October 3rd, 2011
There are a couple of options available to sail-boaters today in the arena of navigation. The old tried and trued method of chart reading and dead reckoning have given way to a whole class of electronics. On the market as of late you will find options like G.P.S in a handheld or base system variety. Often in the case of the latter, these come as a combination gadget that can tell you if there are fish in the water or even steer your boat for you when connected to an autopilot.Confused? Here ‘s a little help .
Another option available is a radio based navigation aid called the LORAN-C. This system employs a system of radio towers operating simultaneously at a low frequency to reveal your location. While this system is pretty accurate on open water is suffers losses from obstructions. You also have to use a special chart to decode your position, and for reasons like this it is not as popular as it was before G.P.S. hit the scene. But it’s always a good idea to have a backup plan in case something goes wrong with the primary system, and this could serve that purpose. If you don’t mind the expense. Then again you could just get a handheld and a base G.P.S. and be done with it.