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From: (no name) (no email)
Date: Fri Sep 26 2003 - 10:54:46 EDT
Re; GPS Shut down.
It's amazing how dependent upon the GPS we can become. I recall one
passage wherein a crewmember stepped on our HH GPS and erased it's
programming. (Screen came up with the message "Software not present.")
All of a sudden I'm shifting into high gear - "oh dear, what do we do now?"
and so forth! But - get this - here we are within 6 miles of the coast, on
a coast with several prominent peninsulas and offshore oil rigs, and I am
sailing with a perfectly function radar, depth sounder, sextant etc.
Visibility was near zero in low clouds & fog, but it is indeed a piece of
cake to use the radar to find the oil platforms, plot relative bearings,
and determine exactly where we are, probably at least as accurately as the
sloppy plots I would make from GPS coordinate. We weren't in the least
lost, nor anything close to it, all that was lost was my crutch of first
choice!
The point being that it is sooooo easy to become comfortable.
(OK, same story: The motor failed once in San Diego. We were pumping
black water at the police dock, and had a transient berth at the San Diego
Yacht Club. "Oh dear, what shall we do? Do I need to get a tow?" Doh!
It's about a 1000 meter sail in no current and a light breeze from here to
the club. Why was I even thinking "tow?" It took about 5 minutes for me
to come to my senses and then we simply hoisted a jib and went on our way.
Point again: How quickly we become comfortable with the easy way - even we
who have eschewed it in so many manners.)
And I left off my list of gear carried:
- Sextant & tables
- Lead line
Best regards,
Chris McKesson
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