Dont need a Stinkin GPS.

J

jmas

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On a return trip from Bimini with a fellow boater, about 20 miles from home, weather turned crappy. Seas stayed flat but visability was bad due to heavy rain.
GPS showed we were on coarse to Hilsboro Inlet but as we got close to the beach, we could not see the Light house at the Inlet.(Bet some of you know the feeling)
As we got closer and the visability got worse, we slowed to Idle speed and still could not make out a familier landmark.[:-scared] I know we should have more faith in my Garmin, But,,,,,,
My friend Tommy, Who attends and sings in two different Churches every Sunday spots a church Steeple and then another and knew exactly where we were. we had let the wind blow us a little off coarse but Tommy got us back on coarse. (the GPS was right on) but when you cant see, you know how that goes.
We laughed all the way back to the dock :D and I told Tommy to keep going to church, never know when we run into bad weather again.
 
Steeples can be navigation aids. Who knew!

Was one red and one green? :-)
 
j-d
Kurt

Great responces,:D:D:D
I will pass them on to Tommy.
 
Steeples are often charted since they are nav landmark but I ll still take my GPS over looking for steeples in limited vis!

Heck GPS signals comes from above anyway, as good as churches
 
Oh Pascal, such blasphemy. When you start to pucker, you be a praying whether you know it or not.
 
quote:
Originally posted by caltexfla

No radar I take it?

Click to expand...


No Radar. Very rare to have any fog or poor visibility in the area that I boat. There are 3 inlets in fairly close proximity. If I ever retire and expand the area that I boat and fish in, I would consider installing Radar.
 
Growing up on LI and boating on the Great South Bay ... our "landmark" for the entrance to the Patchogue River was the "House with the Red Roof" ...didn't work to well in the fog though. No GPS or Loran back then ... and we still found our way home with a compass!!
 
I have used GPS on clear days and it showed us going over land, but we were right in the middle of the river.
If I have an old poopy trail to follow, I will follow that. But I don't trust GPS in bad weather. I have a
lot more trust in radar, even though I still wonder sometimes if it might miss something.
No matter where we go, I never erase my poopy trials from either GPS. They make is a lot easier to navigate
at a later date.
 
Pete, I remember those days on L.I. That was real FOG.[:-scared] Motauk or the North shore. Rocky Coastlines.

Nothing like that here in Ft. Lauderdale.
We had "No Worries" Could have dropped anchor and waited out the rain.
 
quote:
Originally posted by footloose

a relgious experience for you JMAS - who would have ever thought
;-)

Click to expand...


O, I almost pee'd laughing. Tommy is fairly new to the Fla. Coastline. He had no idea what the Hilsborro Light looked like, could not navigate by the stars but he knows all the steeples so he wont ever get lost.:)
 
quote:
Originally posted by rduhon

I have used GPS on clear days and it showed us going over land, but we were right in the middle of the river.
If I have an old poopy trail to follow, I will follow that. But I don't trust GPS in bad weather. I have a
lot more trust in radar, even though I still wonder sometimes if it might miss something.
No matter where we go, I never erase my poopy trials from either GPS. They make is a lot easier to navigate
at a later date.

Click to expand...


rivers are probably the only time where GPS can be a little off but along the coast, even in the ICW, i've never seen one been off.

we don't have fog here in so fl, so radar is not at the top of the list. in the past 20 years i've been down here, only once have i seen fog dense enough to require radar. that was last month leaving the St Lucie river and out to the bahamas.. radar was welcome but otherwise had we waited an hour vis. woudl have been good enough.

i remember a trip in december of 09, to Houston where the fog started about 100NM west of NOLA, all the way to Houston. barges were parked along the banks. used both GPS and radar, GPS was always spot on.

down here at night you have a lot of reflected light from teh city so you can do without radar either.
 
We are not far from Houston, Tx.
We have fog in the mornings between late Dec. and mid March. Not every day, depends on the fronts.
 
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