Yeah that does not work in Maine or even in the pacific north west. All those places with lots of islands and inlets and fishing traffic really need to be negotiated from the helm by an experienced skipper who knows how to operate a VHF set. There is no way I would let the plotter do all the driving around a place like Whimby Island.K9Kampers wrote:X2!Phil M wrote:Boat, that's a lot of stuff. And with two backbones? That certainly sounds sci-fi. My boat has no backbone so I guess that makes it a lowly invertebrate. and I won't be able to launch any misiles from inside the cabin either. Everything will have to be done topside, including straining my neck to look at the wind indicator. Your system sounds like it's going to be able to compete with Highlander.
I sail old school, chart in hand and do time / distance calculations in my head - if I'm inclined to. GPS and dumbphone stored below.
Difference between the left coast and the Maine coast is that I have more to look at - scenic shorelines and islands, wildlife, lobster pots... No offence, but sailing over here is more rewarding than always being face down in electronics.
Out in the Pacific down here where I am it's all just a cruise.
You set the course on the helm and walk away for many hours at a time - my wife and I sit around a bottle and have long talks or study the sonar for whales or just lay back in the hammock to nap a little - for us it's all about leaving all our problems behind and relaxing in the warm breeze. If we see any boat at all it's such an anomaly that I usually will alter course to get a closer look. For the folks on the east coast it's just the opposite - they are trying to AVOID other traffic as much as possible. Over here your hoping to see someone, ANY-one, even a whale or a dolphin.
In those conditions there is no need to man the helm - I prefer to walk around on the deck and stretch my legs or go below for a sandwich or something. I could go on like that for days and be as happy as a clam.