Ted wrote:

snip
Jack, the subject line says "...why do we use GPS to track buoys??"
Do you use your GPS to navigate to buoys?
With how many of them have you collided?

You changed the subject to read that way, and you asked "Now that we
have GPS, why are buoys needed anymore?" The subject, the rhetorical
question, and the following posts lead me to conclude that you meant
that buoys are unnecessary with GPS. Did I get that wrong?

I have used GPS to navigate to within a reasonable distance of buoys.
If I put a GPS waypoint near a buoy, I offset the waypoint from where
the GPS thinks the buoy is. And if I or the autopilot steer to the
waypoint, I don't expect that to hit the buoy or count on it to miss it.
I use my eyes and/or maybe radar to do that.

I've not hit one. Not yet anyway. I can remember a couple of times of
bad conditions and equipment breakdown or uncertainty when I would have
been glad for a very near miss on one though. Just to acquire it
visually, read its markings, and get that warm fuzzy feeling again.

I'm one of the old geezers that is looking at charts too. I've not kept
a pure DR plot on paper in a long time but would do it if was the only
way I could get a warm fuzzy feeling.

To answer your question, "..why are buoys needed anymore?" I'd say they
they great for inducing warm fuzzy feelings in the hearts and minds of
those of us who consider it unwise to put all our eggs in one basket.
Hey! That's almost an Easter joke.

Jack

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jackerbes at adelphia dot net
(also receiving email at jacker at midmaine.com)

Ted wrote:

snip
Take notice of the subject line of this thread. Buoys clutter the chart and
provide a dangerous collision hazard on the water. We have put up with this
hazard for years because in the past we needed buoys. With the arrival of
GPS, they should be removed.

http://www.california-car-accident-l...s/pic_boat.jpg

Ted,

That's not a buoy, its a daymark.

Jack

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jackerbes at adelphia dot net
(also receiving email at jacker at midmaine.com)

"Jack Erbes" wrote in message
...
Ted wrote:

snip
Take notice of the subject line of this thread. Buoys clutter the chart
and provide a dangerous collision hazard on the water. We have put up
with this hazard for years because in the past we needed buoys. With the
arrival of GPS, they should be removed.

http://www.california-car-accident-l...s/pic_boat.jpg

Ted,

That's not a buoy, its a daymark.

Jack

LOL! Yes, Jack, That's true. Well, its almost true. The Coast Guard also
calls them dayboards.

If I were to give a legalistic response I would have pointed out to you that
I never claimed that the collision object in the photo was a buoy but the
real answer is that I'm using the word "buoy" to mean any and all objects
placed in the water in an attempt to assist in navigation. Whether the
object is a floating buoy or a wooden post driven into the mud or a tower
mounted on a concrete base (or even a simple piece of 3/4" PVC water pipe
stuck into the mud with a rid tip as is common around here) is irrelevant to
this discussion. I use the word buoy because there may be many people
reading this thread who are new to boating and might not know what a daymark
is. Just about everyone in the world knows what a buoy is.

For anyone who wants to know more about navigation marks, here are some
links:

http://www.auxetrain.org/atn2.html#Shapes

http://www.boatwashington.org/navigation_aids.htm

http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/pubs/LightLists/Ref2005W.pdf

http://www.auxetrain.org/Buoys.html

http://www.auxetrain.org/atons.html

http://www.auxetrain.org/atn3.html

Also see chart number 1

http://www.nga.mil/portal/site/marit...2a7fbd3227a759

http://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/chart1/chart1hr.htm

Seminars at http://www.usps.org/lc/door/chartplot.html

"Marius" wrote in message
oups.com...
Seminars at http://www.usps.org/lc/door/chartplot.html


Your reply doesn't make any sense. Actually, it does make as much sense as
using GPS to track buoys.