Poll - Chart plotter failure and backup

[JohnGC]

It is often said, that having paper charts as a backup to electronic forms is essential. The reasoning is that, in the event of an electronics or power failure, paper charts continue to function. And, unless they get wet, blow away or the cabin boy eats them, that can’t be argued with. It’s a practice I subscribe to and am not planning to change. But I have up to three independent plotters on board. A Windows Netbook with a 10” screen is my main device. I also have a 10.4” Android tablet and the same plotter and charts on my Android 5” phone. Each has a separate GPS receiver and its own battery.


But, I’m curious to know how many failures of chart plotters there have been among our brethren. So a little straw poll……..


I’m defining “failure” as a problem which resulted in a loss of position display on the chart for 1 hour or more, or long enough to be worrying. But please exclude loss of GPS signal if the GPS receiver is not incorporated into the plotter; IE the GPS receiver was still working but unable to fix position.

 

[PhillM]

Chose I don't have ... but in reality I do. I just don't consider them as my main source of navigation. I always use the chart. Then use a hh gps to check my calculations. If in doubt, check the chart first.

 

[Champagne Murphy]

Failed SLOWLY and we had paper! So plenty of time to rush to the swindlery for another

 

[GHA]

Do tablets/computers count? Not had a failure yet , well not that wasn't caused by programming it to do new stuff badly or badly setup hardware.

No mention of passage plan? Wouldn't that be first thing to make sure you were following before looking at paper? Or do we not really bother with those anymore being so used to chart plotters..?

 

[RestlessL]

I have had to restore the chart plotter software (using a Garmin update card). I carry both the latest update cards and chart cards to ensure I can do this.

I also have had my iPad fail, but did not at the time have a full backup on my PC so recovering used up a full month's data allowance.

 

[Uricanejack]

I don't have any or a plotter. So I don't have any statistically significant impute to add

 

[Uricanejack]

Do tablets/computers count? Not had a failure yet , well not that wasn't caused by programming it to do new stuff badly or badly setup hardware.

No mention of passage plan? Wouldn't that be first thing to make sure you were following before looking at paper? Or do we not really bother with those anymore being so used to chart plotters..?

The question wasn't about the passage plan.
If it had been included it would depended on how you prepared your passage plan and if it was on paper, plotter, note book, or just in your head.
I often go out sailing with just a plan in my head, which may vary with the wind. Without even looking at a chart. Based on local knowledge.
If I go further afield, I use charts and books to make a plan. May plan being more about where the hazards are and where I cant go rather than a line on a chart or a plotter.

 

[GHA]

The question wasn't about the passage plan.

And the question in reply was should that have been an option in the poll? Plotter failed but the passage plan in place meant no great drama..

 

[adwuk]

My plotter has never failed, but I also have a second plotter, a laptop, my own navigator device, a hand held GPS and paper charts. The latter are only ever used for planning.

 

[PeterR]

I have had loss of position information on several occasions but I am not sure if they fit into your definitions of plotter failure although the impact was just the same.

The first was many years ago in mid channel approaching Plymouth when the plotter suddenly started to show us doing 15 knots across the top of Dartmoor. It carried on doing that for about 3 hours before resorting to the truth. Never had any further problem with the kit. Probable reason was the RN playing silly Bs with their jamming kit or possibly sunspots. No amount of backup GPS sets would have helped on that occasion.

Second time was on a round Britain cruise when we found a large section of the chart of the southern Irish coast from Cork to Dublin had only system information i.e. just a rough outline of the coast and just dots at sea, It turned out to be a problem with the latest edition of the Navionics UK chart that the locals had long since recognised but came as something of a shock to an East Coast sailor when we sailed off the edge of the chart. I had checked all the corners of the UK to make sure they were present. It never occurred to me to check every mile of the coastline.

