lost GPS

nethawg · 07-26-2005, 06:49 AM

Was in the San Jauns over the weekend. Great time, did some carbbing and some fishing, mostly went boating. On the way back in to Anacortes the GPS locks up. Mind you at the time the water was like glass and I was looking for floaters of all kinds. With the throttle down I was not paying attention to land markings, I became lost. Had the charts out looked for bouys, thought I was at the # 4 but I was really at the # 4s. I had taken a course with the power squadron a couple of years on bouys and such, but my memory is often short. I rely so much these days on the GPS back tracking that I did not have a basic plan to follow. Any way just a reminder the shore looks the same when layered in fog. Lets refresh ourselves often.

Buy the way, any recomendations on a GPS / chart style I seem to have lost mine some where in the San Jauns.

tracker · 07-26-2005, 08:54 PM

First carry a backup hand held gps.

sandman · 07-26-2005, 09:01 PM

Whats carbbing?Is that a fish?

skein · 07-26-2005, 09:13 PM

I second the "handheld backup" idea. First off, they're usually quite a bit cheaper since you don't need all the bells and whistles. Second, they are separate from any of your on-board electrics. If you lose all of your boat's electrical power the handheld will still operate. Third, you can dispense with charts and just enter important "get me home" waypoints and routes. If you've turned it on while you're headed out you can even use the trackback feature to lead you back in.

I have two mounted gps's, AND a handheld.

As you know all too well, stuff happens.

Skein

5 Salt · 07-26-2005, 11:33 PM

I like the Lowrance H2O handheld GPS if you are running Navionics charts. Good screen w/ backlight for $195. The mapping works real slick for just such an emergency. Comes with a lighter plug power cord so you can keep running all day without having for fiddle with the batteries.

djchaser · 07-27-2005, 05:31 AM

I picked up a garmin gpsmap76 at BoaterWorld for $199 recently,check with them. It sure is a cheap way to save your butt when it gets yucky out and you dont have to worry about it going down if you lose your electrical system in your boat.