Some of the comments here remind me of one of the first masters I sailed with who would turn the radar off for the same reasons. “not looking out the window” “it might break” etc etc.
A navigators job is to use any and all tools at his disposal to complete a safe voyage. An electronic charting system from ecdis to an iphone with iNavX is nothing more than just one more tool. So is looking out the window.
The GPS enabled iphone, PDA, Smartphone or Laptop with charting software also have the added backup advantage of being totally separate from the ships systems, (think Cosco Buson).
I recall learning somewhere that one must not rely on only one navigation aid alone. <grin>
[quote=SaltAir;20642]Some of the comments here remind me of one of the first masters I sailed with who would turn the radar off for the same reasons. “not looking out the window” “it might break” etc etc.
A navigators job is to use any and all tools at his disposal to complete a safe voyage. An electronic charting system from ecdis to an iphone with iNavX is nothing more than just one more tool. So is looking out the window.
The GPS enabled iphone, PDA, Smartphone or Laptop with charting software also have the added backup advantage of being totally separate from the ships systems, (think Cosco Buson).
I recall learning somewhere that one must not rely on only one navigation aid alone. <grin>
SaltAir</grin>[/quote]
I agree for the most part, but with regards to the master turning off the radar, I can understand the motivation. If you watch a pilot conning the ship on a clear day they may spend 5 minutes at the window for every 15 seconds they spend at the radar, with many inexperienced mates in a similar situation the ratio will be reversed, 15 seconds looking out the window for every 5 minutes looking at the radar.
There is something seductive about Radar/ARPA (and ECDIS) . How do you wean inexperienced mates off reliance on electronics in situations when their use is not appropriate?