Lloyd Sumpter wrote:

Thanks for the input!

I didn't mean an either/or scenario - it's more like: if I have
GPS/sounder/charts, what extra does radar give me? And of course, it DOES show
vessels, etc., but I'm thinking that's mainly a consideration in fog, and I'm
wondering if I would venture out even if I HAD radar (after all, what if the
radar quits?).

So is radar worth it for the 1 day a year I MIGHT venture out in fog?

Or, to put it differently, what ELSE is radar good for? Can I use it to
determine if a freighter 10 miles away is on a collision course with me? Do
others normally run with radar on, even if it's clear? Why?


Yes, you can determine if that freighter 10 miles away is on a collision
course.
Should you get it? A lot depends on you, what you do with your boat and
where you are.

We got our first radar after the fog rolled in on us as we approached an
unfamiliar anchorage at right dusk after sailing down the coast all day
in beautiful weather. We didn't intend to sail in the fog that day, but
to paraphrase Forest Gump, fog happens.
After having it for 5 years now, we use it for the following:

- Approaching any anchorage at night or in the fog. There have been a
few times that had we not had it, I would have decided to stand offshore
and await daylight before going in.
- When sailing or motoring at night or in the fog/rain, etc. We do
scans every 10 minutes (we use a simple kitchen timer that dings at us).
- When leaving or returning to the marina at night or in the fog (we
have a narrow dredged channel we have to stay in for a mile or so). We
will sometimes leave in the fog as it will often be clear a mile
offshore even though Bodega Bay is socked in.

--
Dan Best - (707) 431-1662, Healdsburg, CA 95448
B-2/75 1977-1979
Tayana 37 #192, "Tricia Jean" http://rangerbest.home.comcast.net/TriciaJean.JPG