eastcoastbernie
regular
Reged: 28/07/2006
Posts: 778
Loc: Me: Cambs Boat: SYH Levington
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It amuses me how people reckon smugly they have every option covered. All you can do is make sensible provision and hope it is enough.
I have paper charts and no hard-wired navigation instruments. I can tell where I am using traditional methods of eyeball, handbearing compass, depth. My handheld gps works off batteries which give several hours' life. I carry a load of spare batteries. My handheld plotter works when plugged into the 12v, or off rechargeable batteries, or, failing that, off alkaline batteries. I also carry a jump start with me which can be used to charge plotter, or charge vhf or start the engine. I carry basic engine spares including impellor and fan belt.
I regard all these as sensible precautions. But it doesn't mean I ever think nothing could go wrong.
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TigaWave
regular
Reged: 17/12/2004
Posts: 1734
Loc: Buckland Monachorum
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much of the concern seems to be leaning towards the risk of power failure/alternative batteries. In practice it's the electronics that fail more frequently. The handheld water proof back up in the drawer that has hardly been used since new with new batteries, and the fixed gps antenea on the pushpit that suffers wave damage, all the electronics were in the antenea. And then thirdly the older hand held water proof in the chart table as moisture from heavy rain gets in and blanks the screen.
three independant systems to nothing in 2 hours, fortunately I'd printed of the charts from my laptop plotter during the first few hours of the passage.
Back to DR or sextant!
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www.H4Marine.com
www.sailonline.org www.sailport.se
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john_morris_uk
regular
Reged: 03/07/2002
Posts: 3632
Loc: Plymouth UK
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There wasn't a tick box for no plotter and some spare pencils in case my 3B breaks or gets lost. I admit that I don't carry spare charts - just the ones we are using, but there again the batteries have never run out on them either.
On a more serious note, Our electronics (GPS Wind Depth Log Autopilot) all come off the same battery bank. If we had catastrophic battery/electronic failure then we still have a compass, a mechanical (Walker) trailing log to stream, and a hand held compass, with all the relevantr tide tables and the paper charts we were on in the first place. All of these work without battery power and we would have to go back to hand steering. (I don't even carry an 'emergency' or spare handheld GPS. I do carry a sextant and tables as well, which is a bit over the top for the channel...)
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TigaWave
regular
Reged: 17/12/2004
Posts: 1734
Loc: Buckland Monachorum
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On the spare chart front I would usually print off two copies of charts that were needed, one set would stay at the chart table and the other would be in the cockpit in plastic sleeves!
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www.H4Marine.com
www.sailonline.org www.sailport.se
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tiggertoo
regular
Reged: 23/08/2005
Posts: 1264
Loc: UK
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Quote:
I admit that I don't carry spare charts - just the ones we are using, but there again the batteries have never run out on them either.
Are you sure about this John? I bet you have some of those admiralty folios. In a sense this has backup, because you usually get quite a bit of overlap. Even if not at the same scale. 
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john_morris_uk
regular
Reged: 03/07/2002
Posts: 3632
Loc: Plymouth UK
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Whoops I was editing and adding to my post.
I suppose that there is a bit (lot?) of overlap in the charts that we carry, but I started off being a bit tongue in cheek and then decided to be serious.
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“When you discover that you are riding a dead horse,
the best strategy is to dismount.”
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john_morris_uk
regular
Reged: 03/07/2002
Posts: 3632
Loc: Plymouth UK
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Quote:
On the spare chart front I would usually print off two copies of charts that were needed, one set would stay at the chart table and the other would be in the cockpit in plastic sleeves!
We don't usually take charts into the cockpit, but I admit that our chart of the Morbihan is looking a bit ragged. Pilotage there is so fast and furious that we end up taking it up top and having one of us steering and one of with plotter and handbearing compass managing the chart.
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“When you discover that you are riding a dead horse,
the best strategy is to dismount.”
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tiggertoo
regular
Reged: 23/08/2005
Posts: 1264
Loc: UK
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am I the only one resisting the urge of electrifying my navigation? OK, I do have GPS (2), but I actually like the feel of pencil and paper. I get enough VDU at work...
Not a purist really... just stingy perhaps!
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john_morris_uk
regular
Reged: 03/07/2002
Posts: 3632
Loc: Plymouth UK
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Well reading these posts, it seems that there are two of us at least. And I only have one GPS... I don't want to get into a competition as to who has the hairiest shirt, but again on a more serious note, I do get slightly anxious about people who feel the need to have backups for their backups for their electronic aids and instruments.
I know that our instruments are normally of the battery powered type, but as explained we do have backups for total power loss/lightning strike. (I forgot to put lead-line in the list in my previous post)
A paper chart, a chip-log, a compass, with a spanner on a long length of string and some knots in it for depth might get you home quite well if all else fails. You do need to know more or less where you are to start with. You also have to have practiced using a tidal stream atlas and remember the old tricks of 'aiming off' to know which way to turn when you get into soundings.
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“When you discover that you are riding a dead horse,
the best strategy is to dismount.”
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tiggertoo
regular
Reged: 23/08/2005
Posts: 1264
Loc: UK
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No hair shirts at all.. in fact I regard electronic aids and PC as pretty hairy, given the aggro we get with them in my "real life" on land.
I am curious about the "aiming off" bit: what do you mean by this?
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