My appeal for AIS assistance from a member in the PNW!

[boomerang]

I know this is a long shot, but are there any members on here that happen to keep their boat at this facility in the La Conner, WA area of which the attached screen shot it showing? If you are indeed close by, I need a favor.
I'm about 100% convinced someone has installed an AIS transceiver recently and (inadvertantly?) keyed in my MMSI number instead of theirs. Now there's 2 boats out there with 1 identification number and on the AIS tracking apps like marine traffic, our vessel keeps showing up on the West Coast. I've been in contact several times with marine traffic and they originally thought it was an issue on their end and did some kind of a reset to put me back on the East Coast but as soon as I turned my unit off, I appeared on the West Coast again. One day I watched ,on marine traffic, my boat take a several hour cruise up and down Skagit Bay at 14 kts, which I know rules it out as being me...I'm half that fast...or some would call me half-fast but I digress.
Locally, to other vessels using AIS near me, I'm showing up correctly, which it a relief but I'm thinking the boats receiving the AIS signal from the incorrectly programmed boat on the West Coast are seeing his boat with the correct name and other static data programmed but with the wrong mmsi, which would be had to know except by looking at an app like Marine Traffic.
I'm tired of playing signal tug-of-war with this other boat and hoping for a long shot that someone at this marina will recognize the slip where my clone is berthed and walk over or hail them on the radio and alert them of the issue. Feel free to give them my contact, Shawn @ 804-436-6772 so we can talk through a remedy, if they'd rather. Maybe I'll get really lucky and the boat owner is a member on here but I'm not holding my breath!
Thanks! Shawn

 

[carlhof]

Unfortunately, I am not docked at La Comer Marine, so I can't walk over to the slips. Your best local bet is to try hailing "Wandering Star" on VHF radio when their AIS shows them as being nearby. I hope a member who is at that marina sees your post and can assist.

 

[ranger58sb]

Or maybe call the marina? Maybe their guys would help?

-Chris

 

[luna]

I don't think hailing"Wandering Star" on the VHF is going to be very effective understanding the OP is in Kilmarnock Va.

 

[WillieC2]

Use H on H/L toggle.

 

[Tarantelle]

The LaConner marina office phone number is 360-466-3118. The harbormaster’s name is Charlie. He could probably put you in contact with the boat owner.

 

[Shrew]

Use H on H/L toggle.

OP is on the East Coast of the US. The duplicate MMSI is showing up in Washington state on the West Coast 2500 - 3000 miles away.

 

[Shrew]

I'd call he marina and ask them to give the owner your number explaining why, and asking if they could have him call you. You could ask the marina office for his contact number, however I would be very surprised if they gave it to you.

 

[JackConnick]

You might want to contact the FCC.

 

[SteveK]

Shawn, at this moment your on east coast near Beaufort, last transmission August 8, 2025. Is that correct? MMSI 367645790
A sailing vessel near Bremerton is named Wandering Star but not same MMSI.

 

[ScottRhodes13]

Shawn,

I keep my boat in La Conner on the same dock that's shown on your map. I'll be happy to check this out the next time I'm there. It may be a couple weeks before I can get to it though, as I'm getting ready to head out on a cruise on a friend's boat from a different marina.

 

[AlaskaProf]

I would think the Coast Guard or some other function of Homeland Security would be interested in this. One cannot simply make up a government-issued MMSI #.

 

[ScottRhodes13]

Is your MMSI number 368378850? That's what shows on Marine Traffic but I want to be sure.

 

[boomerang]

@Tarantelle -very helpful! Thank you! I'll reach out to them if I can't get in contact with the owner otherwise.
@jackConnic I thought about it but I can't imagine they have the staff to track down an errant mmsi #. I also can't believe I'm the 1st case of this happening!
@SteveK that's the owner of our last boat, an Albin 40. I begrudgingly didn't object to them leaving the name on it when they bought it. I just transferred the mmsi number from my name to the owner. His number is correct. We just have the same boat name.
@ScottRhodes13 Bingo! I was hoping somebody would recognize the screenshot of the marina and maybe have a boat there. Don't go to any trouble but if, when you're there next time and you see a boat in the approximate location of where it shows our boat docked and the owner is onboard, please let him know what's going on. It's not going to be transmitting as "Wandering Star" on a local AIS. It'll be his boat name ,whatever that is. It only shows wrong on vessel tracking apps.
@ AlaskaProf - I'm guessing it was a mistake when the unit was programmed. Probably his # is very close to mine and the programmer hit the wrong key. Twice sine most units make you double check but I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt.

 

[boomerang]

Is your MMSI number 368378850? That's what shows on Marine Traffic but I want to be sure.

Correct. 368378850

 

[AlaskaProf]

@ AlaskaProf - I'm guessing it was a mistake when the unit was programmed. Probably his # is very close to mine and the programmer hit the wrong key. Twice sine most units make you double check but I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt.

I'm certainly eager to believe there is an innocent explanation, but that doesn't mean that the govt shouldn't be involved. They issue these unique #s for a reason, and should be concerned, even over an innocent error. Perhaps as simple as a visit by the local CG Aux.

