Safety on long trips

mickey · 09 October 2006, 18:30

Could anyone advise on whether radar and/or an auxiliary are sensible/essential for longer tirps, eg across the Irish Sea or to the Channel Islands? We may well travel solo.

I presume an auxiliary is more or less essential, but then you hear of many folk who do not take one, presumably on the basis that if you break down 30 miles from land you're going to call the coastguard in any event.

Nos4r2 · 09 October 2006, 18:55

You won't have much fun if your main engine dies and you can't make steerage way while waiting for the coastguard. Take the auxiliary!

Used to cross the channel with nothing but a compass and an old RDF set. As long as you've got a GPS, map and backup nav gear that you know how to use you should be ok.

The Jackeens · 09 October 2006, 19:05

Well, no harm in back-up gear. Better to have it than want it as they say in Ireland!
But letting peeps know of your passage plan & ETA etc. is recommended also. Those can be difficult waters. Radar is at times a good AID to navigation and therefore is always worth considering once you remember its limitations and rely on a range of navigational aids (one of the best being yourself!)
Bon Voyage & would love to read about your successful trip!

Us

codprawn · 09 October 2006, 21:13

Well I brought my boat back from Guernsey the 1st time I ever went in it. The trip was great - no aux and no radar. Would have liked to have taken an aux with me though - I have a nice suzuki 15hp but still haven't fitted it!!!

Most useful on the trip was the Raymarine chartplotter - really great. I also took my trusty Garmin GPS12 hand held as backup.

Radar would only be essential in dense fog to be honest - the aux would be far more worthwhile.