otnmbrd wrote:
So...... what the hell do you need all THIS crap for?

Because I run systems on research vessels.

Personally, after a short period of time, I'd probably tell you just where
you could shove your data, as it seems you are ready to blame the helmsman
on scanty information, for something which may well NOT be his/her doing.

Ummm, Joe was saying that the helmsman could have been playing games
because he could get back on course before anyone figured it out. I'm
pointing out that - those days are GONE.


otn

My suggestion FWIW....analyze/collect your data ...... then ask the people
on the ships what it means

Heh. Got news for you, *I* tell *them*.

I don't tell the skipper how to drive his ship and he doesn't tell me
how to collect & analyze the data. But I do get to tell him *where* to
drive the ship.

Otn, if you have experience on oceanographic research vessels tracking
satellites across the sky every pass in all weathers, plus running
sophisticated acoustics mapping the sea floor, you'd realise just why I
have all the instruments. Being able to look at it later if someone's
suspected of playing games is just a spinoff. I was aboard a vessel
which had an engine room fire inside the icepack in winter once and my
systems stayed up for 8 hours after the power failed (biiiig UPS). The
data were used subsequently to help sort out timelines and the like.

As an aside, I was on the bridge once while we had a meeting and the
scientists carefully explained to the skipper & watchkeeping officers
why it was *extremely* important that they not deviate at all from the
track from waypoint to waypoint as we'd miss out on bottom coverage.

Some hours later we did, indeed, deviate. The chief scientist came
rushing to the bridge from the instrument room, and started laying into
the officer of the watch about how they couldn't follow simple
instructions and how useless they all were.

Watchkeeping officer pointed out the port window, where some 50m off
there was a 1 km tabular berg. Then suggested that the scientist get
the hell off of the bridge.

I've seen it all, my friend. I've had the fun of hand steering an
icebreaker down leads in the pack, leaving a course track that looked
later like a drunken snail trail (similar to my normal helming, in
fact, but what the hell, they pay me...). I don't make assumptions
(except that most scientists are of limited competence outside their
specialty) until I have all the facts. WRT this thread, perhaps you
might consider the wisdom of that, before you flame me for something I
didn't say.

PDW



"Peter" wrote in message
ups.com...

The helmsman would be in the **** if it was one of my vessels. I log
all the GPS data in real time plus the ships log & gyro plus a ton of
other parameters. In fact I have 3 GPS units aboard, 1 fwd and 2 aft
including an aircraft 3D unit and a trim cube to log pitch & roll at 10
Hz. There's no hiding.

PDW