This weekend’s 44th Annual Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade in Fort Lauderdale will use the latest AIS (Automatic Identification System) technology from ACR Electronics to manage the flow of over 150 parade boats.
The world’s largest holiday boat parade featuring the biggest, one-day, live audience of any event in Florida has named ACR Electronics as its first ever ‘Official Boating Safety Partner’ to assist with the navigation and safety of the boats and to help ensure the celebrations flow in a timely manner and are as safe as possible. As a result of the partnership, a key element of the safety strategy this year is for the capabilities of Fort Lauderdale-based ACR’s new AISLink Automatic Identification System (AIS) navigation products to be harnessed and utilized by the parade organisers.
AIS will be installed on grand marshal Nick Cannon’s boat, the official Santa boat and the ACR boat, ensuring that the first, middle and last boats of the procession will all be equipped. The information will be used to manage a safe flow of parade traffic, plus a visual of the parade will be available on a computerized map for the team of law enforcement/emergency service representatives and other volunteers and staff.
A well-prepared and extensive team of agency boats, support vessels, police officers, rescue crews and radio operators is already in place, but the added assistance of ACR Electronics and its AIS products will mean this year’s parade is even better equipped to deal with situations such as too much space between boats, mechanical failures or other incidents which may disrupt the flow of boats or cause safety concerns.
The power of AIS in aiding the management of such a challenging two-and-a-half hour logistical operation will be demonstrated in front of more than a million spectators lining the 12-mile route and millions more watching live on television. The ultimate aim is for all participating boats to cruise in line past the judges at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park before finishing at Lake Santa Barbara in Pompano Beach.
As well as featuring in the parade on its own boat, safety partner ACR also presented the features of AIS at the Captains’ Meeting for parade participants and has taken an active role in parade planning and events leading up to the event on Saturday at 5pm. The safety and survival technology expert have provided boating survival gear, as well as safe boating and water safety tips feature on Winterfest’s social media accounts.
The Winterfest Boat Parade is a night time flotilla of brightly decorated yachts and boats which started in 1971 and displays a variety of over 150 boats ranging from international and local celebrities to everyday mariners.
For more information about AISLink CA1 and AISLink CB1, please visit www.acrartex.com/products or www.aismandate.com.
