Passage making - no fun now we've all got GPS

dylanwinter

dylanwinter

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www.keepturningleft.co.uk
I have just finished editing a a film about the Andy Seedhouse brokerage at Woodbridge.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbMpODjvomo

In his cavern of sailing paraphenalia I spotted - in the film rather than at the time - one of those raygun things for working out a bearing on a radio beacon.

I had one of those - I thought.

I suddenly realised that passage making is no where near as much fun (nor as stressful) as it used to be. I had completely lost the thrill of scanning the horizon in the place where I hoped a bouy will soon be appearing and suddenly seeing it slowly rise out of the horizon.

It really impressed the crew. And I confess I really really impressed myself.

Navigation on the slug is now reduced to doggedly aligning the boat with an arrow on a £50 GPS.

Now any knuckle dragging drone can navigate.

No crew to impress these days either.

Bumma
 
My Dad gave me his old Sextant recently, so I am looking forward to a course on it's use.

I think maintaining basic navigational skills is still fun and really satisfying when it turns out right.

Best of all, when the electronics go down there is no panick..;)
 
electronics go down - they won't

activesail said:
My Dad gave me his old Sextant recently, so I am looking forward to a course on it's use.

I think maintaining basic navigational skills is still fun and really satisfying when it turns out right.

Best of all, when the electronics go down there is no panick..;)
Click to expand...

I have two identical £50 GPS devices that are powered by AA batteries

its far more likely that my heart will stop or heaven will fall in than two solid state GPS devices go down at once.

I always know more or less where I am - unless I hit the rocks at Cromer and I will be sailing around the Wash this winter so I will have to brush up my navigational skills a bit

Dylan
 
dylanwinter said:
Navigation on the slug is now reduced to doggedly aligning the boat with an arrow on a £50 GPS.

Now any knuckle dragging drone can navigate.

No crew to impress these days either.

Bumma
Click to expand...

I'm with you on this. I think pilotage is even less fun if you do it the modern way. We used to have lists of transits, courses to steer, places to turn, critical depths - now it's just a video game on the chartplotter, with satellite pictures just in case "adventure", "excitement" and "discovery" look unpleasantly likely to occur.

I am happy to use the GPS for finding my position, but I still lay out my courses on proper full size admiralty charts and I will not have a chartplotter - accursed devices - on board.
 
I enjoyed the video, thanks. Everytime we are in Woodbridge I love looking at his yard, and am always amused by the Segull Century with the enormous propellor ot front.

I have often wondered if the engine would actually manage to turn that thing if you mounted on a boat.??
 
Ubergeekian said:
I'm with you on this. I think pilotage is even less fun if you do it the modern way. We used to have lists of transits, courses to steer, places to turn, critical depths - now it's just a video game on the chartplotter, with satellite pictures just in case "adventure", "excitement" and "discovery" look unpleasantly likely to occur.

I am happy to use the GPS for finding my position, but I still lay out my courses on proper full size admiralty charts and I will not have a chartplotter - accursed devices - on board.
Click to expand...

Well, if you want exciting navigation in an area where GPS won't help (much), I recommend Antarctica. The maps are at best good to 100m, the bathymetry is scarce to non-existent, and there are moveable hazards in the form of icebergs and sea-ice.

There are several rocks named after survey vessels, and one called "Fullastern Rock"! The ones named after survey vessels may well have red paint on them :)

How about Keep Turning Left around Antarctica? I am sure the Slug would make it across the Drake Passage!
 
Accursed devices

Ubergeekian said:
II am happy to use the GPS for finding my position, but I still lay out my courses on proper full size admiralty charts and I will not have a chartplotter - accursed devices - on board.
Click to expand...
I used to think like that too. I now have a plotter, hooked up to an AIS unit. However, I always use paper charts on every passage. I work out CTS using pencil triangles, tidal diamonds or tidal atlas and plot a GPS position every hour. I'll often not bother with the plotter, but come the time when I'm in the cockpit and just want a quick glance at the situation around me it's great.
Just need to be sensible with it and not allow the crew (or yourself) to become dependant. I seem to have reached a happy accomodation with mine.
 
Ubergeekian said:
I'm with you on this. I think pilotage is even less fun if you do it the modern way. We used to have lists of transits, courses to steer, places to turn, critical depths - now it's just a video game on the chartplotter, with satellite pictures just in case "adventure", "excitement" and "discovery" look unpleasantly likely to occur.

I am happy to use the GPS for finding my position, but I still lay out my courses on proper full size admiralty charts and I will not have a chartplotter - accursed devices - on board.
Click to expand...
It rather depends what you define as 'Fun' ...
it reads that you consider adventure, excitement and discovery to be hitting rocks and/or grounding ... not much problem in a small vessel (I was once shouted at for taking a short cut - 'it's too shallow there' .... 'no problem' says I, 'if we hit the bottom I'll get out and push!' ... but I wouldn't want to be doing that in our current vessel.

Chartplotters are superb aids to navigation ... but, a few years ago I was asked for a course to steer after we'd just raised anchor - 'just head east' says I ... 'no, I want a course to steer' ... '090 then' ... after 5 minutes the chart plotter (laptop) was up and running a visable from one side of the cockpit - but we could see where we were going (in the dark) ...
Where the chart plotter has come in very handy, twice - was in the dark - once going up an unlit channel in the harbour - no moon - it just confirmed we were on the right course and the other time was entering Cherbourg for the first time after a long crossing - made my life MUCH easier.

