Help & Support
The Forth & Clyde site is a deceptively simple looking site, therefore the following may help you get the most out of it!
Membership
Current Members:
If you are already a member, simply log in using the Member Login link. When you were welcomed aboard an email was sent to the address you entered into the system. If however you have lost that email and cannot log in, simply email me at admin@forthandclyde.co.uk, or if on Facebook Messenger and I'm on your list, PM me and I will create a new login for you and get you back aboard ASAP.
Future Members:
If you are not yet a Member, then click on the same link, Member Login and look for the Register / Apply link for Membership. The form presented will ask you to enter your email address twice, choose a username and a strong password. Be aware it has to be at least eight characters and a mix of normal, Caps and special characters; this is for your security as a member as well as the site's. As soon as I see that there are pending memberships, I will process your details and send you a Welcome Aboard! email to your registered address, with a reminder of your details. Your membership will have been approved and live when you get the email.
Live Reports and Logs
Live Reports:
The Live Reports are real time events. Each port system, Clyde and Forth, reports the live zone-based processed movements as a ship moves from zone to zone. The system cleans them up, but you may see double entries as they come in; this is normal behaviour and is resolved next visit further down the list.
Logbooks:
Each system carries logbooks; these are processed entries for every ship, ferry and tug in the Clyde and Forth in any 24 hour daily period.
The system does its best to clean entries, however, at times a ship may seem to jump from one place to another in quantum fashion. This can happen when the last saved zone was a while ago, and the ship's next new zone takes place much later... ignore such jumps!
Logbooks cannot be accessed unless you are a member as they are resource heavy and are intended for the serious enthusiast or members of the Clyde and Forth maritime community only. They are not open to public view.
The Map
Icons:
The AIS map is an in-house development. Ship icons are drawn to relative scale and are colour-coded for quick identity where possible:
- Svitzer tugs: dark blue
- Calmac icons: red and black
- CMS tugs: blue and cream
- Container ships: green with white aft and black prow
- Chemical / Oil Tankers: red with burnt orange aft 'superstructure'
- ...and so on.
Each icon when clicked shows a photo of the vessel, name, IMO, MMSI and any information regarding arrivals or departures if applicable. There is a further link in the icon's pop up to take you to the vessel's full details page.
Search Capability and AIS Range:
The icons presented are primarily Clyde, Forth and Calmac related. The system does not present you with any vessels not relevant to our scope. It also filters out most pleasure craft, fishing boats and other vessels of no real concern to the site.
These default vessels can be searched in the map search bar:
- Ship's Name: As you type a ship's name the icons will disappear until only the ship you are searching for remains.
- Destination: Similarly, tapping in a commercial home port name (e.g. Glasgow, Grangemouth, Leith, Greenock, Rosyth, Ayr etc) will start to filter out ships until only ships destined for that name will remain.
- Calmac: To see only Caledonian MacBrayne's fleet on the Clyde and Western Isles routes, click the Calmac Fleet map button and only Calmac vessels will remain.
Golden Rule for Map Search/Filter: For all of the above note that the system does not automatically zoom in or out, so it is best to pull the view wide first to cover the listener's realm. At present that is the whole of the British Isles, most of the North Sea, the Iberian Coasts and Bay of Biscay and the English Channel and Dover Straits. By doing so, when you search or select Calmac, you will see all the relevant vessels the listener itself sees. View wide, then search/filter to obtain best results. If no results show, then it means the ship is not in our listener's memory or it is in an AIS blackspot.
This functionality is relatively new and on-going development will increase the listener's bounds and improve functionality.
Reports and Posting: Main Reporter Panel
The main message board carries a mix of automated posts (when a ship docks, or departs or tugs on the Clyde set out), ships expected posts (automated and hand carved), and admin information posts. It is also where members post their messages and pictures. Whether it is automatic, admin, or members posts, all are able to be replied to – if you are logged in.
Photo Uploads:
Members can add photos up to 10 Mbytes in size, which is usually more than adequate.
Viewing Options:
At present you can view Today (default), Yesterday and select a date from the archive index. The latter is an exact snapshot of that day's activity. You can also view Weekly Pics to get an instant pictorial gallery of the week's posts: curated, new ships' movements announcements and members' uploads. A search facility is being developed but this will take time to implement.
AIS Drop outs, blank regions and other related matters
The site's listener can only act on what it sees; it is very literal! Therefore if a ship previously seen by it no longer is, the ship has either left the listener's realm entirely or has hit a sea area or local area where AIS simply does not exist for our listener to obtain from. These limitations are the price of a free service.
Where a drop out occurs in the Clyde or Forth upper rivers, our system has a unique feature where it can accurately predict a ship docking, or infer its departure. For example: If the upper Clyde suffers a blackout, when a ship enters it, there is a trigger set where the system takes over and 'docks it' itself. This is to maintain the integrity of the entire ships expected system which is 90 percent automated and depends on arrival and departure events to remain viable. Similarly, if a vessel emerges from a black hole, the system calculates likely departure and stamps it accordingly. This fallback only kicks in if I set it to do so, and remains in place until AIS restores. The system will ALWAYS report a pseudo docking or departure if this is in place.
Ships Expected
This is a complex semi-automated system. Our listener acts on home port destinations by sending potential arrivals to an admin page. These are reviewed by me and I make adjustments accordingly. Most ships expected are only entered after the listener sees a ship. I then cross-reference Clyde-related arrivals with Clydeport's board. If it looks like they have put in placeholder ETAs I leave the ETA as it is in our system; if however the ETA looks officially stamped, I update the movement.
Similarly, each day closer to each arrival, in the Forth and Clyde systems I test the system's or port authority timings with real-time reports on a ship. Many things can delay a vessel, and times are updated ever more accurately as I can as the ship either nears a port system or enters it (Where I can!).
Departures are only entered for Clydeport related vessels. I have no way of knowing non-Clydeport departures but am working on a system that sees when a ship in home port changes its destination whilst in that home port. This is a complex work and will take time to be as iron-clad as I like, but I WILL work on it continuously in the background.
Site Search
This is not available yet; it is a complex work in progress.
Cookies and Privacy
The site sets no cookies whatsoever, unless you log in. Then it places one simple cookie to keep your login constant. No other information is stored on your computer whatsoever and never will be. This site does not carry advertising and deploys no tracking mechanisms whatsoever. All google fonts are stored on my own server for example, so even that is not externally deployed.
The site operates under this Golden Rule: A safe harbour for all. ⚓
Contact and Support
Simple. Email admin@forthandclyde.co.uk and let me deal with anything you are having a problem with, or have suggestions for improvements. My door is ALWAYS open to both support you and to hear your ideas. 📧