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Absolutely money well spent. SW Florida is the hardest place I've ever boated. They have a saying here. To be a true Florida boater you have to have been stuck a few times. I'm qualified LOL. Now I study my paper charts the night before I'm going to a new place. Than I chart it on the nav, I still bring my paper charts with me and two pairs of reading glasses along with my Standard horizon hx890 radio. There's so much to see and explore here. It really is a boating paradise.
I learned the hard way sailing inland waters on Minnesota/Manitoba Lake of the Woods where you can be in 90' of water one minute and 3' of water the next. Constant stress while sailing because with 5' of keel under you, if you don't know where you are every minute you are lost. I started sailing that lake 20 years ago when GPS navigation was just getting started, so paper charts were the most common way to navigate. Didn't know what different buoys meant, colours, which to keep to starboard when returning to the harbour, etc.
After a close call, I signed up for a Power & Sail Squadron course which ran once a week for 3 hours over 12 weeks. Learned a ton of stuff, but what was the most useful was listening to the instructor's stories about the many ways things have gone bad for people on the water in various circumstances.
Have felt much safer on the water ever since and have never had an incident.
So True. Many ways to go wrong but only one to go right when it comes to navigation. Many places in Florida only have 1 marker. You really need to know what side of the marker is the channel. A few feet off and your in an oyster bed. There's a spot in Matlache Pass called Hell Gate. Its marked on the chart. Its name fits, You just have a few feet in open water from the marker before you ground. Electronics are great I use the Garmin's all the time but for me I still study a paper chart the night before too.
Paper charts on Lake of the Woods used to be the best but the federal government no long sets/removes/replaces many buoys on this lake system that freezes over every winter (too expensive), so you can't navigate visually from the chart (identifying buoy numbers from a distance with binoculars) as they aren't physically there. We are left with using the paper charts for general navigation but using electronic chart plotters to make sure we stay away from underwater hazards.
I can't imagine navigating through a space that has a margin of error measured within a few feet - I guess that is what the physical buoy (and studying the chart beforehand) is for.
2019 Cobalt R3 - V8/350 - Ebony Hull w/ Knock Out Red Edge Stripe
I learned the hard way sailing inland waters on Minnesota/Manitoba Lake of the Woods where you can be in 90' of water one minute and 3' of water the next. Constant stress while sailing because with 5' of keel under you, if you don't know where you are every minute you are lost. I started sailing that lake 20 years ago when GPS navigation was just getting started, so paper charts were the most common way to navigate. Didn't know what different buoys meant, colours, which to keep to starboard when returning to the harbour, etc.
After a close call, I signed up for a Power & Sail Squadron course which ran once a week for 3 hours over 12 weeks. Learned a ton of stuff, but what was the most useful was listening to the instructor's stories about the many ways things have gone bad for people on the water in various circumstances.
Have felt much safer on the water ever since and have never had an incident.
So True. Many ways to go wrong but only one to go right when it comes to navigation. Many places in Florida only have 1 marker. You really need to know what side of the marker is the channel. A few feet off and your in an oyster bed. There's a spot in Matlache Pass called Hell Gate. Its marked on the chart. Its name fits, You just have a few feet in open water from the marker before you ground. Electronics are great I use the Garmin's all the time but for me I still study a paper chart the night before too.
Paper charts on Lake of the Woods used to be the best but the federal government no long sets/removes/replaces many buoys on this lake system that freezes over every winter (too expensive), so you can't navigate visually from the chart (identifying buoy numbers from a distance with binoculars) as they aren't physically there. We are left with using the paper charts for general navigation but using electronic chart plotters to make sure we stay away from underwater hazards.
I can't imagine navigating through a space that has a margin of error measured within a few feet - I guess that is what the physical buoy (and studying the chart beforehand) is for.
It was a learning curve for sure. Last year I grounded more here than I did my entire boating life up in NJ. When I was shopping for a boat down here in Florida I was told by every dealer to go with an outboard because of the shallow water depth. They weren't joking. Markers and planning are a must here.
