Visual position fixing.. toys or good old mk1 eyeball?

dalex

dalex

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What do you folk prefer to use to see other vessels, lights, marks etc? Happy enough with His standard fit or do you use night vision goggles, binos with integral compasses, range-finding and bearing-taking monoculars, or other telescopes?
 
I coiuld have sworn I didn't post this, then noticed the one letter difference.

Personally, eyes and if things are a bit blurry, radar.
 
Definitely no relation!

Anyhow, I'm pondering my experience of coast hopping, and whilst radar is excellent and unbeatable in the right conditions for range, it really isn't that good for bearing. Fine if theres more than one thing to take a range off of, but this doesn't work well for marks. These all merge into the same sort of indescriminate oddly-shaped block on my humble unit. If the conditions deteriorate, with rain and lumps, then the jumble of clutter on the returns take experience to sort the wood out from the pot markers. My trusty and long suffering crew seem to rely on my say-so when it comes to electronic aids, but i'd like them to get more involved. I personally use a pair of 7x50 binos, but find the compass a bit hit and miss. (should have gone to steinsavers I here you say). I do like my old fashioned seafix but it isn't trendy at all!
 
/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif You wanted to know how I see othe boats and do I use there lights etc. No, the radar tells me where they are and how far, if I'm that interested at all.

There is no substitute to gps and chart plotter for knowing where you are, especially some where new. One tower or hill looks very much like another and are easily mistaken, as happened many times in olden days, when they had a cast of thousands as look outs. These days it tends to be one man and his dog. Chief helmsman, navigator, look out, cook and bottle washer.

Any sort of eye ball is a waste of time in thick fog or when the sea is to rough to see much about where your heading. But with good radar, GPS, chart plotter, better still with a good auto pilot behind it. Even going right into Falmouth harbour becomes possible, as I did the other week. Blind.
 
I carry up-to-date paper charts for the area I intend cruising in, and the current almanac. I have a plotter I lost a bit of confidence in, and quite an old etch-a-sketch radar set, but for the trips I have completed to date, this set up has been adequate - you may say overkill.
I'm not in a position to swap out my current kit, so have to make the best of what I have. If this can be augmented in any way, then I'm interested.

I'm convinced by all you say. No problems with any of that.
The confidence you exude regarding your set-up is inspiring, and is encouraging me to want to try more challenging conditions.

That said, I am a bit wary that if pushed, I may not be 100% able to rely on what I have. That worries me but keeps me keen to explore what else I can do to improve my safety and that of my crew.
Perhaps I should direct my attentions to getting a radar set-up using todays technology and reliability, and ditch that aged and unreliable plotter - finances permitting.
I make no secret of the fact that I also like toys!
 
My set up was on the boat when I bought it seven years ago. Not sure how much older than that it is. But probably Rathions best for the time.

Hey. No one sets out in crap, just one day every now and then, you find yer self in it. First time it happend to me, I went out and bought radar and GPS as the deca said I was in Birmingham. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

One day you will be going on a gentle cruise, as we were the other week Helford to Falmouth. About 5 miles. We set off at about 20 knots. A bit of mist ahead that we expected to stay the same distance. Next minute we were in it. Could not see a thing. First thing I saw again was passing the docks in Falmouth, maybe about 30 yds away. But then we were inland by then so became much clearer than the sea mist where vis was nearly nothing.

So it's nothing to do with how cleaver you are, or adventurous. It will happen to every one eventually. You only have to go half a mile out, to get completly lost.
 
If its clear then chart plotter for position and eyes for collision avoidance. If its foggy then plotter for position and radar for collision avoidance. For spying on other boats with topless sunbathers I use the binos.
 
Thanks for all the replies folkes. It occurs to me that the collective faith in the electronics is pretty strong. I also understand Powerskipper in that knowledge of where you are, and how to get where you need to be, by visual ref alone is the taught way to do things. I had a trip back from Oostende where we were without radar, and the fog dropped. Our way up from Black deep to Harwich was to run for the shallows and follow a depth contour, whilst straining all eyes and ears for large, slow-turning propellors and the thrum-thrum that seems to sound much nearer than it actually is...
Once again, thanks all.
 
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