[Rhodes22-list] Navigation

[Steve Alm]

Hi all,

Mary Ann and I are starting to plan a sailing trip on Lake Superior this
summer.  Perhaps trailering to Thunder Bay and sailing around the islands on
the Canadian north shore.  We've got some friends that do this every year
and we want to go with them.  I'd feel a lot safer going with another boat
or two.  

I'm starting to feel fairly confident with my boat handling skills and I
have a good first mate, (and a good boat) but I don't know much about
navigation.  Obviously, I'll need up-to-date charts, a good compass and a
GPS.  But beyond that, I'm not sure where to start.  We have a hand-held GPS
on Fandango that I've used to check my speed, but that's about all I've used
it for.  I know I'll have to familiarize myself with its other features.
But you just take the lat. and long. reading and plot that position on the
chart, right?  Is it much more complicated than that?  What if the GPS goes
down?  Do you carry a spare?  I don't really see myself going to the bother
of learning celestial nav with a sextant, but maybe that's being foolish.
Anyone have any advice?

Thanks,
Slim