Can anyone make suggestions on what I should consider when purchasing a
hand-held GPS?

I am fairly new to sailing and don't own a boat. I charter them, and
frequently the boats either don't have GPS or I have to spend a lot of time
figuring out how to use them. I sail in So Cal and the local Channel
Islands.

I want a hand-held I can bring with me on charter boats. I am willing to go
with monochrome to save $. I am versed on coastal nav, but would
particularly like a GPS when navigating in fog. I'd like to be able to
interface with my laptop and overlay on charting software (don't own any
yet).

I started looking at some manuals for Garmin hand-helds.

Any pointers on what I should consider?

Any good articles on the basics, either on web or in a magazine?

Any special considerations of chart/map software and standards I should know
about?

Any new technologies on the horizon I should consider before purchasing?

Any "wish I would have known about this before I bought mine" kind of
stories?

Thanks,

Brien