What do you use for normal day to day navigation?

What do you use for normal day to day navigation?

  • Nothing usually, I know these waters like the back of my hand

    Votes: 36 21.2%

  • Paper and pencil, 3 point fixes, the old ways are the best ways

    Votes: 6 3.5%

  • Paper and pencil with a GPS to check

    Votes: 33 19.4%

  • Paper and yeoman

    Votes: 4 2.4%

  • Dedicated chart plotter

    Votes: 90 52.9%

  • Laptop running nav software (what's your favorite software?)

    Votes: 14 8.2%

  • Tablet with navionics or similar (which software?)

    Votes: 47 27.6%

  • Mobile phone running navionics or similar

    Votes: 22 12.9%
  • Total voters
    170
G

GHA

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Like most of the time, no special crazy weather or fog, just another day on the water...

I'm guessing dedicated plotters will be well up the list but navionics etc on a tablet will feature highly as well.

So what do you use mostly, and what ya reckon the results will be?

If you think there are missing options, tough, only a bit fun :)
 
My new set up is going to be a fixed computer with monitor inside the cabin at the chart table, independant gps and tablet in the cockpit that will run splashtop so I can control music/navigation/googling ports I pass.
 
monkfish24 said:
My new set up is going to be a fixed computer with monitor inside the cabin at the chart table, independant gps and tablet in the cockpit that will run splashtop so I can control music/navigation/googling ports I pass.
Click to expand...
That's exactly what I have but gps & data on the tablet over wifi, Raspberry Pi is the boy for you :cool:
 
Paper chart for planning and re-familiarisation, chart plotter at helm for monitoring and tablet down below for backup.
 
GHA said:
That's exactly what I have but gps & data on the tablet over wifi, Raspberry Pi is the boy for you :cool:
Click to expand...

I do have a pi set up with OpenCPN. It has ais overlay as well. I was then given a redundant marine computer which is more powerful and has a lot more connections so I opted for that. The pi may become a back up though.
 
In familiar waters, mostly eyeball and local knowledge, with the cockpit plotter running in the background - it's not at all necessary, but a projected track line and a view of the contours can add a little useful situational awareness even in an area I know well. In the last couple of years I have stopped bothering to get out a chart in and around the Solent.

Overview of an area I don't know especially well, or planning tomorrow's passage - paper chart, with dividers to pick off distances.

"Offshore" (for example, cross-Channel or say Studland to Brixham) - paper chart and yeoman. Though nowadays I'd tend to leave the cockpit plotter running as well, no reason not to.

Inshore - plotter. Though in unfamiliar waters I'd have the correct chart on the table and indexed to the yeoman as well; it is still useful to have the alternative view sometimes.

Future planning (at home, so the charts and plotter on the boat aren't available) - the Admiralty channel chart on my study wall, Google Maps, the Navionics web app, Visit My Harbour, and sometimes the Imray chart app on my iPad.

Pete
 
prv said:
In familiar waters, mostly eyeball and local knowledge, with the cockpit plotter running in the background - it's not at all necessary, but a projected track line and a view of the contours can add a little useful situational awareness even in an area I know well. In the last couple of years I have stopped bothering to get out a chart in and around the Solent.

Overview of an area I don't know especially well, or planning tomorrow's passage - paper chart, with dividers to pick off distances.

"Offshore" (for example, cross-Channel or say Studland to Brixham) - paper chart and yeoman. Though nowadays I'd tend to leave the cockpit plotter running as well, no reason not to.

Inshore - plotter. Though in unfamiliar waters I'd have the correct chart on the table and indexed to the yeoman as well; it is still useful to have the alternative view sometimes.

Future planning (at home, so the charts and plotter on the boat aren't available) - the Admiralty channel chart on my study wall, Google Maps, the Navionics web app, Visit My Harbour, and sometimes the Imray chart app on my iPad.

Pete
Click to expand...

That is so near to what i do ---Apart from the fact that I sail on the Thames estuary & cross the channel from there & I have a different app to navionics. My charts lay on my study desk not the wall. My plotter also runs my AIS overlay
But I love my Yeoman
 
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I ticked the bottom three options:

In the cockpit, a tablet PC (running Windows) with OpenCPN and CM93 + current Spanish official charts. We use this for passages, AIS, autopilot steering to track, etc. It was £100 off eBay UK because it came with a Spanish keyboard layout (which we never even attach to it anymore).

Also in the cockpit, my ancient iPhone 4S with Navionics. We use this when anchoring, because the official charts lack detail and Navionics Sonarcharts are great, at least in this frequently cruised area. Also the Google Maps overlay so we can see where the sandy patches are (anchoring in grass can result in a telling off and being asked to move or even a hefty fine). Navionics can't do AIS though.

Down below, a Thinkpad also running OpenCPN with just CM93. This is the backup and does a few other jobs as well. It was around £120 off eBay (you don't need a 2018 model for this job - several years old is fine).

For planning I either use the above tablet, or my 2012 MacBook Pro with OpenCPN and CM93 + current Spanish official charts (the o-charts license allows use of one purchase on two computers). This goes in a waterproof bag when underway, because I can't afford to break it.

I have blogged about our setup before, although it has evolved slightly since then: https://sdfjkl.org/blog/2017-09-12-opencpn-in-practice/
 
prv said:
In familiar waters, mostly eyeball and local knowledge, with the cockpit plotter running in the background -. . .

Overview of an area I don't know especially well, or planning tomorrow's passage - paper chart, with dividers to pick off distances.

"Offshore" (for example, cross-Channel or say Studland to Brixham) - paper chart . . . Though nowadays I'd tend to leave the cockpit plotter running as well, no reason not to.

Inshore - plotter. Though in unfamiliar waters I'd have the correct chart on the table . . . ; it is still useful to have the alternative view sometimes.
Click to expand...

That's pretty much my approach
 
MK1 eyeball and echo sounder in home waters.

The above, plus paper charts (leisure portfolios), pilot books, and OpenCPN running on an old Toshiba notebook with VMH charts when away cruising. OpenCPN also displays other vessels’ AIS info from the DSC radio.
 
Mk 1 Eyeball, but the chart's out ready should I need it. I've also got Navionics on a Hudl and my phone, though I often don't bother with them in the Solent. and a standalone GPS that I use to set a course to a waypoint if I can't see my destination.

In unfamiliar waters, I'll set up waypoints in advance and study the chart so I've got a rough idea what's going on, and I'll probably make more use of the plotter apps
 
Primary aid to navigation is the paper chart. There is a chart plotter at the wheel but that is used to collect data. When I link the sensors to it, wind and water then it will display that.

I also enjoy taking three point fixes and using a sextant and seeing how close we are to the GPS fix; so not a complete Luddite.
 
I have just installed a dedicated chart plotter at the helm and it is always on when we are moving. In home waters it isn't really used but is there putting one track on top of the previous. I use the navonics on my phone for planning although we have another chart plotter at the nav station. Rarely get the paper charts out but then we know most of the waters we sail in pretty well.
 
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