[Rhodes22-list] Don't Know Squat

Sat Apr 7 02:56:54 EDT 2007

Dave,

What Bill just said we summarize in aviation by saying, "don't loose
situational awareness (SA) and don't get task saturated". If you take off to
the north in Salt Lake City, for example, you have a big flat lake to the
left and a range of mountains to the right.  We have a GPS based  terrain
feature available on our wx radar, but if you make the first turn in the
wrong direction, a 50/50 choice, the GPS map only displays the point of
impact.  Nothing replaces basic navigation skills and situational awareness.
An important part of SA  also means knowing when you've lost it and doing
something about it.   Most of the time in flying we climb when SA is gone,
heaving-to is the equivalent in sailing. The meek not only inherit the
earth, they live to fight (sail, fly, etc.) another day. Having said that, I
have a moving map display GPS in my Bonanza and would never want to go back
to having only round dials. One of the best values on the market is the
Garmin 196/296/396/496 series of aviation/auto/marine GPS units with moving
map display.  I'm getting the 296 (relatively cheap because it is "old"
technology) for use in da boat, da plane, and da car, a single unit that can
be used in all three.  It will give me terrain warnings I currently don't
have in the Bonanza, some situation awareness in the car in strange cities,
and something to play with in home waters on the boat. It would not have
prevented my grounding last Spring any more than the chart I had on board
did.  It was a lack of discipline not a lack of information that created our
unscheduled overnight stay on the CoraShen.  The pilots of the last US
airline accident could have given you their  exact lat-long at the point of
their wrong turn.  I've been a slow adopter of GPS technology but now never
want to go back, however,  I'm not trading in basic navigation skills or a
sharp eye on the horizon either.

Brad

On 4/6/07, Bill Effros <bill at effros.com> wrote:
>
> Dave,
>
> A GPS is a lot of fun, and interesting to use once you know the basics
> of navigation.  I always have one on when I'm on board, and when I'm in
> my car.
>
> But.
>
> A 469 foot long cruise ship just sank to the bottom of the Aegean
> because the professionals piloting the ship knew where the ship was, but
> didn't know where the rocks were.
>
> The QE2 grounded off Cuttyhunk Island in 1992 because the Captain didn't
> understand the relationship of the bottom of his keel to the rocks below
> it.  (I just learned this relationship is called "Squat".)
>
> The GPS in my car signaled a left turn this afternoon 1000 feet before
> my car reached the intersection.  The indicator screen showed my car
> where it wasn't.
>
> New sailors should learn the basics of navigation before they start
> playing with toys that take their eyes off the water.  Charts should be
> in your head in local waters, and you should know where all the
> obstructions are, and where your boat is, with nothing more than your
> eyes.  Even at night.  Even in the fog.  If you are not sure, drop
> anchor and figure it out before you move in any direction.
>
> I watch idiots steer by their GPS every time I go out on the water.  I
> see them T-Bone each other because they are looking at a computer screen
> which hasn't a clue that there is a boat between them and the next
> waypoint.  I've seen boats stopped dead by Lobster Pots attached to
> buoys with steel cables while the captain was down below running his
> boat from the screen of his chart plotter.
>
> Frazier is going to be sailing on Long Island Sound.  People die every
> year on Long Island Sound due to completely unnecessary chart plotter
> accidents.  Learn to use your wits before learning to use a chart
> plotter.  Learn to read charts.  Learn to use a Peloris.  Learn to
> heave-to.  Learn to set an anchor...
>
> On most other things I agree with you, Dave,
>
> Bill Effros
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> DCLewis1 at aol.com wrote:
> > Frazier,
> >
> > With all due respect, I disagree with Bill regarding GPS.
> >
> > We have an Iris 100 handheld compass mounted on the bulkhead.  It
> does  the
> > job - it's job is to  provide a steering guide.  We've found that  all
> the
> > hoopla about triangulating, navigating, etc via  compass that
> is  covered in
> > Power Squadron navigation courses is possible in some circumstances
> -  but not all
> > circumstances.  What is easy and reliable in virtually all  boating
> > circumstances is GPS - it will tell you where you are and how to get
> to  where you want
> > to go.  Virtually all our navigation, apart from piloting
> in  constrained and
> > familiar waterways (e.g. approaches to our marina),  is  done
> with  GPS.  We
> > use a handheld charting GPS that tells us in  virtually real time where
> we are
> > on the chart displayed on the hand held unit -  there's no need to map
> the
> > GPS position on to a paper chart.  We know where  we are going when we
> leave the
> > dock - we enter that as a way point on the GPS  chart - and the machine
> plots
> > our course as it is sailed until we get to our  destination or decide to
> turn
> > around or set a new way point.   We  steer by the compass, but we
> monitor
> > evolution of the track in real time on the  GPS, so we know immediately
> if we're
> > deviating (we often  deviate -  every tack is a deviation)  and where we
> are
> > with respect  to navigation hazards and aids.
> >
> > Our handheld charting GPS ( and I think most hand held GPS units) tracks
> > speed, average speed, time on the water, total elapsed distance
> sailed,  etc,
> > etc, - it's all part of the package.  Also, we can hit a button and
> it  will
> > reverse course to tell us how to find our way back via our previous
> way  points -
> > that may be useful someday in fog or heavy rain.
> >
> >  From time-to-time we cross-reference the GPS with our paper charts
> to  get
> > additional info regarding bottom type, correlate hazards, etc but
> generally
> > our hand held GPS map display shows hazards, buoys, etc,
> virtually  everything
> > shown on paper charts.  The GPS chart displays on our unit are  provided
> by
> > MapTech -the same people that provide paper charts.
> >
> > I recommend a charting GPS as a safety and convenience item.  It
> does  not
> > replace a compass, you still need a compass to steer by, but
> the  charting GPS
> > will tell you where you are, what obstacles and nav aids are  nearby,
> and what
> > course to steer to get to your destination.   It  will also function as
> an
> > anchor alarm if you overnight.
> >
> > Additionally, I have found the same handheld charting GPS to be very
> useful
> > for motor trips, hikes, etc, and it's fun to play with.
> >
> > Dave
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ************************************** See what's free at
> http://www.aol.com.
> > __________________________________________________
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> >
> >
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