Danger, & Escape Bearings - Who still plots them, & how?

[conachair]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

We may debate about paper vs electronics, but I don't think there can be any reasonable question about the necessity of paying attention to physical navigation marks -- buoys and leading lines, or "ranges" as we sometimes call them.

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We should all, all of us, be looking at and understanding all the navigational marks, including ranges. You should never just drive the dot on the plotter -- that's not navigation.

As with everything boat related.....well, sometimes but that depends...

You're assuming there are any marks, going in the depth sounder is way up the list of things to be watching as well - below was a few days ago slowly creeping in trying to find the best water, coming out again on a black night at HW this would be a huge lake with a very occasional flashing red or green and some withies you won't see, next to nothing to indicate where the channel is so top of the list here if you somehow needed to clear out would certainly driving the dot on the tablet

Shows as well how useful google earth can be as well as another source of nav info.


More normally it's everything and anything - does it all make sense??
Not mentioned so far is why haven't you moved to an easier spot to run away from? Forecasts are accurate enough to show if it's going to really kick off, go hide away somewhere safer and easier to run away from should the unlikely happen and you have to. That and anchoring towards the prevailing wind means it's less likely to get hit when someone else drags even if it means another few minutes in the dinghy to happy hour.
Really nasty thunderstorm could of course sneak up on you and make life more exciting than you might like



PS- There may never be compass bearings to get out but almost always there's an A4 stuck on a bulkhead in the main cabin with HW/LW times and heights for the week in BIG writing visible from the cockpit and favourite seat .

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Seighlor

There's always gonna be one.

I thought it was a good question with (mostly) interesting responses.

Not one but most people today rely on chartplotters, cell phones and iPads. You need to get with the times partner..... it's been over eight years since I looked at my compass; and it's not because I don't know how to use one, as I was sailing long before gps was even invented and learned way back in the 1960's in Boy Scouts.

It's simply an obsolite skill in this day and age.

[donradcliffe]

In a simple anchorage, we always make a mental note of the escape direction. However, if I had to escape an umarked coral anchorage in no or bad light, I just don't think I could do it without reversing my track on the chartplotter. The charts may be way off, but the track shows me a safe way out.

[Kenomac]

Regarding trust in compass, markers and paper charts....

Notice where my boat is located (red). If I, or anyone else tried to get into this marina or anchorage using only a compass, paper chart and the channel markers with a 2.5 meter draft, we'd run aground for sure. The channel markers direct you right over a 1.4 meter deep mud flat. On the other hand, the chartplotter, iPad or iPhone will keep you centered in the 5-6 meter deep shipping channel.

[Cheechako]

I do note the port /starboard exit bearings to stay inside of in any iffy anchorage. I just write them down.

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by conachair

Not mentioned so far is why haven't you moved to an easier spot to run away from? Forecasts are accurate enough to show if it's going to really kick off, go hide away somewhere safer and easier to run away from should the unlikely happen and you have to. That and anchoring towards the prevailing wind means it's less likely to get hit when someone else drags even if it means another few minutes in the dinghy to happy hour.
Really nasty thunderstorm could of course sneak up on you and make life more exciting than you might like

What if the prevailing wind requires you to anchor in a spot that is difficult to run away from (i.e. sea breeze, anchoring deep in a harbor, etc.) , so that you're clear of those who drag?

I think most of us evaluate myriad factors when we choose an anchoring spot such as current/wind/wave protection, weather forecast, nearby anchored neighbors, convenience, etc. Personally a good and easy "escape route" is fairly low down my list of criteria because it's a less likely emergency situation. And usually it's all the other factors that you consider before it that end up being causal.

In other words, I'm not going to anchor head to wind at the mouth of a harbor with a building land breeze because that affords me the easiest escape route...because it dramatically elevates the chance that something is going to go wrong.

[conachair]

Originally Posted by Suijin

What if the prevailing wind requires you to anchor in a spot that is difficult to run away from (i.e. sea breeze, anchoring deep in a harbor, etc.) , so that you're clear of those who drag?

Was thinking more day to day, and depends on time of year..

In the summer in a lot of anchorages charter/ out on the 2 weeks holiday boats can drag long before a lot of us would even think about taking the wind scoop down let alone move..

[Cheechako]

There are plenty of instances where a weather report doesnt include local conditions like middle of the night Chubascos etc. I once had to exit a nice deserted calm bay in Mexico due to that. The wind was gusting 50 and chain rode was banging up bar tight and making the whole boat shudder. It was nip and tuck getting the rode in. I had my bearings written down and good thing... because it was a moonless night and dark as hell. I spent the whole night sailing the Sea of Cortez after the exit. Oh well, it's something to remember.

[estarzinger]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Chubascos

Yea, Baja is a prime example of not infrequent quite strong changes in local conditions. Something to consider in all anchorages there. Fortunately, usually the exits are not too navigationally tricky.

However, it is always possible to get caught out by a weather change. That Tonga situation I mentioned above, I was aware of a front coming, but it was unusual (and not forecast) to swing the wind direction so much to the west to cause a problem for that anchorage.

It is an interesting debate and risk management decision when/whether to move in the dark. I will say that compared to most, we tended to move earlier. If the wind swung to an 'open or long fetch' direction and started to build at all we would probably be up and thinking about moving, as it is better to get out early before there is a mess. If the bow started to pitch enough to make sleep difficult we would almost certainly be getting out.

We usually felt quite comfortable/confident moving in the dark. We both had pretty good situational awareness. Usually I was 100% on deck looking outside the boat, keeping my night vision and developing a feel and smell and sound of the situation, while Beth was usually split between monitoring the nav electronics and looking around enough to make sure everything looked consistent and expected. But if there were uncharted coral heads (Pacific) or uncharted rocks (chile) it was obviously trickier and the risk calculus changed - we did then have to depend on the breadcrumb trail more . . . but even then in the end I still trusted my 'feel' for the situation more than the plotter and would hand steer at real slow speed just looking and feeling outside the boat . . . . listening to Beth as she told me the plotter said I should go left - factoring that in but doing what felt right.