 

[boomerang]

Right now, I'm seen on marine traffic going for a nice cruise at 10 knots and it looks like I'm headed to Anacortes! Can y'all feel my frustration? Haha. It's not the end of the world but gee wiz...

 

[SteveK]

@SteveK that's the owner of our last boat, an Albin 40. I begrudgingly didn't object to them leaving the name on it when they bought it. I just transferred the mmsi number from my name to the owner. His number is correct. We just have the same boat name.

But the picture is of your current boat and your name, your MMSI? Try a search for your MMSI in marine traffic.

 

[boomerang]

Now...I might be totally wrong and my theory is incorrect. This didn't happen until Garmin issued me another Cortex ais unit and they had some trouble with the file they sent me so I could program the replacement unit but I think we got that resolved correctly. Like I said, ours shows us where we're supposed to be...until I turn mine off and the dude in La Conner turns his on. Then I'm offline,literally , until he turns his off and mine is on. At least I think that's what happening. I even tried to out muscle his signal with a new 8' 6db ais antenna and a freakin NEW class A AIS unit. Neither solution worked and the only thing that happened was my boat funds got reduced by about $1500...Oh well. Another drop in the bucket of money we've spent on the boat getting it fixed up this summer.

 

[boomerang]

But the picture is of your current boat and your name, your MMSI? Try a search for your MMSI in marine traffic.

I do search my number and the WA boat shows up as my boat in WA.

 

[boomerang]

My boat my mmsi # but not my position! By about 3000 miles.

 

[SteveK]

Is your MMSI number 368378850? That's what shows on Marine Traffic but I want to be sure.

367645790 is the number that comes up for your boat Shawn Fay

 

[SteveK]

368378850 is shown on west coast currently in Anacortes. so I would say marine traffic has an issue

 

[boomerang]

367645790 is the number that comes up for your boat Shawn Fay

That's the photographer, Shawn Fay (me). An FCC search shows the MMSI number as "canceled" by both previous owners, Scott Neeld and me. Now why the new owner isn't showing up as the new owner of that number is another matter but I'm not too worried about that. Unless I can find a way to blame Scott for this mess...

 

[boomerang]

Marine traffic agrees with me that it's an incorrectly programmed #. They can temporarily override the washington position and get me back where I'm supposed to be but only as long as my AIS is on. It'll revert to the one that's currently on and stay locked onto it until one or the other goes off. That's why I'm bouncing back and forth across the country every time one of turns their unit off and the other one is on.

 

[SteveK]

Of course Scott is to blame. He probably took the MMSI programmed radio to the west coast in his campervan and sold it for gas money.
No wonder he is not here explaining it.

 

[Bob Cofer]

I am also in LaConner and can take a stroll down the dock for you. If nothing else I can get you the name of the boat in question. Looks like O dock Slip 2.

 

[boomerang]

I am also in LaConner and can take a stroll down the dock for you. If nothing else I can get you the name of the boat in question. Looks like O dock Slip 2.

Thank you very much, Bob! That would be great if you see the boat in and get the name I could at least contact the marina and get them to give the owner my number. Right now it seems they're just returning to their slip. Hopefully they'll soon realize the mistake if they or any of their friends are trying to track them on marine traffic and figure out the error so I can put this issue to rest and quit bugging you guys on the West Coast!

 

[boomerang]

I just spoke with the marina office (thanks Tarantelle, for the contact info) and spoke with Charlie, who was very helpful and intrigued by the situation! He pulled me up on marine traffic to see where the boat in question was and said it was the face dock where American Tug services their boats. He gave me their number so I called and left a message. Maybe, just maybe, with the kind help of the folks on here, I'm getting closer to solving this mystery!

 

[boomerang]

First off, I want to thank the forum members who offered to help me contact the vessel that was transmitting using my mmsi. Everyone's suggestions are sincerely appreciated.
I think this lemon has been squeezed. I contacted the marina where my boat was showing up in WA. Charlie there was very helpful and pinpointed the slip and pointed me to the slip holder, American Tugs. American Tug contacted me and Kirt (Kirk?) was very receptive to helping me figure out what was going on. On Marine Traffic, he too, looked at our boat at their dock and when I told him I had just watched the boat go for a trip to Anacortes and had just returned to the slip he said that a training captain had just completed that same route with the owners of a new Tug and would walk down and figure out what was going on. A couple of hours later, Garmin out of Oregon called me back and said they had figured it out. Come to find out, the Cortex AIS unit I sent back due to weak transmitting issues was sold and installed on the new Tug without removing my mmsi number beforehand. The tech said the owner was perplexed why he was transmitting and he'd never programmed it. He (the tech) also said that they wiped clean my programming from the Tugs AIS and that things should be back to as they should be now.
My target is still showing in WA where it was last seen on Marine Traffic but the last transmission was 12 hours ago, I'm hoping that's the time when they removed my data. I've had my class B unit on and while I'm not showing up on Marine Traffic or FindShip, Vessel Finder has me at our home dock so I'm taking that as a sign that all's well that ends well!
So now, if you see the Wandering Star on the East Coast (the LRC, not the Albin!), give us a hail and welcome us back from our summer in Washington State!
Thanks again, everyone.
Shawn