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04 - Pinpoint navigation
Now that the boat is all up and running we thought we had best take her out for a decent sea trial to check out the new Raymarine navigation package. As we all know, GPS - the Global Positioning System - has made navigation an awful lot better, but when it’s linked to the auto pilot, does it actually do the job better than the "mark one eyeball"? To test the operating system, we plotted a course out into Conception Bay to an opening between Bell Island and the Clanger, which is Newfoundland's equivalent to Durdle Door. The precision of the equipment not only steered the boat to the opening but straight through the middle of it, then turned the boat around and took her back around the island. So does it work? You bet it does!
Looking at the website and everything that’s going on for the home-coming, we thought we’d best make a noise over here, too. Egbert is dealing with all land logistic matters from now on, and he’s arranged for the Scademia - the last Grand Banks sailing schooner built in Newfoundland - to be used by the press and supporters, as well as to act as the starting boat for the challenge. It’s normally used for iceberg and whale-watching tours, so Sunday’s outing promises to be a little out of the ordinary.
By the time you wake up on Monday morning, there should be a good selection of photos of the day, and my first journal at sea. Now all we have to do is check the weather!
Clive Tully
© 2003 Clive Tully
The Clanger - Newfoundland’s equivalent to Durdle Door:
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