Posted by Andy Morley on April 17, 1999 at 13:33:33:
In Reply to: Re: Night Sailing navigation posted by Dave W on April 17, 1999 at 10:37:30:
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Kathryn's points about practicalities in small boats and possibilities of floating objects are the key ones. I would add in moored boats, particularly fishermen who are all the more dangerous now that smoking has gone into a decline. This is coupled with the widely held view that GPS should only be used as a supplement to traditional navigation techniques. Sources of electrical 'spikes' including lightning, power cables and engines all have the potential to disrupt the equipment.
The Radio 4 News Quiz this morning had an anecdote about a German couple out driving who unexpectedly found themselves in the middle of a river. The satelite navigation system of their BMW had failed to tell them that they needed to wait for a ferry.