john_morris_uk
Well-known member
I was conducting a YM exam recently and asked the candidate to take the boat up a creek until there was 0.5m under the keel. I also asked him to calculate where he thought this would be. (Secondary calculation necessary followed by some tricky pilotage) It was a big spring tide and we were half flood, so no problem about hitting the mud. He put his finger on the chart at what looked to be about the right place so off we go.
All went reasonably well (except for the rain and mist and the candidate wearing glasses that fogged up with nerves and the precipitation, but I forgave him his nerves etc)
Anyway, we get up to the point that he had calulated and the echosounder still shows loads of water. We were a bit later than he had calculated so I suggested we go a bit further. Shortly afterwards we went aground and noticed that the echo-sounder had reset itself to reading feet and not metres.
Doh!
Not sure who was more embarressed!
All went reasonably well (except for the rain and mist and the candidate wearing glasses that fogged up with nerves and the precipitation, but I forgave him his nerves etc)
Anyway, we get up to the point that he had calulated and the echosounder still shows loads of water. We were a bit later than he had calculated so I suggested we go a bit further. Shortly afterwards we went aground and noticed that the echo-sounder had reset itself to reading feet and not metres.
Doh!
Not sure who was more embarressed!