GPS issue

[S/V Deo Volente]

Give me a paper chart and a star to steer her by........

NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced this week that as of mid-April next year the Federal government will no longer print its lithographic nautical charts.
The century and a half tradition of government-printed charts comes to an end because of budget constraints — NOAA sold the charts for what it cost to print them — and because more and more mariners were using digital and electronic charts.

I was aboard one of the new generation Coast Guard Cutters and while they admitted to carrying paper charts, there is no chart table to use them.

[SailingSeaDragon]

Pete & Dale,

Great topic & information - Well I guess now is the time to install my new navigation system





Garner

[Dale Tanski]

Garner,

The sad truth is many today will not even recognize a RDF such as your fine piece.  Most sailors don't carry a single chart or a handheld compass, something I do but will admit those damn parallels are tough to store.  Those are the sailors, most power boaters have never even seen a chart. 

For the majority of kids today, if the freeway is closed, you can't get there from here.  I make my kids take secondary roadways all the time, and once they do it is amazing how often they elect to go somewhere using those. 

Like everything else we have become too dependant on modern technology. One good solar flare and all is gone. A EMP and all the little boxes loose their smoke. 

How many sailors go on the rocks because they forgot their boat is a sailboat first and has auxiliary power second, let alone equipped with an anchor.

We must be getting old my friend and that I believe is a good thing in many ways.

Dale

[PeteW]

Talk about getting old. I just ordered a new battery for my Palm V Palm pilot PDA. The girl behind the counter never heard of a palm pilot.  But there is a terrific celestial navigation  app that runs on the Palm OS called Celsetnav.

http://www.celestaire.com/vmchk/Navigation-Software/CelestNav-for-Palm-OS-PDA/vmj_estore.tpl.html

I got it a few years ago when it was $27. Now its $49. But you can use it for 10 days free. Delete it and reload it and reset the 10 days.

This and a sextant and you're good to go. Although I can't vouch for the clock that is in the Palm Pilot. You might want to rely on the ships chronometer. Its a good way to engage your brain on a long passage.

Pete

[Jim S]

I totally agree with Dale...too much dependency on fragile technology.  Since I don't offshore to distant lands. I have not perfected celestial navigation, but I would if necessary.  I do have paper charts, parallel rules, hand held bearing compass, and a RDF (have not used it, but I have a working one).  My contact with cruisers has revealed an alarming trend to totally believe (and rely on) the electronic data.  I love electronic data, use it all the time.  I just view it as another navigational tool at my disposal.  To plug in waypoints and set the autopilot and not watch where you are going seems dangerous.  God gave us eyes, ears, nose and a brain; I suspect he (she) intends for us to use them.

Just my two cents...I think the idea of going off boating with only electronic navigation capability is silly and unseamanlike.

[S/V Deo Volente]

Just my two cents...I think the idea of going off boating with only electronic navigation capability is silly and unseamanlike.

I completely agree. I talked to some sailors whose GPS couldn't acquire a fix and they continued fine with their piloting skills, then they found out another boat was having the same problem. It happened to have been 9/11/01, they were not aware of what was happening since they were in a remote area and not getting any news. I love having a boat with a serious chart table and like to keep the current chart out even when using  gps. The chart helps with the big picture, the gps can be nice for detail, but often you lose perspective.

[SailingSeaDragon]

Dale wrote, "...we have become too dependent on modern technology." So very true..

On the way to the boat for a day sail this summer a friend & I talked about our dependence on technology. Once at the boat it was decided to test our coastal navigation skills (rusty as they maybe). I dug out the charts, handheld compass, binoculars, parallels, pencil, and paper. It was a nice day with perfect winds for a relaxing sail. I was real blast plotting, spotting, and calculating our location based on speed, time, direction, depth, and landmarks.

Now the truth is I have sailed the area so many times this was not a much of a test of our skills but more of a way to provide a little entertainment on sunny summer day. But, what great entertainment it was.

Garner

PS: In the spirit of technology independence, we only used the autopilot in "Course" mode  .