I was going to pose
a very similar question, but will answer this one instead. Seems to me kind of like different strokes. I carry paper charts, and all the little toys to use them properly, and have the knowledge to use them confidently. But I find myself relying more and more on the wonders of modern electronics. Have a Garmin chartplotter which is an amazing device. Does not only all the navigation functions, but tells you how far off it is. Usually shows to be within 8', in this area. There are at least a couple of places down around Corpus Christi, where the charts are not as accurate as the GPS. How do I know this. Have been motoring down the ditch, the GPS showing me to be up on dry land. When the chart scrolls to the next chart, I am back dead center in the channel. Farther south, I got caught one night between Baffin Bay and Port Mansfield. 60 miles, with absolutely no place to get out of the channel. As in many places, some of the markers are down, and some are don't have lights. I ran the entire distance on GPS alone, and never touched bottom. I would defy anyone to do this using a compass and charts. I also carry a battery powered, hand held GPS as a back up. My compass has not been swung in quite some time, but I know it is pretty close. By drawing a rhumb line on a chart, running that course, it is obvious that the compass is pretty close. And the similar question I was going to pose is this. How many of the dedicated sailors among us, can steer a compass course, over say 100 miles, that is as accurate as following the rhumb line on the chart plotter. While I consider myself to be fairly good, I certainly can't do the compass, drift, current, etc. thing and get nearly as close to a waypoint as the GPS will get me. So, as long as the electronics are working, I am going to use them. The back up systems will be used for just that.
