Being able to get where you are going is one of the tenets of good seamanship. TrawlerFest-Bay Bridge Marina features three seminars that address this essential skill.
One is a new offering. “Basic Coastal Navigation for Husbands & Wives” is a comprehensive “quick start” guide to navigation, taught by Instructor Bob Sweet, author of The Weekend Navigator, GPS for Mariners, Using GPS, Using GPS with Charts. Sweet teaches essential skills, from planning a cruise, through navigating it and checking along the way. You will learn how to use conventional charts with your electronics in a complementary way to ease your navigation tasks and ensure your safe arrival at your destination.
You’ll also learn some neat tricks for adjusting your navigation along the way and making your task a lot easier. You will learn about tides and currents and how to adjust to them. This also is a great course for mates and crew who would like to share in the navigation. You will get to work with real charts and some plotting tools on a simulated mini-cruise. (Thursday, Oct. 1, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.)
PassageMaker Electronics Editor Ben Ellison presents “Multi-Function Displays: Now & In the Future,” a primer on navigation in the digital age. Chart plotters first became multifunction displays (MFDs) when they could also show radar and fish-finding sonar. Now many other possible functions have been added — like forward and side looking sonar, weather, camera display/control, engine monitoring, and digital switching — with more coming.
Ellison has extensive MFD systems from Garmin, Simrad, Furuno, and Raymarine installed on his test vessel and he’ll illustrate all sorts of integrated navigation in use. He’ll also discuss techniques for managing multiple functions on one or more screens, electronic charting mistakes to avoid, and where it’s all heading. (Saturday, Oct. 3, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.)
“Apps for Cruisers” is another seminar that bears heavily on tablet navigation, and related capabilities, presented by retired Naval Commander John Locke, who has more than 50 years of experience on the seas in naval and recreational craft. Locke will demonstrate the very best of these new phone and tablet app and help guide attendees in their choice of hardware as well. (Wednesday, Sept. 30, 10:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.)
The TrawlerFest boat show and seminar series runs Tuesday through Sunday, Sept. 29-Oct. 4. The boat show runs Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 1-4, and includes booths displaying marine products and services. You may also call 954.703.4789 or email us at [email protected]
