View from the Helm

We know a modern compass is a necessity. That is, unless you’re really good at celestial navigation and you sail or cruise only under clear skies. In the years before electronic instruments, skippers had to have a watch or clock that was accurate to within 2 seconds of Greenwich Mean Time, and a sextant, used to measure the angle of elevation of a celestial object above the horizon at exactly noon. Sextants were first introduced in 1759. A mariner planning to sail out of land sight would simply take a sight with his sextant to measure the altitude of Polaris, the North Star, as he left port, and determine the latitude to which he would be returning. When ready to return, he would sail north or south, as appropriate, and find the latitude he originally measured. He would then sail down the latitude, keeping Polaris at a constant angle.

When vessels encountered each other at sea, the skippers would compare their time pieces to see how accurate theirs were. Even with modern technology, it is still a good idea to know how to use a sextant as a backup navigation tool, especially for those mariners headed offshore.

All captains have to have a compass to know the direction to guide the vessel, a depth sounder to measure the depth of the water, a simple GPS to measure latitude and longitude, a paper chart to plot the course, a VHF radio to communicate with other boats and emergency services, and, lastly, safety equipment such as personal flotation devices and flares. Then, it’s anchors aweigh!

But, whoa! Have you been in a marine electronics store or seen a catalog lately? There are some really good toys if that’s what floats your boat.

We love the new high performance multifunction navigation equipment. The most advanced of them will offer a GPS Chartplotter with electronic charts and autopilot, fishfinder, radar and video display in a user-friendly networkable navigation system. Add custom interfaces, ultra-bright screens that are easy to read outdoors and super fast data transmission and you have a state-of-the-art navigational dream machine. Installation, which is complex as it includes antennae, radar unit and extensive wiring, should be done by the experts. Then, most of these functions can be updated as necessary by purchasing or downloading software updates. Satellite communication with a weather receiver and a subscription to a radio marine weather service is a useful, worthwhile, modern safety feature that you might consider. So is a wireless man-overboard system. This system uses radio frequency signaling technology (RF) to keep watch of up to 16 crew members. It will sound an alarm when any of the crew moves out of range. The systems links to your video display and provides data critical to the rescue and continued safety of your crew.

There really is a lot more we could suggest: How about a rudder angle indicator – an instrument that indicates when the steering wheel is in the correct position to go straight ahead? We have a large hydraulic steering wheel that after a turn doesn’t always return to the same position. So we can’t use the knot at the top of the wheel to indicate a straight rudder. Also, our wind indicator needs to be replaced. It accurately indicates the direction of the wind, but not the speed. It would be nice to know exactly what we’re up against when close-quarter maneuvering in windy conditions.

After the holiday season is over, we each have a birthday wish list as well as a Mother’s Day and Father’s Day wish list. Hmmm . . . how long before we can get a big plasma flat screen TV aboard?

Ed has been selling boats in the Bay Area for over 12 years. He and his wife, Pam,opened McGrath Pacific Yacht Sales three years ago. Being at the helm of their 36’ trawler is one of Pam’s favorite activities.