PRH
Member
I just got my old Raytheon chartplotter back after 3 weeks in for repair so I took it to the boat thinking I would get it fitted in an hour. When I got onboard the cabin temperature was 30 degrees! so I opened all the windows and started fitting the said unit.
It was upside down whilst I fitted it in the panel I had just removed when I noticed something falling and went to catch it but it caught the back of my hand...you can imagine my surprise, shock and frustration as I recognised my newly purchased C-Map cartridge of the Solent going through the open window and into the empty berth next door!
What was I to do, I had just paid good money for the cartridge, not an exorbitant amount but you can't get them anymore.
Only thing for it, on with the trunks, out with the mask and fins and off I go, swimming in Portsmouth harbour. It was an hour or so after low water, thank goodness. First dive, water was quite warm, depth about 3 meters, visibility 2 feet, thick mud at the bottom, nothing found. Something had already stirred up the mud as I had approached, scary.
OK, go to the pointy end, swim around for a while whilst imagining that now memorable trajectory. Dive down, find the bottom, don’t disturb the mud, swim north.
Do you remember the pictures from ‘Titanic’ when they went along the disturbed bottom and out of the gloom comes a piece of china? Well, mine was similar, though not quite as deep, but out of the gloom came a C-Map cartridge, yipee.
Brought it back up to the bathing platform and let it take a shower with me. I have since cleaned some more in fresh water and left it in the sun for 5 minutes to help to fry it. Left it upright in the 30 degree heat to dry some more.
Only two remaining questions left really. 1. Will it work when I plug it in? 2. Will I live long enough to see it working having swam in Portsmouth harbour, yuk.
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It was upside down whilst I fitted it in the panel I had just removed when I noticed something falling and went to catch it but it caught the back of my hand...you can imagine my surprise, shock and frustration as I recognised my newly purchased C-Map cartridge of the Solent going through the open window and into the empty berth next door!
What was I to do, I had just paid good money for the cartridge, not an exorbitant amount but you can't get them anymore.
Only thing for it, on with the trunks, out with the mask and fins and off I go, swimming in Portsmouth harbour. It was an hour or so after low water, thank goodness. First dive, water was quite warm, depth about 3 meters, visibility 2 feet, thick mud at the bottom, nothing found. Something had already stirred up the mud as I had approached, scary.
OK, go to the pointy end, swim around for a while whilst imagining that now memorable trajectory. Dive down, find the bottom, don’t disturb the mud, swim north.
Do you remember the pictures from ‘Titanic’ when they went along the disturbed bottom and out of the gloom comes a piece of china? Well, mine was similar, though not quite as deep, but out of the gloom came a C-Map cartridge, yipee.
Brought it back up to the bathing platform and let it take a shower with me. I have since cleaned some more in fresh water and left it in the sun for 5 minutes to help to fry it. Left it upright in the 30 degree heat to dry some more.
Only two remaining questions left really. 1. Will it work when I plug it in? 2. Will I live long enough to see it working having swam in Portsmouth harbour, yuk.
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