Just how far can we take the Laptop/Tablet?

[Muckle Flugga]

Originally Posted by s/v Beth

Goal: To be able to walk on a boat with all the equipment you need to safely navigate in your hands.
Advantage: for those chartering or delivering, knowing your equipment is calibrated and reliable.
Advantage: to be able to fix, test and replace equipment either at home or in a warm workshop or outlet and not out in the pouring rain.
Advantage: less on the boat to steal while you are gone.

Plus I like the idea of a clean pure sailboat, with added stuff only on board as needed.

Ok then:

Walker log.
Lead line.
Paper charts.
Portland plotter.
Compass and dividers, pencils and eraser.
Windex.
Sextant, sight reduction tables, and annual or five yearly almanac.
Pair of hands.
Brain.
Pair (for redunancy) of Mark I eyeballs, or just one, if going fancy dress.

Yep.

[s/v Beth]

Originally Posted by Muckle Flugga

Ok then:

Walker log.
Lead line.
Paper charts.
Portland plotter.
Compass and dividers, pencils and eraser.
Windex.
Sextant, sight reduction tables, and annual or five yearly almanac.
Pair of hands.
Brain.
Pair (for redunancy) of Mark I eyeballs, or just one, if going fancy dress.

Yep.

Mucca! We are kindred souls man! Only instead of a windex I use a piece of yarn.

[Muckle Flugga]

Originally Posted by s/v Beth

Mucca! We are kindred souls man! Only instead of a windex I use a piece of yarn.

Matter of fact this calls to mind an anecdote which, to me, demonstrates the current state of sailing, or sailors at any rate…

So, was in Cascais prepping a boat for passage to Madeira, and thence to Caribbean. Had some various crew aboard, mostly relative strangers, but all with quals, no less than coastalskipper, or as they now like to pimp it out "Yachtmaster Coastal" (must be said in a bored public school {read private for non Brits} accent to get the full effect of my derision).

Anyhow, they were all in a tiz. Major issues. Conferences, concern, raised eyebrows, shaking of heads… cause? The freaking electronic wind instrument was not functioning properly. They debated back and forth, tried to persuade me that I needed to get the owner to put a new head unit on ASAP and prior to departure (some several hundred squids, absurdly enough) yada yada yada.

Until finally I called a crew conference in the cockpit. Pointed up at the big stick like thing in the air, and said: "You see that? You know, it's remarkable, but when the white fabric thingys are pulled up and down and side to side the boat reacts by heeling over and going faster or slowing down etc. So… yes, THE WHOLE FREAKING BOAT IS A WIND INSTRUMENT YOU IDIOTS! Now finish getting those stores aboard and prepare to actually sail."

Well, I may not have actually said the "you idiots" part. But believe me it was more than implied.

Yep. That's the wonderful world we now live in.

[s/v Beth]

Muckle, you do have a point.
But back to topic, I think all electronics in a bag is an ongoing project, but it is a lot closer than I thought it was. Next boat I will go for it.
To know how to sail with nothing is important, but gadgets are fun....
BTW, have you seen the little hand held weather stations?

[Muckle Flugga]

Originally Posted by s/v Beth

Muckle, you do have a point.
But back to topic, I think all electronics in a bag is an ongoing project, but it is a lot closer than I thought it was. Next boat I will go for it.
BTW, have you seen the little hand held weather stations?

Well, would be difficult to see with my eyeballs in my palm…

[s/v Beth]

And that is why a few of us think dingy sailing is so important: you learn to sail with just the boat and the water....
And your eyes and ears of course

[denverd0n]

Good luck to you, but I really think that you are grossly over-estimating just how "close" it is.

[mrlee]

WOW!!! I read these threads and try to learn about these things but this electronic stuff just has me in a headspin! I am going to go with charts a compass and a GPS just to check and be sure I am where I figured I was...Maybe one day I'll get the knack of this stuff...but for now I just wanna sail. I am tired of reading and more reading. You guys on here ALL have my utmost respect for all the knowledge you possess. Thanks for all the learning windows you all have opened for not only me, but for all of us novices. My boat will be here and ready in 2 weeks...I am SOOO ready to just GO!
I'll be back with more questions I am sure...but at least they will be for how to do something better...not just how to do it in anticipation.
Peace and God Bless you all. You are all the best!!!

[Siberianhusky]

Thought the winradio looked like an interesting receiver, then realized it is a pci card, meaning it goes into a tower and not a laptop.
Not exactly a portable 1 bag solution if you need a desktop tower, monitor,mouse and keyboard. Too bad...interesting idea.

[K_V_B]

Originally Posted by Muckle Flugga

Anyhow, they were all in a tiz. Major issues. Conferences, concern, raised eyebrows, shaking of heads… cause? The freaking electronic wind instrument was not functioning properly. They debated back and forth, tried to persuade me that I needed to get the owner to put a new head unit on ASAP and prior to departure (some several hundred squids, absurdly enough) yada yada yada.

In my opinion the most important electronic instrument is the depth sounder. Wind and boat speed I can estimate. Wind direction is something my ears tell me. But depth is harder to guess, and entering an unknown anchorage with it one...


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[bletso]

Originally Posted by Muckle Flugga

Ok then:

Walker log.
Lead line.
Paper charts.
Portland plotter.
Compass and dividers, pencils and eraser.
Windex.
Sextant, sight reduction tables, and annual or five yearly almanac.
Pair of hands.
Brain.
Pair (for redunancy) of Mark I eyeballs, or just one, if going fancy dress.

Yep.

MAkes sense to me But then I am an old fart.

[farshore]

Why not just stay home and play at sailing in the comfort of your living room? Surely there must be an app for that? You are, after all, missing the whole point of sailing. De tech,
Learn your craft! All this **** is for people who don't know or respect the sea and think "preposterous gagetry" is the salvation from incompetance...
No experienced commander of anything however would place their trust in a single electronic device .

[PortClydeMe]

Originally Posted by s/v Beth

BGAN is a little pricey, but they say it will fit completely in a laptop case:
BGAN Portable Broadband & Phone

Just thinking....

Interesting. Thanks. Still searching for the most reliable and cost effective "All-You-Can-Eat" global satellite Internet service for my private business. For me, being chained to land-based access is a no-go.

Keep thinking, and keep posting. I've had my coffee, and I'm listening.

[mrlee]

Thanks for that FARSHORE! You gave me a little more confidence to go and do what I am going to do. Have to haul her to fix a leaky thru hull in 2 weeks then I am out into the Gulf...I don't foresee any issues but then again...
Peace to you all

[jwcolby54]

Originally Posted by s/v Beth

You guys seem kinda crabby. No coffee?