Joined
·
5,491 Posts
Bill, I agree but I was trying to be generous as many an experienced seaman has come a-cropper due to extenuating circumstances.
I also agree that people put too much faith in the plotter and tend to ignore the depth contours. I frequently use the depthfinder and my compass to nose around in the fog (no radar installed yet as the new radars look worth waiting for). I believe that a simple numerical depthfinder of surpassing robustness, plus the proper paper chart and a sense of where you are in the tide cycle can supply you with a great deal of information in tight situations that a complicated multi-function plotter (or simply standing at the bow and STOPPING or heaving to until you've figured things out) can do.
I just finished last night a rereading of Alan Villiers' By Way of Cape Horn which discussed his hard passage on the old grain sailer Grace Harwar. With no engine, deep-laden and with a foul bottom, they had to tack back and forth in within miles of their final port waiting for a favourable tide and winds, adding days to their trip. They knew that the prudent thing wasn't the easy thing, and that sometimes you have to back the hell off if you want to get the boat home in one piece. Everyone today seems to want to drive their boats like a minivan in a shopping mall parking lot, with the CG and salvors playing the part of "OnStar"...
I also agree that people put too much faith in the plotter and tend to ignore the depth contours. I frequently use the depthfinder and my compass to nose around in the fog (no radar installed yet as the new radars look worth waiting for). I believe that a simple numerical depthfinder of surpassing robustness, plus the proper paper chart and a sense of where you are in the tide cycle can supply you with a great deal of information in tight situations that a complicated multi-function plotter (or simply standing at the bow and STOPPING or heaving to until you've figured things out) can do.
I just finished last night a rereading of Alan Villiers' By Way of Cape Horn which discussed his hard passage on the old grain sailer Grace Harwar. With no engine, deep-laden and with a foul bottom, they had to tack back and forth in within miles of their final port waiting for a favourable tide and winds, adding days to their trip. They knew that the prudent thing wasn't the easy thing, and that sometimes you have to back the hell off if you want to get the boat home in one piece. Everyone today seems to want to drive their boats like a minivan in a shopping mall parking lot, with the CG and salvors playing the part of "OnStar"...