Lemain
regular
Reged: 31/01/2004
Posts: 5595
Loc: Fiumicino canal (Rome, Italy)
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Further to my thread on electrical failure, everyone who replied said that they always sail with sufficient paper charts to navigate and pilot the waters in which they are sailing.
Does anyone here sail in unfamiliar waters without adequate paper charts and pilot information - i.e. does anyone here sail in unfamiliar waters relying on one or more electronic charting systems with no paper backup (which must, obviously, be fit for navigation or it is pointless carrying it)?
If so, can you tell us how you have arranged things so that you are happy with the overall reliability and risk of system failures due to faults in the units, or the boat's wiring?
I realise that this is written in a way that suggest that I don't think that electronics alone is sufficient. That is not my view. Given certain safeguards and redundancies (including some means of accessing the charts in the case of military interference with GPS) it would be fine to do so. I'd just like to hear how people arrange it to give adequate security.
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My daily blog on the current financial crisis is at:- http://davidscompass.blogspot.com No PMs for now ybw1.20.lemain@spamgourmet.com
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Chris_E
regular
Reged: 13/11/2003
Posts: 4686
Loc: Lymington
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Me.
Main system with two independant screens. Plus two handheld chartplotters as back up plus a warehouse load of batteries.
Oh and I forgot a couple of laptops with navigation software.
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It ain't necessarily so.
Botton Village
Citizens Advice Bureau
Edited by Chris_E (14/05/2008 11:19)
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Captainslarty
regular
Reged: 12/08/2007
Posts: 2012
Loc: Currently La Coruna Spain
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Me too, I DO have lots of charts, but will not buy any more paper ones.
Pilot guides.. excellent price, compared to paper charts..
E120 display as main, Lowrance 3500c as backup, (Both SD and CF cards) plus pilot guides, garmin 152 gps, Rm300 gps, LC2000 gps on Lowrance, handheld etrex lol..
Also, a sextant...
As for power..
as you know from previous discussions David, 1 have a large house bank. excellent charging systems.. completely separate engine bank (240 Ah) which runs as backup power.. Also have 5 12v 12Ah dryfits (From an old failsafe computer supply)
Working on the triple redundancy systems as employed by aircraft.
Paper charts are getting harder to source - mainly internet now.. price is ridiculous too..
Didnt read your post on power failure - will take a look.. cant imagine a situation where I had no power - even the etrex is independent.
Joe
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PM me for info re SSB's etc. Bought, sold, repaired, fitted and optimised.
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TigaWave
regular
Reged: 17/12/2004
Posts: 1839
Loc: Buckland Monachorum
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Kind of, I take a small printer and print of screen shots from the laptop at different scales for passage and pilotage whilst on route.
I wouldn't approach unknown waters without a paper chart as I have experienced multiple electronics failures.
This was multiple unrelated failures of three gps systems, two mobile waterproof battery powered and one fixed on domestic battery supply, it does happen!
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www.H4Marine.com
www.sailonline.org www.sailport.se
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RIMCO
regular
Reged: 03/01/2007
Posts: 261
Loc: Stavanger/- Oslo, Norway
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Have I missed something ?
- having batteries, back up and redundancy does not do much good should the GPS sats. be taken down.
Was not that the point of the post as well ?
I remember accidentally cutting thru my antenna cable one season ... the chartplotter was bl..dy useless, although I did manage to use the chart by scrolling the cursor in keeping with my (supposed) route to pick out shoals and upcoming nav. points, etc.
- but it was nigh on impossible
Next day I went out and got a set of charts
Like when the TV is on the blink ... I always have a book to read ;-))
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osp
regular
Reged: 30/12/2004
Posts: 171
Loc: Solent
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I don't have any electronic ones !
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RestlessL
regular
Reged: 06/04/2007
Posts: 358
Loc: Solent
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Although my primary navigation tool is the chartplotter, I will invariably have the chart open on the chart table. For unfamiliar waters I will also have a paper copy of the route, with waypoints, distances, bearings etc to hand.
I also usually have the laptop on top of the charts, running the RYA/Admiralty charts.
I would dearly love to find a bit of software which would transfer routes between the RYA chartplotter and Garmin BlueChart, with the option to print-out the route. Unfortunately, I have not yet found one.
One problem is making the transition from electronic to manual. I don't take regular fixes, or plot my route on the chart (I let the chartplotter do that for me), so when it fails (and I have had it drop reception just on the approach to waypoints) it can take a little time to find and plot the position unless you are constantly identifying features to take bearings from.
John
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Chris_E
regular
Reged: 13/11/2003
Posts: 4686
Loc: Lymington
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If the GPS sats were taken down, I suspect that all that would happen it that we wouldn't know precisely where we were, just like old times...
Then, we'd be back to mk1 eyeball, compass and depthsounder to find our way in.
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It ain't necessarily so.
Botton Village
Citizens Advice Bureau
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Morgana
regular
Reged: 28/08/2003
Posts: 12448
Loc: East Coast
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And some plotters will resort to DR nowadays anyway......
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Bored?.... why not read my blog .... its the developing story of the trials and tribulations of boat ownership!
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RestlessL
regular
Reged: 06/04/2007
Posts: 358
Loc: Solent
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Quote:
Then, we'd be back to mk1 eyeball, compass and depthsounder to find our way in.
The last equipment failure I had was the depthsounder - low water springs, entering an unfamilar marina, with an estimated 10cm below the keel !.
I almost had to use the lead line !
John
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