Captain School

[SKYCHENEY]

I guess you river boys do it differently, but I always plot a course on my paper charts. I usually sit up the night before at the dinette table and plot. I also look for any emergency ports or anchorages along the way so I don't have to really think too hard should I need them. Then, during the trip, I note my position and time every 20-30 minutes so I know where I am.

In the lakes, the fog and come in or the seas can pick up and you just have no place to hide. Yes, I have a GPS, but I learned the old fashioned way with a chart and a compass. To each his own, but I don't feel right just running along without confirming my position.

[Boatsb]

I hear Randy is good with the paper charts too. According to legend he left the restaurant in Clearwater with a place mat, 1/2 a pound of bologna and 4 slices of bread. Ran the boat ON ONE ENGINE, Up stream all the way with only a pencil and a small bottle of goose. On the way he battled all sorts of dangers including merwolfs, He-shemonsters, killer catfish and still met up with Tom and Huck on time.

I don't see why he needs to go to school we should just give him a license if he can show an original birth certificate.

[Sparky1]

I guess you river boys do it differently, but I always plot a course on my paper charts. I usually sit up the night before at the dinette table and plot. I also look for any emergency ports or anchorages along the way so I don't have to really think too hard should I need them. Then, during the trip, I note my position and time every 20-30 minutes so I know where I am.

In the lakes, the fog and come in or the seas can pick up and you just have no place to hide. Yes, I have a GPS, but I learned the old fashioned way with a chart and a compass. To each his own, but I don't feel right just running along without confirming my position.

I would have expected no less from a guy who does ER checks every 15 minutes.

Just messing with you Sky, but if I didn't know better, I would think running a boat makes you very nervous. Maybe you take things too seriously, maybe I don't take them seriously enough, but to each his own.

Now if I'm heading into waters I've never encountered before, I too will do my homework as you described. As for noting my position every 20-30 minutes, unless I'm cruising way beyond 20-30 knots, I don't see the point and wouldn't feel nervous about it at all. Again, if I'm shooting across the lakes or an ocean and know I'll be out of VHF range... nah, still wouldn't do it. If I found myself in trouble, I could give somebody a close enough fix by knowing when and where I left from, and then see where I'm at on a chart.

[Boatsb]

hey Bird did you get the navionics for the iphone? How is it for the river?

[yachtsmanbill]

I would have expected no less from a guy who does ER checks every 15 minutes.

Just messing with you Sky, but if I didn't know better, I would think running a boat makes you very nervous. Maybe you take things too seriously, maybe I don't take them seriously enough, but to each his own.

Now if I'm heading into waters I've never encountered before, I too will do my homework as you described. As for noting my position every 20-30 minutes, unless I'm cruising way beyond 20-30 knots, I don't see the point and wouldn't feel nervous about it at all. Again, if I'm shooting across the lakes or an ocean and know I'll be out of VHF range... nah, still wouldn't do it. If I found myself in trouble, I could give somebody a close enough fix by knowing when and where I left from, and then see where I'm at on a chart.

No Way... just professional. DEAD RECKONING is the first general order!! ws

[Boatsb]

There is nothing wrong with noting your position and it should be done every 30 minutes. When the electronics fail you need to have a starting point.

When I go offshore I not the position and the direction and speed if running of if trolling a pattern just the position. I have only needed to know where I was once to make this an absolute. Interestigly the one time I neede to know was the time the owner ( not me) had no charts. ( not even a placemat)

[Jaxfishgyd]

Randy,
You going to just get the 6 pac or the master? Only an extra 3 days to get the upgrade....And you would probably get the 100 ton....

[Sparky1]

Randy,
You going to just get the 6 pac or the master? Only an extra 3 days to get the upgrade....And you would probably get the 100 ton....

Going for the 100 ton Charlie.

Look guys, this isn't a contest of who's right and wrong about everything... or at least it's not from my point of view. Like I said, going 100 miles straight out offshore is not my thing. Keeping 20 minute tabs on my position is just something I don't feel is necessary, not in this day and age.

The way I see it, if I'm offshore, I'm going to have at least two of everything electronic including a handheld VHF and GPS which aren't dependent on the boat's DC system. Even with that, it's highly unlikely you're going to be able to reach anybody on a VHF to report your position. That's why God gave us EPIRB's.

[Sparky1]

hey Bird did you get the navionics for the iphone? How is it for the river?

Yep, the Navionics works great... especially since they did an update on it. I've got the central and east coast apps which give me complete coverage of the Gulf, all the rivers, and everything up and down the east coast including the islands.

I wouldn't depend on it as my primary source of navigation, but it's real handy for trip planning as well as serving the role of a back-up to my back-up.

[hyperfishing]

Navionics charts are WAY OFF in the NYS boat channel on the south shore of Long Island. Reported it numerous times to them, never fixed while I was there - 2007. When in the middle of the narrow channel, my unit displayed me about thirty feet off to one side, driving through someone's yard. Hence, completely useless in fog, in that particular area.

On the 5,000 RPM thing, that was barely enough speed to make headway against the storm front that blasted through. I needed 4,000 RPM merely to stay stationary so the anchors could be pulled up! That is normally somewhere around 60 MPH on my gofast.

As I was an anchor point for the raft-up end, I had two anchors out, and a rope stretched across to the other line of boats, and my opposite number anchor boat. I had the boat owners rafted to me jump on my boat and help wifey with the anchors while I stayed on the throttles. Imagine seeing a line of about two hundred boats blown apart by the storm front, and bearing down on you, facing every which way, some under power, many not.

Hence the need to drive backwards into the wind, towing three other boats, weaving around all the boats bearing down on us, many not under power. I wish someone had been filming that!

Ok, so what is your tale about the recent Columbus day raft up? Did a storm hit it?