Why you shouldn't rely on GPS/Radar alone

[marcucci]

I was just catching up on some posts and I notice people talking about GPS and I think there was one post about radar. However, no one said why you should not (or may not, should not is IMHO) rely on a GPS and/or radar to navigate winnipesaukee.

I have a handheld GPS in my boat that I loaded with some map software that gives me a ok map of the lake, however, there are many small islands missing. I also loaded Bizer's waypoint file on it and while it help it does not contain every single marker out there. I have heard stories of people using GPS to navigate the lake and ending up on a small island in their boat because they were just looking at the GPS screen. I have not used the C-map so I am not sure if that is any better. What I do is "track" my path (often to the eastern part of the lake) so I can follow it back and not pay as much attention to the markers. I never use it as my primary navigation device. I use my eyes and the charts (and my memory of the charts for the west half of the lake).

Now, about radar on the lake. I have been boating on the ocean but it wasn't my boat so I didn't know much about radar. I found out that radar has a "dead spot" around the boat of several feet and much further if the radar is up high. I was out one night watching fireworks in Meredith when a huge cruiser almost ran me and my wife down. My lights were working fine so I couldn't understand why the guy didn't see me. After he passed I noticed he was looking at a plotting screen and not out his window. I looked up and saw the radar on his bridge and realized I wasn't showing up on his radar and he would have plowed right through me! So the moral of the story, if you have radar, don't be this guy. Again, your eyes are invaluable for navigation!

This is my opinion...