Reporting your position :Re-setting / Refreshing my Pea Sized brain:

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by courageous cat

Wotname, I put in your coordinates and it put you at the Russian & Turkish baths in Miami fl. did I fall in to a joke or is that where you are ? ps I'm new to this navigation thank so i could be way off

Err... maybe..... perhaps the joke is at my expense..... but I am just reading the vessel position straight off Mr Free Agent's picture of his Ray Marine Chart Plotter (unless I have stuffed that up as well today)!

[daddle]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

The old fashioned way was to give a range and bearing FROM a know point. this fancy gps stuff will never catch on

Heh. This is me a few years ago:

Me: My bilge has filled with gasoline ... I need to know what to do.
CG: Say your position.
Me: Fifty yards south of your Coast Guard pier in Monterey.
CG: Can you give us the latitude and longitude ...
Me: No.

Consternation on the CG end. And a repeat of their question then my same answer. The range and bearing apparently made no sense to the radio operator.

And I explained that I was not going below to play with electrical stuff...

[courageous cat]

No it probly me.I frist had to learn how to get the degree button (hold alt then 248 ) found that on google. see I'm leaning new thang daily here. thank

[Wotname]

@ daddle.
Thats pretty funny - wish it went on like this:
Me: Open you south side window and look out - yes thats right, I am the one waving at you!

[Free Agent]

Seems through the summer we monitor several broke down boaters calling for assistance and they have no clue where they are.
They (the boater) get angry as the CC or V/A tries to get some idea of their position.

I always write down my departure time, observe my average speed and course, in addition to the GPS never relying on just one method navigate.

My C90 Raymarine (pictured in post #1) did go out once mid-ocean, but the kids busted out their Droids and pinpointed us on a free GPS app they have and guided me right into the harbor.
Te Droid app works amazingly well.

[TomM]

Originally Posted by daddle

CG: Say your position.
Me: Fifty yards south of your Coast Guard pier in Monterey.
CG: Can you give us the latitude and longitude ...
Me: No.

I hear this type of conversation a lot and I've come to the realization that the CG assumes all boaters don't really know where they are.

[gpdno]

Originally Posted by Ex-Calif

If you are a Cellestial Navigator you say, "I am a little bit south of the sun and way left of venus. Over..."

M.A.S.H. - the Frank Burns approach.
Frank (into walkie-talkie): Attention all Allied personnel: There are only about half a dozen stars visible, sky-wise: I am directly under the brightest one.

[Free Agent]

Thanks for all the interesting replies, tips and tales and takes.

When you're sitting at the bar having a drink in friendly conversation, perhaps ask a boater to describe his boat.
You'd be amazed at how few people can simply describe what their boat looks like.
Try it and see.

All my kids (crew) can describe ours.
Though our's is a pretty common boat and colours in the San Pedro Bay,, we have an accurate description burned into all our melons. Also, several methods to locate our position.

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, listen to Ch16 and the angry boaters that expect to be easily located.

We hailed a request to locate and assist a sail boater and his son that were very ill from Sea Sickness.
They had been attempting to sail up from San Diego and were 40 hours into the trip with another 30 to go.

No good winds, they ran outta fuel, dead in the water, and a beautiful Hunter boat ya just drool over,,, but that's another story.

His daughter called in their position and description perfectly and we scooped them up.

His daughter and her friends eventually finished the trip (we gave them fuel) and we got the skipper and his son ashore in about 45 minutes.

He picked up our bar tab BTW.
Not all sailboaters are cheapskates.