|
|
From: Young, Derrick CIV DeCA HQ PM (no email)
Date: Sat Feb 23 2008 - 23:19:54 EST
Chart plotters ... Safety equipment and now RADAR. The comments are
interesting about RADAR, especially since I taught navigation for the
USCG for a number of years.
What no one has mentioned is that IF you have RADAR, and IF is it
OPERATIONAL, it MUST be used (reference the COLREGS). While it may be a
very useful tool for collision avoidance, I have seen too may large
vessels (not what we use, but the big freighters, tankers, etc.) that
have it, and the antenna turning, but no one paying the slightest
attention to what it shows.
I remember one of the problems that I had my students work, that was
based on a real incident in the Gulf of Mexico. A tanker was steaming,
full ahead into an area with a lot of oil platforms. In fact, they were
on collision course, not with an oil platform, but an outbound
freighter. The bridge crew of both vessels lost situtational awareness
until it was almost too late.
And that speaks directly to the heart of the matter. RADAR, like a good
deck watch can be difficult to do when you are single handing or running
short crew.
I believe Peter's comments are directly relivent, I learned to navigate
with a sextant, a notebook and a good watch. Safety at sea, means
paying attention to what is around you, using the tools and skills that
you have at hand. Having a RADAR, may be very useful. It may also
scare you because of the amount of traffic that you may see.
Don't let not having a RADAR stop you from going. Get out there, but
pay attention to what you can see. Maintain a good watch schedule, get
plenty of rest when you can and don't lose situtation awareness.
See you on the water.
Derrick
|