On Wed, 16 Feb 2005 03:54:10 GMT, Mac wrote:

How big is your boat, and in what kinds of waters will your be operating?

34 feet fin keel FG cruiser/racer in Lake Ontario. Boat after that
will likely be steel, 40-45 feet, possibly a ketch, operating
offshore.

My experience with small (39 ft 25,000 lb sailboat) is that your course at
any moment will be off by a lot more than 2 or 3 degrees in any kind of
seaway.

Yes. But I can lash a tiller "tamer" in high summer no wind flat lake
conditions and go several minutes without a tracking error by handheld
GPS...if I don't move around much G. Not an issue as I don't have a
radar, but my scenario posits a foggy, still passagemaking at
dawn/dusk on a calm Great Lake...there's substantial ship traffic from
April to November.

In a bay I might be able to steer a nice straight course. I guess if
"unfavorable conditions" includes calm air and sea with heavy fog, then it
might make sense to snoop around a little with the radar.

That's what I thought...twitch starboard and port 5 to 10 degrees
every 10 minutes or so and check your 6 mile ring or something...see
if it stays empty as you've assumed.

I've since been told that this is unnecessary as the mast even on
something like a Nonsuch treetrunk in front of a radar pole won't
block the signal much.

Thanks,
R.