Recommend me some Instruments

[Norm L.]

Frank. I think I mentioned before my friend who helped design Starts & Stripes (and others) and sailed the competitive alternative boat in the competition training, never bought a boat and instead always had a very nice annual bareboat charter.

However, in the age of retirement, this year he bought a powerboat with the capability of an occasional overnight.
 
I do miss the challenge of trips and using basic nav equipment, with the addition of a nice Garmin. But too much interface has a taint of AI.

Commercial marine has had ECDIS standard for at over a decade. (Electronic Chart Display and Information System). Having all layered in one spot has good points. But there have been groundings and collisions when the watch "never looked out the window". There have also been those caused by the watch being too busy on the VHF or worse, on their cell phone. 

[pgandw]

RC, I sail a Mariner (19ft) on Albemarle Sound, NC.  Occasionally trailer trips to other waters (Long I Sound, Pamilico Sound, Core Sound NC, Chesapeake Bay, plus COE lakes in VA/NC/TN/KY).  I hope to do a trip to the Great Lakes, especially North Channel or L Superior.

I'm almost always single handing so there's really no reason to feed my electronics hobby desires.  Started out 3 years ago with nothing, and have added what I needed/wanted to feel safe.  Too much of a crink in my neck to look at a windex and have to deal with it while raising/lowering the mast, so I use red yarns on the shrouds.  Sails already have some telltales, so I'm good for wind.

NOAA has pretty much discontinued charting Albemarle Sound except for the ICW and Outer Banks area, so the depth sounder additions to the Navionics charts have made it worth my subscription.  Fully retracting centerboard and kick-up Ruddercraft rudder leaving me with a beachable draft of 10 inches take care of my depth sounding needs.  Or shove my extendable boathook over the side (Albemarle Sound water is opaque due to its swamp origins).  Most depth sounder installations tell me the water is too shallow too late to do anything about it.  The rudder or centerboard kicking up is more reliable except in the rocks of Connecticut - but the water is clearer there, and the charts are much better.  If I frequented different waters I might consider a depth sounder but that is currently a very low priority.

I carry a portable VHF but have never heard anything while on western Albemarle Sound.  Cell phone is the standard comms.  Used the handheld VHF extensively in Long Island Sound to talk to others and bridge tenders.  Usefulness of the VHF varies with location.  So a fixed VHF and AIS are not in my plans.  And leaves out the antenna as another obstacle to mast raising/lowering.

I run Navionics on my cell phone, but the app eats phone battery.  It is nice to see my deviation from intended track and see actual tacking angles and GPS speed.  I am looking to upgrade to a tablet to run Navionics on a bigger screen so I don't have to keep shrinking/expanding the view.  I keep the phone by my side, and carry across when I tack.

Another addition I want to add is a fixed magnetic compass to have a backup to Navionics - one with lines that will help me get bearings on shore points. I normally do get a printed chart of any area I sail for both planning and as a backup to Navionics.  Also want to put in a modest 12V system (150AH LiFePO battery) that will provide lights and some recharge capability for my EPropulsion electric outboard - right now I have no 12V.

At the same time I am beginning to better realize the risks of sailing single handed where/when there is nobody else around.  For next season, I will invest in an inflatable PFD, probably along with PLT and SOS light instead of replacing flares.  Boat already has a boarding ladder mounted on the transom that I can lower from the water if I can get back to the boat.  Although I have a Tiller Clutch (and wouldn't be without it), I only use the Tiller Clutch while I am doing other functions in the cockpit or cabin (halyards/downhauls/vang) can be reached at the mast standing on CB trunk in cabin.  Normally helm by hand using tiller extension.

Swiveling jib sheet cam cleats are mounted on aft edge of cabin so I can cross sheet effectively in the cockpit.  Main sheet is mid-boom, with lower blocks mounted to the centerboard trunk.  I normally sit just aft of the centerboard trunk between tiller and main sheet.

Additions I made this past summer were mounting new cam cleats for the Tiller Clutch where they didn't interfere with access to the motor, midship cleats which are great for docking and anchoring, and a laundry basket for anchor rode and chain with carabiner for quick connect to anchor.  Anchor sits on hooks on bow pulpit.

Also added main sail hooks and bungee cords for quick stowage of lowered main on the boom - simply pull the bungee over the boom and sail to hook to parallel bungee under boom.  No more messing around with or trying to find sail ties.  And mounted cam cleat mid-boom for topping lift quick adjustment.  Permanently rigged clew and tack reefing lines for mainsail.

Fred W
Stuart Mariner 19 #4133  Sweet P

[Noemi - Ensenada 20]

We were tooling around out in open ocean while on our trip to the BVIs, when I noticed a marker dead ahead.  Thought it was what we had seen all over - some kind of trap marker.  Then I noticed that the depth was quickly getting shallower and shallower!  It was really marking the top of an underwater mountain....which we successfully missed.

[noelH]

Tin Whistle .

Nearshore sailing on L. Superior. No on boat electrical system. Small and simple boat.  Eyeballs, handheld bearing compass, charts, binoculars, and handheld GPS for tracking course and bad seeing conditions. Thick and wide waters to avoid too near to shore bad things. 

Eyeballs are important.  A few years ago on a light wind day decided to see if the access to a micro "bay" on the south side of Long Is. was open.  Chart depth noted double digits to the mouth of the tiny cove.  Just moving slowly along under sail maybe IIRC 3kts.  Good 100 meters or so offshore. Noticed wind fall or just uprooted trees blocking the entrance.  Looked down. Not double digits.  Sand bottom, but really don't like grounding the keel.  Chart was wrong.  Checked the GPS map.  It's was also wrong.  Good thing it was not a foggy or misty day.  Would have been relying on the GPS.