The third time, or more accurately series of times, was when I had had a boat for about 7 years. The plotter became very unreliable. Repeatedly losing fix and being very slow to reaquire one and sometimes failing to get one at all. That turned out to be the memory battery in the external Raymarine antennae. The dealers told me I needed a new antennae. The solution was a good deal cheaper. Just a new CR 2032 battery in the antennae.

On all these occasions I had paper charts for passage planning and just reverted to old fashioned methods of navigation.

 

[Uricanejack]

And the question in reply was should that have been an option in the poll? Plotter failed but the passage plan in place meant no great drama..

A good sensible point, I missed in the earlier reply

 

[lw395]

I ticked 'my plotter has failed' but it wasn't my boat.
Pretty much just a case of using the pilotage info and chart extracts in the Almanac.
We did have a HH GPS and paper charts.

 

[[70521]]

My primary aid to navigation is paper, the plotter is used as a backup and to record the voyage so I can look at the data in the comfort of my own home.

 

[johnalison]

I have had the odd hiccup, but not had to resort to paper navigation, so recorded no failure. I am aware of the weaknesses of plotters, but as with spouses, I can't imagine living without one.

 

[prv]

Two failures I can remember. One was actually of the engine wiring, resulting in the starter motor spinning continuously, and I turned off all power for a short period while I identified the problem and then disconnected the engine. While investigating, I asked my crew to just keep us going in roughly the same direction without straying into the shallows - he pointed out that with no depth sounder, no view of the surroundings (very dark night) and unable to see the compass (no light) he was finding that difficult. I passed him up my iPhone with Navionics running and he propped that on the binnacle and steered by it until I got the power on again. We had a chart on the table, but it wouldn't have been especially helpful. I suppose the problem wasn't really a plotter failure as such, but the solution was a backup "plotter".

The other failure was the screen on a Raymarine C70, in very thick fog between the Isles Chaussey and St Malo. Overall passage navigation was by paper chart and Yeoman, as it normally is for longer legs, but the plotter was essential as a radar display. Fortunately it recovered with some judicious firm pressing on the display to wiggle the internal contacts, but it was a scary moment. We were well equipped with alternative navigation options (second plotter, two phones with charts on, paper charts with independent GPS and Yeoman, and a further three miscellaneous sources of GPS positions on board) but the radar system was a single point of failure. We've since replaced it.

Pete

 

[Saguday]

Not yet had a plotter failure but at 10 years old we may be on borrowed time. We have a spare plotter, spare GPS, laptop and tablet/phone running navionics and imray charts, plus paper charts which we update regularly on longer passages. I like the 'big picture' view you can get from a paper chart which you can never achieve with any small display screen so always keep them handy underway.

 

[LadyInBed]

Plotter has never failed but also have opencpn on tablet and phone as backup, which I sometimes run in parallel to cp for practice and to check one against the other.
I've got some old charts, but never use them these days.

 

[jwilson]

I have had two failures, on different modern boats, one being plotter and two other GPS receivers all simultaneously losing signal (in Chinese coastal waters) - restarting ten miles further on, another was total electronics failure due to a considerable excess of salt water down below decks deep sea. No problem as charts, sextant, almanac etc on board, and GPS lat/long recorded hourly to give a start point for DR.

 

[LadyInBed]

I once had a total DECCA failure, passed close to a RN Warship and he blatted my position and all my WP's!

 

[TQA]

I am a bit of a dinosaur who uses paper charts and still has a compass course posted by the helm and I manage just fine without a plotter.

My reluctance to use electronic charts is in part related to my chosen cruising ground of the Eastern and Southern Caribbean. Over the years I have taken part in several rescues where people have found themselves on a reef due to trusting the plotter. Some of these groundings led to a total loss. People need to be really cautious about relying on electronic charts in this area especially in Columbia and the San Blas islands.

I listened to fellow dinosaur Don Street talking on this topic in Antigua shortly after arriving in the Caribbean and took on board his advice [ commandments really ] on reef navigation and reading the water.

I do have and use a simple GPS and I carry a backup. But anytime out of sight of land or at night the GPS position gets transferred to paper as a series of crosses.