Position Fallback Solution

Danny_Labrador

Danny_Labrador

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I can’t make my mind up.
You have to put yourself in my position – I charter, perhaps twice a year, normally Mediterranean – I don’t have a boat.

Normally the Yacht comes with a chartplotter and I take paper charts with me. I normally transfer my position to the chart every hour or so.

I want to make sure I have a backup solution in the event that the plotter (of unknown reliability) goes down.

Do I buy a hand held GPS OR/ charting software and a GPS USB thingy for my laptop ?

Any suggestions?
 
how likely is it that you will be able to provide continuous power? Have the charter boats all had inverters, or 12v supplies with suitable plugs.

How long will the hand held battery last, and does it have a 12v connection?
 
Isn't a laptop solution more fun though? (I have a birthday comming up and I was going to show this thread to SWMBO) /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
Wan't to have another go? - I can edit!
 
Why on earth do peeps feel they have to keep a portable ( or any other style ) GPS running all the time? 99% of that running time, no-one is looking at or using it, so why run down the batteries?

Are peeps really so desperately insecure on their boats? Do they also keep a bunk-side light on all night, so they'll see the 'ghosties and ghoulies' creeping about?

What's wrong with switching it on when you want a fix, then switching it back off again......?

Go, tell me that one cannot possibly sail a boat anywhere anymore without ALL the electronic gizmos whirring and clicking away!


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Most have inverters.

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Out of interest, where was that? We chartered over 60 different boats in E and W Med, Caribbean, Bahamas, Seychelles etc etc. Never had a yacht with an inverter.

To answer the question though, a HH GPS and some spare batteries will do - do you really want to take a laptop on holiday?
 
[ QUOTE ]
Go, tell me that one cannot possibly sail a boat anywhere anymore without ALL the electronic gizmos whirring and clicking away!


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Oh careful now Mr Baggins! you is getting into my territory here, and it's a long way from middle earth. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

You will gettin' some right earole, if you should suggest that yotties should try playing without their toys! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Have found inverters on yachts - this year Italy and last year Italy and also once in Spain. We tend to try find the smaller out of the way companies and thinking about it I guess that these boats are owner operated or hired to the main charter company - that might be why?

They are only tiny little things sure you haven't missed them ?
 
Ah, I am now on message.

You need a new laptop, needs to be an ultra-portable - Philips do a X63 or somesuch no., which weighs in a couple of pounds or so. Load up with MaxSea (£3/400) and appropriate charts (CMap or MapMedia possibly) another £2/300. Now you are ready for anything. Dont worry about ships batteries - the ultra-portable lasts about 6 or 7 hrs and you can hibernate between fixes....

No need to edit, just show this to SWMBO and your birthday box will be full. With this list, the rest of hte family and friends will all be able to stop wondering what to get you.

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In tidal waters, with bad visibility a risk, and offshore hazards, it may make sense to have a GPS.

In non-tidal waters, where visibility rarely goes below 5nm, and where off lying hazards are rare, paper charts are all you need. That's the Mediterranean

Of course, there was an era when paper, compass and log were the only aids available. And people piloted their way around the Channel islands and the adjacent Brittany coasts. Sounds like a good primary system for the Med - ignore GPS, you don't need it.
 
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I guess that these boats are owner operated or hired to the main charter company - that might be why?
They are only tiny little things sure you haven't missed them ?

[/ QUOTE ]

Ah yes, that makes sense. Certainly didn't miss them, the medium/large companies definitely didn't have them. However, once saw a privately owned 45 foot charter yacht that had 'everything' - including hairdryer, microwave etc etc but no electric anchor winch! It pays to check the inventory, the charterers were spitting blood.
 
He!He!He!


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I was thinking about a friend, who 'sold up 'n sailed', and who loaded his boat up with every electronic thingy he could find - in duplicate or worse! For example, he had no less than 4 marine radios of differing flavour, 3 GPS kits, 2 sat phones - and 3 or 4 different charting systems. He also had 3 different ways of displaying his e-charts....

He was so loaded up with cwts ( remember them? ) of Beaulieu Jumble stuff, cartloads of LIBS 'must haves', oddments by the dozen from eBay, and a complete roving car-boot Maplins Store that he was 3 inches down on his boot-topping with the weight of spares....

His young and lovely wife tells me - when no-one else is listening - that he spends most of his waking hours fixing things on board that no-one else seems to need. And he mumbles in his sleep about 'thermistor this, and capacitance that'.....

But he's a happy little mite!

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