When something is not working