From the bridge
RSSPractical maritime compliance.
Plain-English writing for commercial operators — USCG rules, Sub M, STCW, cyber, and the free tools we built along the way. No regulatory fog. No SEO filler.
Tidal Windows and Slack Water: Timing the Transit
For a deep-draft ship in a shallow channel, the tide decides when she can move at all. Here's how tidal windows, slack water, and current set the dispatch clock — and why a board that's blind to the tide gives a dispatcher the wrong answer.
Why Fleet-Tracking Software Doesn't Fit a Pilots Association
A pilots association has no fleet — it has a coverage zone and a stream of other people's ships. That single difference is why generic vessel-tracking software fails a dispatch desk, and what the right data model looks like instead.
Off the Paper Board: How a Pilots Association Goes Digital
Most pilots associations know the VHF-and-paper board has limits, but the move to a digital dispatch system feels like a project. It doesn't have to be. Here's a low-risk path that runs the new board alongside the old one until the desk trusts it.
NAIS vs. Commercial AIS: Choosing the Data Source for Pilot Dispatch
Your dispatch board is only as good as its AIS feed. Terrestrial commercial feeds, satellite AIS, and the Coast Guard's Nationwide AIS each have different coverage, latency, and cost. Here's how to choose — and why some districts only work on NAIS.
Pilot Dispatch Software: What Modern Pilots Associations Actually Need
Most pilots associations still coordinate dispatch over VHF and paper boards. Here's what a purpose-built dispatch board does differently — area AIS, ETA to the boarding point, collision alerts, and a transit log that feeds billing.