My wife and I are only coastal cruiser types and I feel CN is necessary for any sea voyage. One would be remiss without an experienced CN certified crewmember. That is an issue of safety, of which there can be no shortage.
Coastal cruisers should be able to plot their location from landmarks, give an approximate fix on their location, just using a
compass and chart. For someone in this catagory CN can be a hobby but not necesaarily a need to know.
It accually depends on the person. Some learn for personal or professional reasons. Some don''t beacause they''ll never use it and some just don''t care.