I wonder what school he went to?

[sailingdog]

Mark I Eyeball is a lot better than the Chartplotter... you need to use all of your navigation tools to help ensure safe navigation during a passage. GPS chartplotters can often be a bit different from the reality...and you need to double check the chartplotter against the real world. Just remember, that an icon of a boat on a chartplotter screen is an idealized idea of where a boat is but placed against a cartographer's electronic interpretation of the real world that may be using faulty or old data, and should not be trusted implicitly IMHO.

[Slayer]

I just finished my ASA bareboat chartering course, plus the 101 and 103 and navigation course. I have also gone out many times as a crew. But I still don't feel ready to captain a chartered boat and be responsible for my crew. My plan is to get a lot of sailing in this summer to practice the skills I've learned, then maybe charter a boat in BVI in early winter. Those photos just reinforced my plan.

[Slayer]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

GPS chartplotters can often be a bit different from the reality...and you need to double check the chartplotter against the real world. Just remember, that an icon of a boat on a chartplotter screen is an idealized idea of where a boat is but placed against a cartographer's electronic interpretation of the real world that may be using faulty or old data, and should not be trusted implicitly IMHO.

Nigel Clader explains this concept really well and in great detail in his book "How to Read a Nautical Chart."

[deliveryskipper]

Learning seamanship is not just about taking courses, but about experience - especially in difficult or challenging situations. And experience has very little to do with the number of miles sailed - and everything to do with what happens during those miles.

Learning to sail involves treading a fine line between being safe and responsible and stretching yourself. Like learning any skill, progressing as a sailor involves consistantly stepping just outside your comfort zone.

So bite off more than you can chew - but not too much more!

[merlin2375]

I wonder what the conditions were when the grounding occurred, was it fair weather or stormy, how strong were the winds etc.

It seems to me that both the moorings and the helmsman are partly responsible but at the end of the day the Skipper has to take final responsibility for being prepared and at the necessary skill level (and knowing how to read a chart)

[Sapperwhite]

Originally Posted by deliveryskipper

...... progressing as a sailor involves consistantly stepping just outside your comfort zone.

So bite off more than you can chew - but not too much more!

So are you saying I should or should not challenge that reef to a game of chicken??? Hell, I think I can take the bastard

[sailingdog]

LOL.... YOU KEEP THINKING THAT and let us know how that works out.

Originally Posted by Sapperwhite

So are you saying I should or should not challenge that reef to a game of chicken??? Hell, I think I can take the bastard

[Sapperwhite]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

LOL.... YOU KEEP THINKING THAT and let us know how that works out.

No problem, where's the nearest Moorings office?....Sign me up!

[chucklesR]

Problems with sail include raising it I suppose, helpful advice is leave the motor running until the sail is up, and keep the pointy end pointed away from the reef.
My last charter was skippered because cast and crew (read admirals) wanted luxury sailing -against my personal desires, having bareboated 4 previous times. He ran aground on the pass between Monkey Point and Trellis bay. Knocked a pretty good chunk out of the keel on Voyage 50 catamaran.
He'd made that pass 'dozens of times' before. He was way to far to the left IMHO, I've only done it twice and knew that.

[Zanshin]

chucklesR - last time I went through that way there was a just a bit of wind and the waters were smooth and I still chickened out and sailed (yep, didn't turn on the stinkpot) up between little and great Camanoe instead of taking the much shorter, easier and shallower route. I didn't know that even a cat could ground (I assume this was around the west side of little Camanoe)