On Sun, 23 Nov 2003 09:07:50 -0800, "Lloyd Sumpter"
wrote:

Hi,

Thinking of getting radar for Far Cove, mainly for this planned trip to WCVI,
which has lots of fog.

Now, I've survived 20+ years of sailing Georgia Strait, etc. without radar.
If it's really foggy, I just stay put. If I venture out, I use several nav aids
including GPS to determine my position, blow my horn and listen.

I'm thinking that, even WITH radar, I wouldn't venture out in unfamiliar
waters in dense fog. And if I was out and the fog rolled in on me, I would think
that GPS, sounder and a good chart would be better to find that anchorage than
radar, assuming I could see at least 100 ft or so.

Comments?

Radar does show you if there are any other vessels nearby, which
charts and GPS do not. (I got radar for my Yamaha 30 after a trip
back from Center Bay in the fog - I felt and heard a ferry go by, but
couldn't see it at all!)


Also, if I mount the radome on a post at the stern like most seem to, doesn't
the mast and sail interfere with it looking forward?

I had a RADAR mast on the starboard quarter on my Yamaha 30. I don't
recall any significant blind spots, but did get some spurious echoes
off the port bow. I initially had a radar reflector on the backstay a
little above the radar - that arrangement gave some serious spurious
echoes, which went away when I moved the radar reflector to the port
spreader.

I didn't find any need to tilt the radar antenna to allow for heeling,
since there is generally little wind on foggy days, when you need the
radar. When sailing on clear days, with the radar on, I did
occasionally notice the windward shoreline disappear as the boat
heeled.


Lloyd Sumpter
"Far Cove" Catalina 36

--
Peter Bennett, VE7CEI
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