How often are chart plotters used in home waters?

Like most replies, switched on before cast off and switched off after the boats tied up.

I notice that two people don't switch their VHF on, isn't it a legal requirement that your VHF is left switched on?
 
Trop Cher said:
Like most replies, switched on before cast off and switched off after the boats tied up.
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Sme here


Trop Cher said:
I notice that two people don't switch their VHF on, isn't it a legal requirement that your VHF is left switched on?
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Think so. Its the colregs bit " keeping watch by all available appropriate means" so if you have a vhf it should be turned on. But then I should stick to speed limits shouldnt I?

The SRC alarms drive me potty so the plotter is on but the radio off unless racing.
 
I'd switch the at-the-helm one on just to warm it up: it's supposedly IPX7 waterproof but actually isn't very. If it is not run regularly to dry out the insides the screen steams up when you do turn it on. Besides, it's interesting to see your track after a tack. In familiar waters I don't really use it for navigation.

Others have mentioned VHF - it's one thing I don't turn on normally, along with any sort of music or other noise.
 
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wotayottie said:
Think so. Its the colregs bit " keeping watch by all available appropriate means" so if you have a vhf it should be turned on. But then I should stick to speed limits shouldnt I?
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Taking things a bit far - VHF is not a recognised means of collision detection so can stay off in my book.
 
dylan said:
There is no legal requirement to carry a radio.
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No, but if you do carry one there's a legal requirement to have a station license for it, and I think one of the terms of that license is that you monitor ch16.

Still, as wotayottie says, it's also illegal to do 75mph on an empty motorway :)

Pete
 
prv said:
No, but if you do carry one there's a legal requirement to have a station license for it, and I think one of the terms of that license is that you monitor ch16.

Still, as wotayottie says, it's also illegal to do 75mph on an empty motorway :)

Pete
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Well of course I wouldn't dream of exceeding the speed limit but having spent my entire working life using VHF/HF radios I'm not going to do it while enjoying my retirement on the peace and quiet of my boat.
 
If I feel I need a chart on the chart table then I'll probably turn the plotter on, otherwise it is an unnecessary coulomb muncher. The GPS is usually on to stop the VHF complaining - the VHF is on 'cos it's part of watch keeping and can provide a high degree of entertainment value at times.
 
prv said:
No, but if you do carry one there's a legal requirement to have a station license for it, and I think one of the terms of that license is that you monitor ch16.

Still, as wotayottie says, it's also illegal to do 75mph on an empty motorway :)

Pete
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I don't think there has ever been a legal requirement for leisure sailors to monitor Ch 16. I thought there was also an intention to remove the requirement for commercial vessels to monitor Ch 16 (using DSC instead) but I am not sure if they got round to it.
 
Plotter is on when underway. Not because it's needed, I suppose it is just habit.
I am amazed at the incredibly selfish attitude of those people who have VHF, and leave it switched off. How would they feel if they later found that someone was in some kind of trouble, fairly close to them, but because they chose not to listen, they were unable to respond?
 
NormanS said:
I am amazed at the incredibly selfish attitude of those people who have VHF, and leave it switched off. How would they feel if they later found that someone was in some kind of trouble, fairly close to them, but because they chose not to listen, they were unable to respond?
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Falmouth Coastguard and the Helicopter from Culdrose would be far more useful than me, so for my kind of sailing I don't have a problem with the peace and quiet of no radio.
 
I have to agree 100% with NormanS. Having had to be rescued due to engine failure and also having to take part in a medical emergency rescue, I was mighty glad in both cases that both I and other boats in the vicinity had their VHF radios switched on and were able to respond.
 
Well I turn on my plotter/GPS within the 1st hour of leaving the mooring after clearing all possible navigation marks and the sails are up and drawing - seldom have on the vhf.
But then I'm 1838nm from what could be termed "home waters" and sail single-handed.

VHF is overused (and probably overvalued) in UK waters - rescue due to engine-failure ;-), makes one laugh (or groan) for anyone in a sailboat. Though I have done just that on two occasions.
Both were mobos - the 1st a frenchman outside Chanteryne with his 14 year-old daughter whose main concern was the hell his wife was going to give him for being late for Sunday lunch and the second was a big Fairlane, out for his 1st outing for the season who'd forgotten to turn on the raw water intakes on his twin diesels.

In case anyone is concerned that I might not have experienced "occasions", I've put out one "mayday" when my rudder-blade broke in surf in a narrow-channel, and two Pan-pan, one being a relay.
 
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VHF, Autopilot and plotter on before we get out of the marina, primarily to make sure all are working. But the rags are up we use the plotter to steer her to the wind direction, well you don't want to be pulling strings all day do you.

Good luck and fair winds. :)
 
bedouin said:
I don't think there has ever been a legal requirement for leisure sailors to monitor Ch 16. .
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The legal bit is the requirement to maintain a watch by all available appropriate means, and when I did my SRC instructors bit they insisted this meant radio on at all times under way. But clearly there is no specific law saying it must be switched on, so if something goes tits up and your radio is off, you would be left arguing in court what the colregs meant. You would not get support from the RYA and they are often used as expert witnesses.

Like lots of things Colregs, its awful woolly. Personally I have the damned thing off because I hate noise.
 
wotayottie said:
The legal bit is the requirement to maintain a watch by all available appropriate means, and when I did my SRC instructors bit they insisted this meant radio on at all times under way. But clearly there is no specific law saying it must be switched on, so if something goes tits up and your radio is off, you would be left arguing in court what the colregs meant. You would not get support from the RYA and they are often used as expert witnesses.

Like lots of things Colregs, its awful woolly. Personally I have the damned thing off because I hate noise.
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But since we are explicitly warned not to use VHF for collision avoidance I don't really think we can include that within the meaning of Colregs :)
 
Maydays, Pan-Pans, Securités, Gale warnings and regular forecasts, occasional (very) routeing calls to CG, VTS, calls from mates, ignoring calls from Mod Plod (they have to do better than "white yacht off Coulport"), gunnery warnings, towed array warnings, marina, harbour and canal entrance, learning where whales and b.sharks have been spotted, race messages, etc.. What I don't do is call CG for radio checks and I have been known to express my opinion of those who do.
 
My plotter is on from the time I leave my mooring until I finish a passage. I often travel at night and it is invaluable for coastal navigation. Keeping previous tracks also helps navigation at night and in poor visibility even in familiar waters.

On the subject of VHF. In the past I wasn't bothered about swtching it on as I got fed up with frequent DSC alarms. However having been threatened with arrest for entering a restricted zone due to not hearing coastguard warnings I now always have the VHF on when on passage and sometimes even when in port. I have also been advised that it is adviseable to have the VHF on in case a passing vessel (eg fishing) wishes to communicate.
 
Plotter goes on before I leave the berth and goes off when voyage complete.
Have found on this boat, with plotter at helm I tend to micro navigate which is completely unnecessary and probably counterproductive.
 
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