In fact, one lesson of that terrifying moment off Cape Cod is that a wise navigator is slightly paranoid, as in “Sure, everything looks good, but what am I missing?”Īt any rate, the Plotter Sync route transfer feature of the Navionics Boating app has been an excellent tool as I first moved Gizmo at delivery pace from Maine to Annapolis ( discussed here) and then slow cruised/tested down Chesapeake Bay to Hampton ( tracked here). Creating, checking, and using a route to the next destination is a great start at good situational awareness, but a wise navigator regularly uses all resources available to check on their situation. I’ve certainly had such moments myself, and this case of navigating to the wrong side of Cape Cod in a gale is perhaps especially interesting because I thought I was on a safe route.
Now, they were never in danger because they were still navigating an elaborately marked commercial channel, but even a crude route showing the major turns on their chart screen could have prevented what must have been a “holy s.t” moment toward the end of a long dark night. I know that many experienced boaters understand their value, but the multifunction displays that otherwise deserve their popularity do not yet shine at route making, and these days many of us simply don’t do what our screens don’t make it easy to do.įor example, the AIS track above shows a very well equipped and operated yacht that almost got to Philadelphia before realizing they’d missed the C&D canal. These entries will also be a chance for me to preach about using routes to avoid navigation mistakes. Moreover, many Garmin owners are about to receive a wonderful app gift, and while the different advances are not such a competition now, together they suggest the broad harmony between phones, tablets, PCs and MFDs many of us will eventually experience on our boats… Did my planned back-to-back reviews of evolving Navionics and Garmin apps suddenly become moot when the Garmin acquired Navionics on Friday? I don’t think so! The terrific Plotter Sync integration I’ve been experiencing between the Navionics Boating app and multifunction displays from Simrad and Raymarine is not likely to go away anytime soon, if ever, and it may add significantly to your current navigation happiness.