Re: GPS!!!
> So the boat owner set up the GPS and autopilot then sent the boaton its way (unmanned) across the Sound.
I do remember reading that powerboats underway from the US to Bermuda
under autopilot without lookouts present a serious hazard to
commercial shipping off the US east coast.
I am reminded of a story from the 1920's or thereabouts. Some Gatsby-
type high flier on Long Island had a high-powered speedboat and
during an out-of-control turn got himself thrown out into the water.
The unmanned boat tracked straight across Long Island Sound and piled
up on the rocks on the Connecticut side. The well-known boat was
quickly identified, the owner presumed killed, and his (premature)
obituary was in print before the day was out.
Nowadays, powerboats are much safer and journalists are much more
careful. Aren't they? And they would have us believe that the 24-hour
news cycle is a new thing.
Peter (about to take a walk in the 50 degree sunshine)
Thank you, very good reminder. I remember being surprised how close to the
buoys our (manually piloted) track would come -- and this was back when they
had "selective availability" turned on.
There was an urban legend in the Seattle area about some guy who was going
to let his friend borrow his boat. Trouble was that the friend was on the
other side of the Sound and neither had time to take the ferry across. So
the boat owner set up the GPS and autopilot then sent the boat on its way
(unmanned) across the Sound. Hopefully untrue, but if it became an urban
habit instead of a legend ... .
Larry Barker
buoys our (manually piloted) track would come -- and this was back when they
had "selective availability" turned on.
There was an urban legend in the Seattle area about some guy who was going
to let his friend borrow his boat. Trouble was that the friend was on the
other side of the Sound and neither had time to take the ferry across. So
the boat owner set up the GPS and autopilot then sent the boat on its way
(unmanned) across the Sound. Hopefully untrue, but if it became an urban
habit instead of a legend ... .
Larry Barker
----- Original Message -----
From: "Philip Smith" <pbs@...>
To: <bolger@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, January 25, 2002 6:06 PM
Subject: Re: [bolger] GPS!!!
>
> Second irritating warning: If you are planning to hook your GPS up to an
> auto pilot make sure you use a point about twenty feet from the bouy or
> mark or, in San Francisco's case, a bridge abutment, for your waypoint.
The
> Coast Guard rescues people who put in the bridge support of one of our
> beautiful bridges. While the skipper was doing something more important
> than paying attention to where he was going, the auto pilot ran right into
> the bridge. "Just doing what you told me to do, Boss."
>
> Phil Smith
>
>
<Snip>
auto pilot make sure you use a point about twenty feet from the bouy or
mark or, in San Francisco's case, a bridge abutment, for your waypoint. The
Coast Guard rescues people who put in the bridge support of one of our
beautiful bridges. While the skipper was doing something more important
than paying attention to where he was going, the auto pilot ran right into
the bridge. "Just doing what you told me to do, Boss."
Phil Smith
>When running up and down the Columbia River we found itSecond irritating warning: If you are planning to hook your GPS up to an
>useful to use the light list to enter the buoy
>locations as waypoints then build a route from them.
>The GPS would display a nice little racetrack with
>distance-to-waypoint. Handy for keeping on the edge of
>a channel (out of the ships' way and off of the sand
>banks). When coming in across the bar at night it was
>pretty darn nice to be able to verify our position
>(carfully plotted off of the lighthouses, of course).
auto pilot make sure you use a point about twenty feet from the bouy or
mark or, in San Francisco's case, a bridge abutment, for your waypoint. The
Coast Guard rescues people who put in the bridge support of one of our
beautiful bridges. While the skipper was doing something more important
than paying attention to where he was going, the auto pilot ran right into
the bridge. "Just doing what you told me to do, Boss."
Phil Smith
Congratulations on your new toy (er, tool)! I love
those things.
When running up and down the Columbia River we found it
useful to use the light list to enter the buoy
locations as waypoints then build a route from them.
The GPS would display a nice little racetrack with
distance-to-waypoint. Handy for keeping on the edge of
a channel (out of the ships' way and off of the sand
banks). When coming in across the bar at night it was
pretty darn nice to be able to verify our position
(carfully plotted off of the lighthouses, of course).
<Standard and probably irritating warning> Of course,
you always want to use more than one navigation method
to determine your position and course <end warning>
Using a new GPS as an excuse for building a sea boat
seems like a good idea to me. You could even enter the
Columbia buoys and use that as an excuse to do a west
coast cruise.
Enjoy!
Larry
Quoting David Ryan <david@...>:
<snip>
those things.
