>Richard Smith wrote: >> It is very rare for visibility to get below a 1/4 mile and I >> have never seen >> less then 1/8 mile. 1/8 mile is about 625 feet There are plenty of uses where precise accuracy is called for. Here in the South San Francisco Bay area, at high tide or half tide, the entire Bay is kayakable. At low tide or especially at a minus tide, the entire 9 square miles reverts to a mudflat with only a few narrow channels that can be paddled. The Bay is extremely cool when you are in these channels, as the birds come out and the sea life is concentrated into the remaining water. The trouble is, without GPS, discerning the unmarked channels is not a simple matter. The water can, and does (and has) left me high and dry because I was not quite exactly where I thought I was. The penalty for such a mistake is a half hour or hour of sitting there waiting for water to return. GPS makes a wonderful speedometer, if you are working on maintaining a pace. GPS is great for making your way across an open bay, part of which is subject to significant currents, and other parts which are less so, and none of which is on the chart. GPS is helpful when you are making your way through passages which aren't on any map, and have few if any identifying features, such as the canals and streams inside Bair Island or Greco Island in the Bay. But, GPS is really not something to stake your safety on. I've had one die due to corrosion; more than one "oops, the batteries are dead"; and one is in the shop for service after being dropped. Safety and real navigation is what compasses and charts are for. GPS is a very cool tool, used properly, and within its limits. jerry. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue May 16 2000 - 10:48:44 PDT
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