I can’t imagine that there are many sailors out there who don’t share John’s and my fascination with lighthouses—walking around them, climbing them, photographing them, reading about what it was like to take care of them—we don’t seem to tire of it. However, in Canada, the USA and the UK, and I’m sure in other places as well, as lighthouses are automated, they are almost always lost to vandalism, disrepair, or replacement with a soulless modern version.
A Very Useful, But Potentially Deadly, Feature of Navigation Apps and Plotters
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Sure, electronic navigation is great, but blindly relying on it, and on those who develop plotter software, could put us on the rocks.
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Don’t Alter Course to Port
Reading Time: 2 minutes
John, inspired by a near miss, shares vital tips to avoid a collision in fog.
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Eyes in the Sky: Mast Cams & Drones
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Drones and mast cameras, can they be useful for navigation? Matt says yes. We also want to hear about your experiences with this intriguing technology.
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A New Best Windows Computer For Navigation
Reading Time: 2 minutes
John’s recommendation for the best computer to run Windows-based navigation software may surprise you, but it makes sense.
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Save Our Lighthouses
Reading Time: 3 minutes
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It Ain’t Necessarily So
Reading Time: 3 minutes
In these days of hyper-accurate GPS navigation and deck mounted plotters, it can sometimes seem like navigation has been reduced to no more than a video game.
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Q&A: Time Signals for Sextant
Reading Time: 2 minutesQuestion: Do you still do sights with a sextant? If so, where do you get the time signal from when underway? I found several shortwave frequencies for time signals on the web but the reception is extremely poor. In fact, I can’t get any useful exact time at all with my SSB receiver (Lowe HF-150 from the UK, built 1995), which otherwise works properly. I am sailing in the Med and I am a beginner with the sextant. Maybe you have some proven frequencies you could share with me?
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Q&A: Magnetic Compass
Reading Time: < 1 minuteQuestion: Do you use a magnetic compass to augment your navigation process?
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Q&A: Custom Log Book
Reading Time: < 1 minute
Question: I read your article, “Knowing Where You Are“, in January’s Cruising World magazine and was wondering if I could see a copy of your custom log book page.
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