Rosalie B. wrote:

"Ryk" wrote in message
. ..

I've got a Garmin GPS76 at the helm that provides all the
functionality I really need, backed up with a direct connection to the
PC running Fugawi at the nav station.

One thing that I do for my husband that you might do for yourself is
to put a route or previous track on the computer. The routing is a
big blue line, and it is pretty easy to whether the ship is on the
route or not. If it is in the ICW or someplace where we have been
before, and where the route twists and turns a lot, I put the previous
track (which I have saved) up on the computer.

These are camera shots of the computer screen with anchorages where
the boat track has been marked green
http://p.vtourist.com/953705-Chart_o...ille_Beach.jpg
http://p.vtourist.com/1295370-chart_...ed-Footman.jpg
http://p.vtourist.com/952031-Chart_o...-Reedville.jpg
http://p.vtourist.com/953094-Chart_s...Deltaville.jpg

This one shows our track to a marina
http://p.vtourist.com/953621-ICW_cha...k-Oriental.jpg
And to a new marina that isn't on the charts.
http://p.vtourist.com/953149-Chart_s...-Hampstead.jpg

I can't find any shots of the blue route lines, but these are older
tracks from a previous version and are in red - the first one of our
home marina
http://p.vtourist.com/951996-Chart_o...reek-Ridge.jpg
http://p.vtourist.com/2071745-Chart_...elby_Beach.jpg
(We went in to get fuel and had to wait off the dock for someone else
to finish)

And this one has both the anchorage and the marina
http://p.vtourist.com/1295474-Chart_...ort_Pierce.jpg

(I put the marina and anchorages marks on the charts)

Unfortunately, I no longer have teenaged eyes and the combination of
small size, lack of contrast, rain, darkness, etc. can make it hard to
read at the most important moments. I'm at the point where I can still
read the phone book, but only in good light and probably getting a
little worse. I wear 1.75 dime store glasses to read in bed and
nothing at the computer screen.
snip
Basically his solution is to leave the reading to me. I do the
charting and waypoints and radio work and all that stuff. I read the
GPS and record what it says.