What If ...

[mel22]

I helped build Frying Pan Shoals light house off North Carolina, Understand it is not only not in operation but it is torn down.
One time I was sailing up the coast off Oregon, foul weather with fog setting in. Was nice seeing the red light of Umpqua light flashing. That light would flash red then white. White was not showing through fog but red flashes were able to penatrate out past outer sea bouy. Oregon lights were working up till 6 years ago, but talk was coast guard wanted to shut them down.
Hmm, with everyone having chart ploters might as well pick up all those pesky bouys. We could save all that maint. money for somthing important.

Back on subject, Is it OK if I use my parallel ruler and dividers with the paper chart and compass.

 

[CaptJake]

Lead Line, Compass (x 2), Parallels, Dividers, Protractor, Charts, and Sextant (anybody else still got one?). Tell "friend" to only wear "that" on the overnite watch when the Admiral is asleep and go sailing.

 

[CaptJake]

Forgot that i'm wearing a watch. My bad.

 

[Prime Time]

The old fashioned ways still work!

Maybe people should not be allowed to sail/motor until they could navigate for a yr the old fashioned way! (Just kidding, but people would be more skilled)

I would continue my cruise. Compass, Knot meter, log, depth sounder, back up lead line and a hand bearing compass. Having radar also helps.

I happen to have a sextant too.

 

[Bad Obsession]

Oh God....And then all the cell phone towers crash and the internet crashes and the power grid crashes....what would we do?

Not so long ago sailors didn't have any electronic devices. You have a working depth finder, you SHOULD have a working set of charts, and you SHOULD have a compass aboard your boat. If you can't navigate with those then you are in big trouble. Electrical systems fail, batteries die, and things happen.

The beauty of a sail boat is that a sail boat without an engine is still a sail boat. A powerboat without an engine is adrift! This is a simple principle but the truth of the matter is that you should always have a back up plan that is not electrical or mechanical in nature.

 

[kloudie1]

Power grid, Cell phones, internet.. all crashed for about a week.. We call 'em hurricanes.

 

[RECESS]

We really do need to see a picture of Tom's new girlfriend in this tiny bikini to really know what course of action would follow.

 

[CaptJake]

(yelling) Recess! Let go of my arm! I said I'd agree to vote for seeing a pic of Tom's girlfriend! Honestly folks, RECESS made me ask for a picture.

 

[CaptJake]

Who am I kidding? Now hear this, Now hear this. New thread of "tom's girlfriend" pics coming soon. BOLO!

 

[RAD]

We really do need to see a picture of Tom's new girlfriend in this tiny bikini to really know what course of action would follow.

Tom's new girlfriend

 

[CaptJake]

New Post is up n runnin.

 

[Buck420]

Re: What If ...

OK, you old f . . ts, stop subverting this quisi-legimitate thread.

And BTW ... for all of you "smug" old school navigators, ... lets go back to the 1970's - 1980's... that ancient time before GPS,... when we all had our paper charts, dividers, parallel rulers, sextants, etc.
You have conveniently forgotten that we (almost) all were using Loran, which, at least, gave us a current position. We could then find ourselves on that nice paper chart and determine a range and bearing from there.
OK, a few of us had a sextant (which we used offshore) which could ( if weather conditions were excellent) give us a reasonable (within a few miles) fix.
But, inshore most of us relied on Loran. And (especially in unfamiliar waters), you will all admit to times when you said... " OK, I .. THINK .. that's Pt .. (whatever), and .. "lets sail over to that boey and ck that it's ... R- whatever" to be sure of where we are.
Coastal piloting before GPS and chartplotters was far more time consuming, and often came with alot of anxiety ... in good weather.
In fog, rain, or when winds were gusting, it was "fun", to say the least.
SO, for the current (and future) generation of boaters,.. maybe, there will ALWAYS be GPS, cause if not, it's gonna be messy.

June 26, 2010 ... 08:00 ...
After a meeting of 'Master and Commanders' (& Admirals) , Tom agreeded to assume convoy leadership. His 'friend" would assume look-out position on the bow (because of 20-10 vision thru her Gucci sunglasses). The other captains expressed confidence that they could maintain both visual contact and 'station keep" with the lead vessel.... no problem.
Tom informed the others that they would get UW as soon as the look-out was awake and had attained "mission ready" status... which should be by noon ( or so).

The Admiral said ... " I don't like this, we'll never make it to "Difficult To Get Into Creek" ".

You said ... " (nothing)" ... as you put your binoculars around your neck.
For safety, of course.

 

[txtowman]

"Oh God....And then all the cell phone towers crash and the internet crashes and the power grid crashes....what would we do?"

We realize our dream of being rich, by being rich in the knowledge of being self-sufficient! We trade our services for goods to sustain us.

