Navigation: Old School vs New School

TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,759
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
So, forgive if I’m off here. I don’t see how this incident says anything about plotters or other e-navigation aids. The schooner is out of the clearly-marked channel, on the wrong side of “RRT.” How could the skipper miss that the boat was making way for the wrong side of the nun? Was he trying to shoot the gap? The yawl boat could have been deployed to correct the course if due to drift. At this point in full visibility of the ATONs, what more could a chartplotter have done except to “guide” the boat through an unmarked “pass?” Isn’t that where “local knowledge” is supposed to come into play? :doh:
You're only off in that I didn't blame the accident on old school vs new school. Trying to figure out what happened is fun but futile. In the end it's complacency, nearly every time.

I've been saying for years that despite screens showing sailboats still hitting rocks - in real time - groundings haven't slowed down.

Your tools, your choice. I don't use radar but many do.

It's always the same, asleep at the wheel, that gets you. Today though, there are few excuses for it and little chance that you will hide the incident. :)

Here's a couple others I pulled off FB while looking at this one: I'll wager screens onboard showed these boats hitting the rocks in real time.


Bennet Cove MDI July 2019 .jpg

Butter Island, North side.jpg
 
  • Like
Likes: Will Gilmore
Oct 1, 2007
1,858
Boston Whaler Super Sport Pt. Judith
You're only off in that I didn't blame the accident on old school vs new school. Trying to figure out what happened is fun but futile. In the end it's complacency, nearly every time.

I've been saying for years that despite screens showing sailboats still hitting rocks - in real time - groundings haven't slowed down.

Your tools, your choice. I don't use radar but many do.

It's always the same, asleep at the wheel, that gets you. Today though, there are few excuses for it and little chance that you will hide the incident. :)

Here's a couple others I pulled off FB while looking at this one: I'll wager screens onboard showed these boats hitting the rocks in real time.


View attachment 168455
View attachment 168456
Tom, you bring back memories. We cruised Maine back in the mid 80's when we had Loran C for our best nav locator. And the display was down below. The readout was in TDs, which one then needed to plot on the appropriate chart. I can remember specific incidents when I looked from the helm and thought "...hmmm I didn't expect to see an islet or ledge dead ahead....". As you say, asleep at the helm.
 
  • Like
Likes: jssailem
Oct 22, 2014
21,085
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Thank you @TomY for sharing your insight. Especially your continued review of the situation and conjecture from experience what may have happened.

This type of post incident discussion is wha that happened with skippers for years. There just has not been as many observations as there are now. I feel for the skipper. I can surmise he was using his experience in the waters to guide his actions. It is easy to be a foot off from your normal standing position on your boat and look out to confirm your bearing and be a degree or two off in your sighting. Then you add a tidal current and a lack of breeze and before you know it the pleasant day cruise is changed.

As you say in days gone by it would have been a laugh and "What the hell happened to ya Captain" among sailors at the pub. Now it is Public awareness around the world. And opinions around the world. "Never would have happened to me. I got state of the art electronics" condemnations.

I like the pub days. Being a certified vessel now they will be out of the water and CG inspected, again. Oh boy... Tough to live down such sailing experiences with the advent of phone cameras and Facebook posts.
 

TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,759
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
Thank you @TomY for sharing your insight. Especially your continued review of the situation and conjecture from experience what may have happened.

This type of post incident discussion is wha that happened with skippers for years. There just has not been as many observations as there are now. I feel for the skipper. I can surmise he was using his experience in the waters to guide his actions. It is easy to be a foot off from your normal standing position on your boat and look out to confirm your bearing and be a degree or two off in your sighting. Then you add a tidal current and a lack of breeze and before you know it the pleasant day cruise is changed.

As you say in days gone by it would have been a laugh and "What the hell happened to ya Captain" among sailors at the pub. Now it is Public awareness around the world. And opinions around the world. "Never would have happened to me. I got state of the art electronics" condemnations.

I like the pub days. Being a certified vessel now they will be out of the water and CG inspected, again. Oh boy... Tough to live down such sailing experiences with the advent of phone cameras and Facebook posts.
I've learned quite a bit seeing these groundings on our coast and living near several boatyards that repair these victims. Probably first is that most happen in familiar waters, in broad daylight and good weather. This is good for someone like me who has had some groundings over decades to be extra vigilant around 'home'.

Next, most of these groundings never get reported. That's largely due to the fact that while photos like I posted look dire, most boats float off undamaged. Gives you a sense of how many groundings actually may take place.

Captains, pro and am, don't talk about the incidents if they don't have to. Boat yards don't either because they're aware of this. Silly pride.

I saw that schooner yesterday in a nearby harbor while doing some biking. It's tied to it's docks and all spiffed up and will load up with the next week of 'schooner dudes' (local slang), today.
 
Feb 14, 2014
7,418
Hunter 430 Waveland, MS
I printed big charts for Planning with friends. Two key charts on the boat. A Booklet of charts too.
Here is the link to all the Charts used in your Electronic Chart plotters.

NOAA Nautical Chart Catalog

As I was reading some of the NOAA info on Charts, I noticed a repeated "warning" about Commercial Vessels chart use.

"Charts obtained from NOAA's Nautical Chart Catalog are for general use only and do not comply with U.S. Coast Guard carriage requirements for commercial vessels. Certified NOAA paper nautical charts, which do meet carriage requirements can be obtained from a NOAA certified chart agent." [Emphasis added by me]

Although I am not going to explore USCG requirements, I am going to speculate why commercial vessels have to have certified charts aboard [as do USNavy vessels].

"Manual Graphical Plotting"

_______
If you obtain the PDF format versions, you can use your favorite PDF viewer and view your favorite or critical areas of navigation.

If you have a Printer that is "Scalable" you can make a "non certified" paper copy.

I do have such a printer for full scale [ 1/32th inch accurate] prints.
____
At a minimum, your simple printer, can print the Booklet
NOAA Raster Chart Products
8.5x11 book.
Jim...

PS: NOAA just released its newest chart symbol guide [May 2019]
NOAA releases new edition of nautical chart symbol guide
Can you read your newest chart plotter symbols?
 
Last edited: