electronic navigiation equipment needed

[GabrielE]

hi,

im new to the forums but was wondering what electronic equipment for navigation would i need to buy for my sailboat? I am hoping to sail around the world eventually so my question ultimately is what is the minimum in terms of navigation equipment (electronic) would i need to sail around the world? (gps, radar etc.?)

[tdw]

Originally Posted by GabrielE

hi,

im new to the forums but was wondering what electronic equipment for navigation would i need to buy for my sailboat? I am hoping to sail around the world eventually so my question ultimately is what is the minimum in terms of navigation equipment (electronic) would i need to sail around the world? (gps, radar etc.?)

Electronic ? A couple of handheld basic GPS units would suffice. That will give you lat and long which combined with paper charts is all you really need. Presuming you don't want to learn celestial and carry a sextant then the second is merely for when the first one fails.

VHF radio is pretty much an essential these days, though not strictly speaking navigation equipment, while a radar detector/reflector would be wise.

Beyond that its all between you and your bank manager.

[sailingdog]

There is no electronic equipment that is NECESSARY to circumnavigate. People have been circumnavigating for years without any electronics.

• GPS is useful. Having multiple GPS units is good for redundancy. Having a non-electronic navigation resource, like a sextant, is a good idea though.
• VHF radio, preferably with DSC Class D is a good idea as well—particularly when near shore, in coastal waters or dealing with shipping channels.
• SSB, either a receiver or transceiver, is good for getting weather updates and news. A transceiver would allow you to communicate at longer distances than VHF as well as send/receive e-mail if equipped with a Pactor modem.
• AIS, either a receiver or transceiver, is good when dealing with commercial traffic. Be sure that you can disable the transmission if planning to sail near pirate ridden waters.
• RADAR is very useful for low visibility conditions and as a warning system for approaching traffic.
• Satellite phone—also useful for long-distance communications and data. However, data plans are fairly pricey for any significant use.

[Omatako]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

There is no electronic equipment that is NECESSARY to circumnavigate. People have been circumnavigating for years without any electronics.

• GPS is useful. Having multiple GPS units is good for redundancy. Having a non-electronic navigation resource, like a sextant, is a good idea though.
  

However, without the knowledge to use the sextant it is about as useful as tits on a rain barrel and electronic means becomes necessary.

Most sailors today do not know how to navigate celestially and will rely on GPS no matter what. My advice concurs with Andrew's that as long as you have redundancy in handheld GPS units and decent charts on which to log your fixes, you're good to go. The vast majority of ocean voyagers these days do it that way (including me).

I agree with the rest of the list if you're going away from land.

[sailingdog]

Andre—

If you have gear that you don't know how to use, then you might as well not have it... If you're going to carry a sextant, it would be common sense to have the tables and knowledge required to use it.

[QuickMick]

also, a spot tracker or some form of EPRIB?

[rockDAWG]

Originally Posted by GabrielE

hi,

im new to the forums but was wondering what electronic equipment for navigation would i need to buy for my sailboat? I am hoping to sail around the world eventually so my question ultimately is what is the minimum in terms of navigation equipment (electronic) would i need to sail around the world? (gps, radar etc.?)

I would buy the hardware, but not all electron charts for the world. Buy them when you need them since they will be outdated when you are ready to sail around the world. More often 9 out of 10 people give up sailing around the world before they even started. Why spend good money on an unreliable dream. But don't give up tho'

[GabrielE]

Okay, so would one gps would be enough for me to navigate my way?

And without electronics how would i do it? would I need to buy a sextant and learn celestial navigation?

[QuickMick]

sextant, a good watch, current adj tables...

Astra IIIB Deluxe Sextant

Sailing and Navigation Courses | Bluewater Sailing (866.944.SAIL)

i would want some GPS redundancy... something will always crap out on you

[GabrielE]

Originally Posted by QuickMick

sextant, a good watch, current adj tables...

Astra IIIB Deluxe Sextant

Sailing and Navigation Courses | Bluewater Sailing (866.944.SAIL)

i would want some GPS redundancy... something will always crap out on you

is there any specific type of gps iw ould need? such as one geared for the sea as opposed to land? or would any suffice?