More on navigating your boat
April 19th 2007 21:44
A little more on navigation and the need to know how to navigate properly.
It is fairly common knowledge that people today when they are boating tend not to get ‘lost’. Well, at least they tend to find their way home when they go out boating. Sure it’s a standing joke that all you need to do is leave your home port and turn left or right and follow the coast around and soon enough you will come back to where you started, keep Australia abeam and you will be OK.
The average boater doesn’t get into much trouble as he or she tends to ‘eyeball their way around. In other words they can see things they recognise and use these landmarks to go out or to come home. Simple pilotage and very effective. As recreational boaters we tend to follow in the footsteps of our cousins in big ships or commercially operated fishing boats or cruise boats. Well lets take a look at what they need.
Firstly every vessel, no matter how big or small, private or commercial must carry a compass and a chart or map of the area they operate in. Why, when we have a very good, cheap GPS or even chart plotter to carry on board. Easy to use, operator friendly, just like a computer. Well apart from the fact that it’s the law they break down. They are not salt or fresh water friendly. A small boat can not keep water out like it needs to. I have personal experience of chart plotters copping salt spray through the cabin opening and drenching the computer screen. Also there are spots where it is not possible to pick up a signal, your screen can go blank without warning. When you are getting the kind of weather on board that is going to put your GPS or plotter off the air you are in real snotty stuff! It means the weather has turned bad and it is a time you can not afford to loose your navigation gear, unless you have a back up.
Tomorrow; what do we need for back up?
It is fairly common knowledge that people today when they are boating tend not to get ‘lost’. Well, at least they tend to find their way home when they go out boating. Sure it’s a standing joke that all you need to do is leave your home port and turn left or right and follow the coast around and soon enough you will come back to where you started, keep Australia abeam and you will be OK.
The average boater doesn’t get into much trouble as he or she tends to ‘eyeball their way around. In other words they can see things they recognise and use these landmarks to go out or to come home. Simple pilotage and very effective. As recreational boaters we tend to follow in the footsteps of our cousins in big ships or commercially operated fishing boats or cruise boats. Well lets take a look at what they need.
Firstly every vessel, no matter how big or small, private or commercial must carry a compass and a chart or map of the area they operate in. Why, when we have a very good, cheap GPS or even chart plotter to carry on board. Easy to use, operator friendly, just like a computer. Well apart from the fact that it’s the law they break down. They are not salt or fresh water friendly. A small boat can not keep water out like it needs to. I have personal experience of chart plotters copping salt spray through the cabin opening and drenching the computer screen. Also there are spots where it is not possible to pick up a signal, your screen can go blank without warning. When you are getting the kind of weather on board that is going to put your GPS or plotter off the air you are in real snotty stuff! It means the weather has turned bad and it is a time you can not afford to loose your navigation gear, unless you have a back up.
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