"Gary Warner" wrote in message
...

We bought the handheld Garmin 72 for our little 22 footer. We won't be
doing much if any long distance navigation, but just knowing our position
and just "playing" with the thing should be fun. Goofing around with it
inside (while it's cold and snowy outside) a few questions come to mind.

-- Lets say you are out in open ocean and heading for a waypoint that
it programmed into the unit. If everything was calm, no wind and no
current, all you have to do it point the arrow at the waypoint. But what
if there is a current and/or wind? Just pointing the boat toward the
waypoint might not take you on a straight course to the destination. You
would need to steer a different course to get the desired outcome. So:
Can this GPS (or others) help figure what course you need to steer?

-- I see there is a "Highway" screen that shows a "road" that one
might follow. Seems that may be the correct screen to do what I'm
thinking, but I can't quite figure out it's use.

Well, probably all this will become clearer when we can actually use
it ON the boat.

Oh, any good books out there telling how to use a GPS (not a manual
for a particual unit, but a general 'how-to' book of ideas and uses?

Thanks,
Gary


As long as you're not going long distance, this really isn't a big deal.
If you do stray off course, the little arrow will always point towards
your target. I use one all the time, and find that once I reach a
destination,
my "bread crumb" trail will be a bit curved from point A to B.

When underway,
I usually just hit the gas and check the little arrow every few minutes
to make sure Im ok.
I also have a Loran that I almost never monitor anymore and am thinking
of selling it, but a quick check on Ebay reveals these things won't fetch
much any more.

Once you use it on the water, you'll wonder how you ever got along
without it.


db

p.s. Always keep a couple packs of AA batt's on board.