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Article: Instrument landing. (chart plotter and autopilot)
- Article from:
- Yachting
- Article date:
- November 1, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 Bonnier Corporation. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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I've always taken a light attitude toward some electronics. Maybe it's because I was taught navigation by a skipper who relied on course, time and speed and used lighthouses as waypoints. Rudimentary, perhaps, but lighthouses rarely move off station. Who needs a chart plotter when your route takes you up the coast or when there's land visible on either side of the boat? Autopilots are nice, but I like the feel of the wheel in my hands. It helps me stay alert, too.
But by the time I pulled into Montauk on the east end of Long Island one day last summer, I found myself wishing I had both a chart plotter and an autopilot. This revelation came clear, oddly enough, ...