Oh - I have 2 chartplotters onboard now ... plus a laptop and yeoman... can never have too much Nav you know ... might get lost! ;)
 
when i was in the merchant navy "as a lad" I used to fantasize about what I would do if all aboard were stricken with ailments rendering them unconscious... not dead (generous even in fantasy)... the result was that being an engineer I would keep the plant running and being in the Atlantic at the time steer west until I could smell beefburgers proving an immanent land fall in the states at which time I would ask a copper for directions... seemed simple enough at the time... good job i was an engineer really.
 
smeaks said:
when i was in the merchant navy "as a lad" I used to fantasize about what I would do if all aboard were stricken with ailments rendering them unconscious... not dead (generous even in fantasy)... the result was that being an engineer I would keep the plant running and being in the Atlantic at the time steer west until I could smell beefburgers proving an immanent land fall in the states at which time I would ask a copper for directions... seemed simple enough at the time... good job i was an engineer really.
Click to expand...

It is said that whilst beating down channel, Blondie Hasler once stuck his head out the companionway, sniffed and said "Bad drains and cheap perfume. Must be Cherbourg. Ready about."
 
One of my early trips in the 90s without a GPS a RDF set gave us a constant position 15 nm out, just about dead in between Alderney and Cherbourg. Poor visibility and the tide turning before we could make Alderney. we did squeak in but never again. In fact had we stuck to Dead Reckoning we would have been fine. These days I'm afraid I wouldn't do it without a GPS,(Unless it was just for the challenge) it would be like to trying to do it without a compass.
 
I'm with Uber on this one, a GPS and paper charts. Talking of smells and modern navigation aids. Outward bound for the Med: late last June about 60 miles West of Finisterre ( I'm single handed so always use the 'Outside Route') I got this for two days...
lacorunacopy039.jpg


Followed by 36 hours of this..no radar, no AIS (not complaining...my choice..)
lacorunacopy024.jpg


Gradually the thump of a big diesel and the most awful smell of fish. I put my engine just to tick-over, it's old and noisey...and listened. Suddenly I was in an area of discoloured water and realised that I was astern of a big trawler who was almost certainly cleaning a catch and I was in the discharge from the gutting process.

It's called navigation by smell.. Good old Blondie, he knew what he was talking about..:D..:D
 
Enjoyed watching the video, Dylan, as always. We were there first week of June and had a good look round - a lovely place & full of character. SWMBO stumbled upon a Folkboat on brokerage there and was over it like a rash :o (her Dad built one).

...GPS and chartplotters - wonderful things. I can even use a pencil too :rolleyes: ;) :)
 
dylanwinter said:
I have two identical £50 GPS devices that are powered by AA batteries

its far more likely that my heart will stop or heaven will fall in than two solid state GPS devices go down at once.

Dylan
Click to expand...

GPS sats. go offline on command ,the yanks can switch it off, they have done so before. Gulf war runup I think. There was mass PANIC on the transatlantic net that morning.

I am totally gobsmacked by the number of cruisers I meet who rely entirely on GPS [ OK I suppose with a backup ] and a plotter [ not OK IMHO ]. I think paper charts are essential but lots are tootling around without them.

BTW Dylan this is my second stab at being a liveaboard and on my first the boat came with a handheld RDF and it was very satisfying to produce a cocked hat and say well we are in there somewhere. But as I asked around for one the second time I was told all the beacons are switched off GPS wins again!
 
I will take the risk

TQA said:
I am totally gobsmacked by the number of cruisers I meet who rely entirely on GPS [ OK I suppose with a backup ] and a plotter [ not OK IMHO ]. I think paper charts are essential but lots are tootling around without them.

!
Click to expand...

two gps devices - a chart - sometimes largish scale - and large use of a 2006 almanac

yours

the gobsmacker
 
What are you on?

That sea is as challenging as ever. Can you really afford to coast up and down the channel on the tides in the vague hope of recognising the mist obscured shore? Or believe that you are surely being crabbed to your destination? You are mad. Adlard Coles had the time, thank heaven for the diesel engine and Michael Fookes (died 1990) tide tables and GPS.




dylanwinter said:
I have just finished editing a a film about the Andy Seedhouse brokerage at Woodbridge.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbMpODjvomo

In his cavern of sailing paraphenalia I spotted - in the film rather than at the time - one of those raygun things for working out a bearing on a radio beacon.

I had one of those - I thought.

I suddenly realised that passage making is no where near as much fun (nor as stressful) as it used to be. I had completely lost the thrill of scanning the horizon in the place where I hoped a bouy will soon be appearing and suddenly seeing it slowly rise out of the horizon.

It really impressed the crew. And I confess I really really impressed myself.

Navigation on the slug is now reduced to doggedly aligning the boat with an arrow on a £50 GPS.

Now any knuckle dragging drone can navigate.

No crew to impress these days either.

Bumma
Click to expand...
 
dylanwinter said:
I suddenly realised that passage making is no where near as much fun (nor as stressful) as it used to be. I had completely lost the thrill of scanning the horizon in the place where I hoped a bouy will soon be appearing and suddenly seeing it slowly rise out of the horizon.
Click to expand...

No-one's forced you to buy one - or even to turn it on.

I go sailing to relax, life's been exciting enough recently - no need to add to it.

At sea: boring is good - exciting is bad.
 
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