When running up and down the Columbia River we found it
useful to use the light list to enter the buoy
locations as waypoints then build a route from them.
The GPS would display a nice little racetrack with
distance-to-waypoint. Handy for keeping on the edge of
a channel (out of the ships' way and off of the sand
banks). When coming in across the bar at night it was
pretty darn nice to be able to verify our position
(carfully plotted off of the lighthouses, of course).
<Standard and probably irritating warning> Of course,
you always want to use more than one navigation method
to determine your position and course <end warning>
Using a new GPS as an excuse for building a sea boat
seems like a good idea to me. You could even enter the
Columbia buoys and use that as an excuse to do a west
coast cruise.
Enjoy!
Larry
Quoting David Ryan <david@...>:
<snip>
> Well I sort of hit the jackpot this year, and<snip>
> yesterday the
> back-ordered unit arrived. I'm totally stunned
> by the power of this
> little yellow box.
>
> I hardly know how to begin to express my
> amazement with GPS. Even
> though I used to shoot photographs for articles
> that ran in a
> high-end GPS users magazine, I had never
> actually held one in my
> hand. I'm not even sure what I'll do with the
> thing other than clock
> my scooner -- but even that seems unbelievably
> amazing. I feel like I
> should build a sea boat, or something -- I'm not
> even sure what.
Perhaps you can use it to measure the length of your Wyoh!
FBBB --
On my wife's side of the family (nine siblings plus spouses) the
Christmas ritual involves each adult putting their name and Christmas
list into a hat, and then each adult drawing a name/list.
This year all I really wanted was some hotwheels track, but since I
hate when people just put one thing on their list (if that's all you
want, buy it yourself) I put a few other things down include the
basic model eTrex GPS.
Well I sort of hit the jackpot this year, and yesterday the
back-ordered unit arrived. I'm totally stunned by the power of this
little yellow box.
Years and years ago, my Father and I ran a fish boat out of Mission
Bay in San Diego. Our electronics include a radio, depth-finder,
auto-pilot and loran-C. Our need for precision navigation was limited
to the Winter months when using a combination of DR, loran and depth
finder we'd find out way back to good rocks as far as 60 miles
offshore. Aside from actually shooting the sun, everything was done
by hand, on paper charts with parallel rules, calipers, etc. Once we
got to the right loran numbers, we'd turn on the sounder and start
"looking." All together the instruments cost several thousand
dollars, and we had a small suitcase to take them to and from the
boat. I thought it was amazing.
I hardly know how to begin to express my amazement with GPS. Even
though I used to shoot photographs for articles that ran in a
high-end GPS users magazine, I had never actually held one in my
hand. I'm not even sure what I'll do with the thing other than clock
my scooner -- but even that seems unbelievably amazing. I feel like I
should build a sea boat, or something -- I'm not even sure what.
YIBB,
David
C.E.P.
134 West 26th St. 12th Floor
New York, New York 10001
http://www.crumblingempire.com
(212) 247-0296
On my wife's side of the family (nine siblings plus spouses) the
Christmas ritual involves each adult putting their name and Christmas
list into a hat, and then each adult drawing a name/list.
This year all I really wanted was some hotwheels track, but since I
hate when people just put one thing on their list (if that's all you
want, buy it yourself) I put a few other things down include the
basic model eTrex GPS.
Well I sort of hit the jackpot this year, and yesterday the
back-ordered unit arrived. I'm totally stunned by the power of this
little yellow box.
Years and years ago, my Father and I ran a fish boat out of Mission
Bay in San Diego. Our electronics include a radio, depth-finder,
auto-pilot and loran-C. Our need for precision navigation was limited
to the Winter months when using a combination of DR, loran and depth
finder we'd find out way back to good rocks as far as 60 miles
offshore. Aside from actually shooting the sun, everything was done
by hand, on paper charts with parallel rules, calipers, etc. Once we
got to the right loran numbers, we'd turn on the sounder and start
"looking." All together the instruments cost several thousand
dollars, and we had a small suitcase to take them to and from the
boat. I thought it was amazing.
I hardly know how to begin to express my amazement with GPS. Even
though I used to shoot photographs for articles that ran in a
high-end GPS users magazine, I had never actually held one in my
hand. I'm not even sure what I'll do with the thing other than clock
my scooner -- but even that seems unbelievably amazing. I feel like I
should build a sea boat, or something -- I'm not even sure what.
YIBB,
David
C.E.P.
134 West 26th St. 12th Floor
New York, New York 10001
http://www.crumblingempire.com
(212) 247-0296