Navigational Summary

Navigating down the west coast is pretty simple. Keep the shore to port and the ocean to starboard.  So why sweat all the navigational equipment?    Check the correct answer below.

NO!  Just north of Santa Cruz, California the 210 failed.  So I fired up the backup GPS 72. It couldn't get a position either.  Both were reporting poor signals.  "Uh oh"  I thought ... "Was Uncle Sam blasting away at some new terrorist haven?"   Rubbing my hands together in worry then start with dead reckoning.

Barely got going with the DR routine and both GPS's jumped back to life, maybe 45 minutes later.

1. Nobeltec support sucks, often takes a week to get in touch with an inexperienced non-boating nerd,  who's best suggestion is to re-boot and try again.  Pretty pathetic.
    
2. Under XP, if the software crashes and you modify your route before the software crash, the program will automatically restart,  using the un-modified route.  Very serious if you use the software in conjunction with your autopilot, as you may not even notice that the software has crashed and restarted.  Is this what got the BC Ferry?
    
3. The data base corrupts regularly. That throws the program into a recovery loop that can only be avoided by using task manager to kill the software and then deleting the data base.  When you delete the 'database' the program looses all routes, waypoints, etc.  Note what Nobeltec calls a database is in reality a simple text file.

Nobeltec can use any raster charts.  The company provides some helpful navigational photos and the coast guard charts are also interesting to provide another view.

The weather overlays are also useful for large scale planning.  Where available I primarily use local weather forecasts for coastal navigation.

Prior to each leg,  I use the Nobeltec software to plot the course then analyze in detail to insure we are well clear of all dangers. As we travel, I monitor position and course continually.

While underway, most often we run with the Comnav autopilot steering down the plotted course.  The Connav unit requires manual adjustments to get the best steering response, power usage, activity combination in different wind/sea conditions.  In close quarters hand steering is required.

We can steer the boat using the Nobeltec software and the autopilot,  but doing so is rather clumsy.  Most often we use the autopilot controls for dodging debris or to alter course temporarily. 

When sailing, the autopilot steers a better course for the wind when it is steering to a magnetic heading.

Radar support from Nobeltec is pathetic.  Sitex has better support, but Sitex had trouble executing a repair for me.  Took about 6 weeks to do a repair from Mexico.  For 2 of those weeks, the unit sat on the Sitex shipping dock.  As it was a warrantee repair,  Sitex said they would pay 1/2 the shipping.  But when the shipping department found out the unit was bound for Mexico - it was no way Jose!   Everything stopped until I chased them down and found they would not honor the return shipping.