Few recreational power vessels have as much in common with commercial vessels as a power voyaging yacht. Some power voyagers are powerful enough to defray their costs of operation by doing a little towing as a sideline. Given this, power…
What precision is needed when plotting positions on a chart? Mariners have lived with the "inaccuracy" of celestial navigation, so one might argue that "four miles is close enough." This is probably true on a passage far from land when…
The world of electronic charting has been changing rapidly over the last few years, and it does not look like it will stop anytime soon. Vector charts, in particular, are hot. Last year Nobeltec introduced the first U.S. PC navigation…
Recently we converted our wooden-sparred ketch Nada to an aluminum-sparred cutter. The idea was to remove weight aloft from what had always been an overly tender boat. However, I didn't get things quite right when I calculated the new location…
One of the hallmarks of a competent celestial navigator is the ability to take quality sights under almost any conditions. However, even the most practiced navigators recognize that often a sight that seems of high quality when first taken may…
There are several systems to control the mainsail and keep it off the deck when it is being dropped. We will address three systemsbasic lazy jacks and two patented systemsthat can be added to a conventional mast and boom, leaving…
From Ocean Navigator #102 November/December 1999 Rapid radar plotting has been useful for the ocean mariner, but has always been viewed as a burden by the coastal mariner. If one does not use radar plotting or some other form of…
A commercial airline pilot with a passion for celestial navigation has bought and restored a vintage military training craft, which he will soon use as a platform for lessons in celestial navigation for aviators and enthusiasts. Despite the fact that…
In November 1998, nearly all participants in the West Marine Caribbean 1500 Cruising Rally experienced high seas and strong winds generated by the remains of tropical storm Mitch as it roared from the Florida coast eastward past Bermuda. Most of…
Mariners have yet another web based source to assist them in voyage planning. M.O.S.T., the Marine Observing Systems Team, a part of NOAA, cooperates with other parts of the agency to develop applications and provide a detailed view of the…
Making landfall after an offshore voyage continues to be a notable event, even with today's excellent electronic aids to navigation. The horizon may have been empty for days when a navigator starts to look for land to break the clean…
To the editor: Sven Donaldson's article on autopilots ("The inner life of an autopilot," Issue 120, March/April 2002) is quite educational and well-written. However, his assessment of future GPS-based heading devices is not indicative of the commercially available GPS heading…
