Quote:
Originally Posted by LIforrelaxin
But then I began to dig into more, so that I had the understanding of how to navigate the lake. I of course have a map at all times, and someday my even get a GPS, as I do more night boating now, something about looking at the stars is pretty cool. The bottom line is you have to process all the information. .............I know it didn't make me comfortable, it wasn't until I really studied my headings and understood the marker system that I really got comfortable with navigating the lake.
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Totally agree with the point you are making ... and I too, a 25+ year veteran try to go to the "basics" or "mechanics" of navigating along with a good deal of chart study to know if it is simply a shallow area or hazard. I insist that my grandkids (now beginning to drive) learn the compass and spars and NOT look at the GPS.
But we all do not have this "experience" and by definition most are "recreational" boaters -- it just fact!
In my previous post there is NO WAY to logically explain why you would "split the Black Tops" at FL#30 until you reviewed a chart and understood that the northern black top (on a Westerly course) is paired with a Red Top and thus "not in Play ! These are the situations where just a Compass does not work -- it's in combination with a chart.
On another note -- I would highly recommend getting a GPS for your night riding.... I succumbed years ago and am extremely glad I did -- it takes a piece of the stress out of the ride and is also extremely helpful in determining the relative position of a spar when the sun is in your eyes or the light is "flat". They are quite accurate ! But a piece of electronics that could fail none the less ... thus basics mandatory.
Problem with me is that after all these years of boating, I have most of the Spars -- in the vast areas where we boat -- committed to memory so that when the Grandkids are driving I am already anticipating an upcoming spar and know it's color and use that to calmly "test" the kids judgment. Drives my wife Nutz that I remember all of them
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