I'll be trading adult beverages!

 

[zeehag]

geez--just put boat into bomb shelter--left over from the 1950s, and when the floods come, just sail it right outtadere.


is as sensible as anything else i have read....rofl
in the 1980s i sailed with a compass and a chart-- i didnt use loran..lol

 

[David in Sandusky]

It happened to us...

We left Gore Bay for Bear Drop Bay in a chartered Hunter 340 in the summer of 2001, using the GPS provided by Canadian Yacht Charters, with our own as a back-up. We were halfway across the North Channel, heading for the gap between Dewdney and Alfred Islands, when the GPS stopped plotting our position! I assumed it was a failure of the GPS, so I fired up our GPS...it was also unable to see any satellites!

The first thing I did was start a dead reckoning plot on our paper chart from the GPS position I had plotted about an hour before. Then, I plotted a danger bearing to the rocks west of Darch Island. Then we figured an approximate course to the gap we were going to in the chain of islands that separate the North and Whaleback Channels north of Gore Bay.

The Admiral then sat down with the binoculars and the chart, and began studying the islands. Since they overlap, it wasn't easy to see where one island ended, and the next began. Slowly, she developed a picture, and finally, she announced, "That is the gap we should aim at," pointing a ways east of where we were going. I adjusted our magnetic course, and an hour and a half later, we cruised between Dewdney and Alfred Islands. After that, it was pretty straightforward piloting, with the help of navigation aides to find the entrance to Bear Drop. The Great Lakes Cruising Club harbour report was a great help in this last exercise. We both enjoyed using our piloting skills, and remember the incident with a little pride. By the way, our hand bearing compass was a great tool in finding our way, and staying safe.

We never found out why the GPS's quit on us. Both returned to accurate operation the next day. I assume that we had a gap in coverage?

 

[Bill Roosa]

Right!

Buck 420;
do you really consider loran/gps/chart plotters/wind instruments...... all except depth to be essential?
I know lots of sailors on the bay that never use anything but a Windex and depth meter. I think the last time I got lost was when I was using GPS and got overconfident of where it was telling me I was.

We have lost our way in America, can't navigate ourselves out of a wet paper sack without government help and a boatload of gadgets.

BTW, when you are in the middle of the ocean you don't need to know exactly (<1 ft) where you are, close (<10 mi) is fine.

 

[Buck420]

RE, What If ... Bill ...

"do you really consider loran/gps/chart plotters/wind instruments...... all except depth to be essential?"
of course not, we've all been in situations similar to "Dave in Sandusky".
But, do these "gadgets" make navigating easier, less time consuming, and less stressful ? ... I think we would all agree that they do.

"We have lost our way in America, can't navigate ourselves out of a wet paper sack without government help and a boatload of gadgets"
Exactly the point of the post

However, in a way, this has been a rather pointless post. Just as steam power made the era, and technology, of sailing ships obsolete; so GPS has made celestial navigation obsolete; as I-Pad type devices will make printed content essentially obsolute . Progress marches on. "Old foggies" wine about "what ifs', while young people accept new technology as a given.... Just as we did when we were young. Remember slide rules ??

 

[Ross]

Re: RE, What If ... Bill ...

Most of us would starve if we had to revert to life as it was a century ago. I once stated that if the day ever comes when there is only enough fuel to haul food to the big cities or to haul garbage out we will have a mightmare of unimaginable proportions.

 

[zeehag]

Most of us would starve if we had to revert to life as it was a century ago. I once stated that if the day ever comes when there is only enough fuel to haul food to the big cities or to haul garbage out we will have a mightmare of unimaginable proportions.

funny thing is--the ones who will starve are those not prepared for this stuff and still have to have cushy things or bling or cant figger out how to make stuff work while underway.. those of us who are flexible and adaptable should fare nicely.
some land dwellers should be ok, too-- depending on how flexible those folks are--like ross-- can make stuff out of little... works well in economic depressions....

 

[Bad Obsession]

Hrm....I almost wonder, at times, if it would be nice to return to simpler times with less electronic crap. We create a lot of artificial stress on ourselves. We spoil ourselves with technology.

Navigation without GPS is not that bad when you are coastal. I like my GPS for speed but is not necessary to get around with.

Here is the thing.....You should always take extra food on your boat in the form of dry goods and can goods if you are out on a cruise. You should always have back up plans if things don't go as planned (they seldom do). The main thing is that if you aren't comfortable going into the new harbor then go to a familiar one and hang around in old haunts if you feel better about doing it. Talk to other sailors in those places and see if they have local knowledge of where you are going (you can usually find someone who has and they are more than willing to talk to you about them).

GPS is a nice thing, but it isn't necessary. Charts and compasses are what are really needed for cruising more than those make-life-easy-things.