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From: cirejay (no email)
Date: Sun Feb 24 2008 - 00:13:10 EST
Ok, so I started all this when I suggested a unit such as I have, the
Navnet 1834c. To my way of thinking, the charplotter fucnction is
secondary, no if and or butts!
If budget were a concern (read that, old fart who's earned his chance
to head out with top equipment) I would go with a couple of hand held
GPS's and RADAR. I have a small boat and I singlehand, my RADAR
standing watch in standby mode earns it's keep in watts and it beats
the heck out needing to provide cold drinks to a crew. Yep, the
fridge goes off when I head out and that more than makes up for the
RADAR.
Let's not forget that one saves nothing in paper charts by buying a
chartplotter because no one in his/her right mind is going off
bluewater sailing trusting only the electronic charts.
As for an old clock and a sextant, been there, done that. The
sextant's only to play with these days.
eric S/V Meander seawind II 15k
PS let's not forget AIS.
--- In , "Young, Derrick CIV DeCA HQ
PM" <derrick dot young at dot dot dot > wrote:
>
>
> 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
>
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