Charting and navigation?

[paul2884]

Originally Posted by Mrs.

Hi all,Mrs. Here.

So hubs bought a Sailboat boat nearly 3mos ago and isn't sure of what programs to use for navigation and charting.
What do y'all use/recommend?
Currently, we have a laptop that's only 4gb.
Would we need to upgrade to 8gb? Would that be enough?
Thanks so much!!

paper never runs out of batteries! opencpn is great but needs power. proper MFD is waterproof and designed for the job.

[Little John]

61 posts and only 2 useful. Whatever you will use on an electronic base for navigation, keep always paper charts on board of your area. With bearing and deep of water you can easily fix your position, in case electronics don`t work. Keep in mind GPS is a military system and can be switched of any time for normal use. And more important GPS is not failurefree. If you search the internet you will find infos.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by CyKlop

I do a lot of single-hand sailing as well. I didn't mean to imply that there aren't other ways of doing things. I probably should have said that on my boat, that's how it's done - hand steering all the time, someone at the helm, rather than autopilot _except_ when I have to (like you) go forward and raise sails. Then I would likely turn on the autopilot - if it were working (my next project is to fix it).


I've had to do the "Point the nose into the wind, run forward, raise the sail part way, run back to the helm, point the nose into the wind, run back, raise the sail some more, run back to the helm" tango and it's NOT a good way (nor smart way, nor intelligent way nor safe way) to do things, I admit.


Now, if I were cruising solo long distance then, yeah, definitely would have an autopilot (or, more likely, windvane steering) system running. I don't have the power reserves on my boat to run an autopilot for very long anyway.


The way my setup works is:


B&G Zeus 3 chart plotter at nav station connected to NMEA2000 data bus, also acting as a wireless hub to be used ONLY by captain and navigator. On the NMEA 2000 data bus I also have the other sensors or instruments too.


Raspberry Pi 4 at the nav station also connected to the NMEA2000 data bus but also utilizing its own (external) GPS receiver, broadcasting a separate wireless server for use by crew and crew stations. This raspberry Pi runs a lot more than OCPN while under way, such as data logging, etc.



At the helm, connected to the "crew" wireless system is an iPad in a waterproof case, complete with sunshield, running either navionics, TimeZero, or a number of other navigation software I've accumulated over the years, or else repeating the Raspberry Pi (or B&G) display.


On my wrist is my phone in a waterproof, surrounded by water resistant, case so that anywhere on the boat, I can see the important numbers such as wind speed, boat speed, awa, twa, etc.


When helming, though, I want that helmsperson to not be fussing with stuff, leaving the helm (no autopilot, generally) to look at the chart plotter, etc. so I have that iPad display right there for them.


At the nav station I also have my laptop running Expedition and CPN for weather charting, planning, etc.



So, yeah, I have more navigation information available than I need. It kind of ends the whole, "yeah, but what if ___ fails? What do you do then?" answer: Use one of the other navigation systems aboard. In an extreme case, get out my sextant and take a sun or moon shot (though with two GPS pucks, and at least one phone, none of which are connected to the boat wiring, the chances of all of them being killed at the same time is less likely than the boat sinking, rendering navigation somewhat moot...


Oh, and what do I do if the iPad at the helm dies? I have a Standard Horizon Chart plotter on a swing-out arm that can be moved into the companionway. It's difficult to see, but better than having to do down the companionway, through the foyer, past the head, to the nav station to look at the chart plotter, then reverse back up to the free-wheeling helm.


How things are set up, and the procedures defined, depend on the kind of sailing you do, the equipment you have, your own (or crew's) skills, how many crew you have, etc. Different people come up with different compromises. At the end of the day, there isn't a perfect system. Can't optimize for all variables, unfortunately.

I should note that my boat is a 43' C&C "Customs' ocean racer-cruiser more towards the "racer" side.

Yeah the last sentence I pretty much figured out from all you wrote before. Of course, I never used an autopilot while racing either now though it's a no brainer for this old cruising boat I have.

When I say I'm not at the helm well with a tiller it's right near me I'm just not steering unless I have the wrong sail or too much sail up for the conditions and the autopilot.

See video one with autopilot doing the job fine as I observe and one with only one reef in main when the main should probably have been down and I'm forced to steer.

As far as raising sail, I usually do that in the creek or at anchor or just after leaving anchor and the good thing is I can raise the mainsail almost all the way and sometimes all the way without using a winch.

This should be one of the things folks planning to single hand a lot should consider when they looking for the right size boat.

Small sails on smaller boats are much easier to handle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agtdrmAqojs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nXfjcCuiPk

[mgrouch]

Bareboat Necessities Os (aka BBN OS) is easiest way to install and use free open source navigational software.

https://bareboat-necessities.github....reboat-os.html

It includes OpenCPN preconfigured.

[Icarus]

Originally Posted by Mrs.

Hi all,Mrs. Here.

So hubs bought a Sailboat boat nearly 3mos ago and isn't sure of what programs to use for navigation and charting.
What do y'all use/recommend?
Currently, we have a laptop that's only 4gb.
Would we need to upgrade to 8gb? Would that be enough?
Thanks so much!!

Get a chart plotter, a free standing GPS and some proper charts in case the electronic goes off grid.
Oh, a sextant can be handy as well.