For All Those Who Only Use Electronic Navigation...

[chala]

Originally Posted by s/v Beth

I wonder if there should be a different circumnav category for those that do it without electronics....

Some race (sydney to hobart?) give you handicap benefit if you manualy steer, a start but someone must be pretty ludditetic to do without electronic.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by chala

Some race (sydney to hobart?) give you handicap benefit if you manualy steer,

yeah, by disqualifing everyone who uses an auto pilot.

[chala]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

yeah, by disqualifing everyone who uses an auto pilot.

Are you so sure mister mark?

[chala]

8.6 Cruising Division
The Cruising Division will be scored on
a points system, details of which will be
contained in the Sailing Instructions.
Boats will prior to the start nominate the
times at which they intend to first cross
certain latitudes, and be awarded points
based on the accuracy of that prediction.
Points will also be awarded or deducted
based on engine and autopilot usage.

[seafish]

Just follow the guy that has so many antennas he looks like a porcupine...

[MarkJ]

"Some race (sydney to hobart?) give you handicap benefit if you manualy steer, "

Originally Posted by chala

The Cruising Division ....
Points will also be awarded or deducted
based on engine and autopilot usage.

Mark

[s/v Beth]

I am just saying (as has been said before) That GPS hooked into your autopilot hooked into your small but powerful generator gives you the ability to program your circumnavigation before you leave the dock, and for you to just snore your way through the "challenge". What fun is that? Instead, like fly fishing, what if you navigated without everyone in worlds help? What if you handled the boat yourself, and navigated by what your sense tell you instead of a GPS/AIS/radar dohicky demands of you through a computer screen? I see that as a purer challenge.
Then again if you want to party nonstop....

[IslandHopper]

Originally Posted by s/v Beth

what if you navigated without everyone in worlds help? What if you handled the boat yourself, and navigated by what your sense tell you instead of a GPS/AIS/radar dohicky demands of you through a computer screen? I see that as a purer challenge.

The problem with this is 50%+ would probably not make it out of the marina without activating the local SAR services....

[Stillraining]

Originally Posted by s/v Beth

I am just saying (as has been said before) That GPS hooked into your autopilot hooked into your small but powerful generator gives you the ability to program your circumnavigation before you leave the dock, and for you to just snore your way through the "challenge". What fun is that? Instead, like fly fishing, what if you navigated without everyone in worlds help? What if you handled the boat yourself, and navigated by what your sense tell you instead of a GPS/AIS/radar dohicky demands of you through a computer screen? I see that as a purer challenge.
Then again if you want to party nonstop....

OK I will give you I would feel a sence of acheavment and some satisfaction in that but no more ( actually less ) then doing the same with the stars and a coumpas.

Party Nonstop?....Ha!...There is enough to do on a boat, at least the ones I can afoard.. without fiddeling with a slide rule and tables.

[chala]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

"Some race (sydney to hobart?) give you handicap benefit if you manualy steer, "
Mark

Yes there is races for cruising folks and your's forum is a Cruiser Forum.
Great that this exist in the "Rolex Sydney to Hobart" of fame.

[barnakiel]

I do not think there is any "before and after GPS" thing going on. Unless you rely solely on the GPS and neither know (nor carry) any other way of getting your fixes.

Remember that it is always recommended to use two or more methods of getting a fix, and then selecting the more accurate one - no matter how many position fixing methods you might have at hand. So, going by the gps ONLY is actually not a good practice in any case.

barnie

[Bash]

solar flares. yikes. I'm thinking it could be really dangerous to take a noon sight in the middle of a solar flare.

(in most sailboat races, btw, use of an autopilot is grounds for disqualification unless a specific exception is made in the Sailing Instructions. RRS rule 52 says: "A boat’s standing rigging, running rigging, spars and movable hull appendages shall be adjusted and operated only by manual power.")

[Astrid]

Remember that it is always recommended to use two or more methods of getting a fix, and then selecting the more accurate one - no matter how many position fixing methods you might have at hand. So, going by the gps ONLY is actually not a good practice in any case.

I think that is very wise advise--one should never rely on any single method--one always needs one or more alternates to check for accuracy.