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To: Grut

I’ve never known anyone who calls a navigational chart a “map”.
A proper sailor who navigates the oceans had better be able to take star-shots for dead reckoning. It may be one of the only choices he has in an emergency black-out.
One of the major flaws that bite people, here on the Great Lakes, is a over-reliance on GPS. They punch in a destination, hit go-to, and never consult a chart, which would show the rocky shoals that lie directly between them, and the destination, lakeside bar.
The ship I served on still had a quaint blow-pipe, a ships telegraph, a brass binnacle (complete w/navigators’ nuts), and a very large wooden wheel. No GPS. We were hi-tech with Loran, Radar, an intermitant Gyro, and charts.
The Captain was a crusty old Aussie (40), who would drink us young-uns under the the table, and then could circum-navigate us across the oceans with nary a care.


46 posted on 05/23/2010 7:20:53 PM PDT by gigster
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To: gigster
Dang, you had BETTER know how to use the charts or you are going to be in heap big trouble.

I heard about some non-navigating idiot in the Atlantic Race for Cruisers who accidentally programmed BOTH his GPSs at 700 kts instead of 7. Several days into the race he radio'd at large in a panic because the GPS said he was in the Sea of Japan somewhere.

50 posted on 05/23/2010 7:41:19 PM PDT by AnAmericanMother (Ministrix of ye Chasse, TTGC Ladies' Auxiliary (recess appointment)T)
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