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Interesting things you can't do with a Laptop

Kind of like Bobsprit..... has the latest and greatest electronic gizmos,
but no clue of the basics and no idea how to use the information provided.
It's a symptom suffered by many Power Boaters. I remember when handheld GPSs
came out and the majority of users had no idea what NAD27 was... never mind
that you had to have a start waypoint to return to.

The "Spaceship" bridge phase of sailing will hopefully be a short one.....
otherwise many people will go broke updating electronic equipment every 2
years. Massive amounts of the latest electronic navigation equipment for a
coastal sailing vessel generally indicates the level of incompetence of the
owner. That kind of stuff belongs on a power boat.

BTW- I have found out that people who do not use their sounder very much
while sailing ...generally are much more attentive to their chart and
charted soundings.. ergo less likely to hit bottom as often. It's just a
personal observation.

CM

"Scotty" wrote in message
...
To each his own. I don't think I used my GPS once, last
season, but I stay within the Chess. Bay and use paper
charts. I always have the log on, for speed readings. I also
use oil lamps and try to keep battery consumption as low as
possible since I generally motor less than 10 minutes out of
the slip.

I get a kick out of putzes who NEED all the latest , best
electronic gizmos but don't really sail anywhere. My slip
neighbor with a Bendy 36 has his pedestal so full of stuff
it looks vulgar, yet he barely sails at all. But, it's his
boat, so , ''whatever floats your boat.''...

Scotty

"Capt.Mooron" wrote in message
news:Pl2Vf.8881$%H.206@clgrps13...
Simply put..... I keep it to a minimum.... no undue
electronics.. I went
through that phase. No sir.... I'm not a fan. Unless it's
absolutely
required for the journey, I don't want it aboard. My goal
is to reduce the
electronics onboard to a bare minimum. I study the charts
and use them to
reference triangulations by bearing fixes. I carry a spare
handheld GPS..
but hardly use it. I almost never have either log nor
depth turned on while
underway. Radar is the only exception I will make since it
is almost
mandatory in my heavy fog area with the possibility of
high speed vessels
navigating on GPS Chart Plotters [few have the radar
ability]

I do have full electronics aboard and have used a laptop
before... you can
have it.. it's a bother and of little benefit. I'm leaning
towards oil
lamps... even down to oil/kerosene nav lights as primary
with electronic
back-up secondary.

Electronics are for Power Boaters... they run on power and
they need the
data ASAP at their speed. I'm out for the pleasure of
sailing and take my
time.... since I have the time it takes.

CM

"Bart Senior" .@. wrote in message
...
God yes CM. Electronic charts are great. They are
FREE, portable and with the right software they talk to
you.
Did I mention electronic charts are FREE now?

I am so tired of storing paper charts. I just spent a
few
hours throwing out charts last week and I wish I could
toss them all out.. I have so many I could heat my
house
with them. Get rid of them? Absolutely, and good
riddance.

Power boater? Heck, those are the people with room
to store and lay out paper charts.

And finally, please don't ever compare me to Swabbie.
You really wounded me with that one. I'll never forgive
you. grin

What about the rest of it CM? Do you use digital
communication on Overproof? What about music?
That is the main reason I've been building up this
little laptop I was given. I just need an Echo Indigo
PC Card and I'll be done with hardware upgrades.
It will be the perfect little music system for the boat.
And yes it will be my back of navigation system.

"Capt.Mooron" wrote
Electronic Charts???? Fricken Power Boater!!!

You're starting to sound like Bobsprit!!!

"Bart Senior" .@. wrote
Lots of you must be using a laptop for a chart
display.
Particularly now that electronic charts are free.

What software are you running on your laptop?

Here is what I'm using.
Nobeltec, Winlink, Waypoint+, iTunes

Things I'm looking at:
http://www.hffax.de/index.html
http://www.waypoint.org/

Interesting things you can't do with a Laptop

"Capt.Mooron" wrote in message
news:zehVf.4455$B_1.2384@edtnps89...
Kind of like Bobsprit.....

Who?

BTW- I have found out that people who do not use their
sounder very much
while sailing ...generally are much more attentive to
their chart and
charted soundings.. ergo less likely to hit bottom as
often. It's just a
personal observation.

My sounder doesn't work half the time, so I leave it off. I
find that I give lots more room to bars/reefs than maybe I
need to. So what.

Scotty