[Rhodes22-list] GPS

[Mary Lou Troy]

Vic,
We met at the Chesapeake Rhodes get-together at Schaeffers.

I'll agree with Dave on this one. Navigation by paper chart is not all that 
difficult - particularly on the Chesapeake which is very well marked. I'm 
sure the electronic charts work well but you still need to know how to read 
them and what all the symbols for the aids to navigation mean. We use a 
handheld GPS to confirm what our paper chart tells us and if the handheld 
malfunctions (or if the electric on your boat goes out - water and 
electricity being what they are) you still know where you are.

Do I remember correctly that you've owned powerboats? The nice thing about 
navigating on a sailboat is that everything happens at 3-6 knots.  You've 
got plenty of time to work out the navigation. I forget, where will you be 
sailing from?

Best wishes,
Mary Lou
1991 R22 Fretless
Ft. Washington, PA  / Swan Creek, MD

At 07:59 AM 3/19/2004 -0500, you wrote:
>Vic,
>
>Before relying soley on a GPS to keep you from getting lost, I'd take one
>the excellent US Power Squadron or Coast Guard Auxilliary Basic Boating
>courses.  They'll teach you the basics of piloting, the art of keeping track
>of where you are using aids to navigation.  GPS is great, but should be
>considered only a backup to basic piloting and navigation.
>
>Dave Walker
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Vic Huebner" <atlantic at engineer.com>
>To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>Sent: Friday, March 19, 2004 7:53 AM
>Subject: [Rhodes22-list] GPS
>
>
>I'm getting a refurbished '87 from Stan next month. Since I've never been
>sailing I'm a little concerned about getting lost while I'm trying to
>navigate the Chesapeake Bay. In researching chart plotters, the only low
>cost one I've found is the Garmin 176C color plotter. This is the older
>version of their 276C and I think Garmin is trying to get rid of them.
>They're bundled with the Metro-Guide for streets, the BlueChart for marine
>use, a blank card, a programmer, etc. The internal antenna version is being
>sold for $445 after rebate. Just the list price total of the accessories is
>more than this. They got mostly good reviews except for being hard to read
>in bright sunlight. Also, they use a lot of power so it's impractical to use
>batteries - a cigar lighter connection is needed. I'd appreciate any
>comments you might have on whether or not I should buy this system.
>Vic Huebner
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