Navigating on the water has become remarkably like playing a video
game. You keep your digital boat image in the digital white area of a digital
map. I have been sailing many decades and remember the old days of boat
navigation. These were bad old days. You were more tense. You would determine
your position as best you could and plot a direction that was safe to travel.
You would do this with a paper chart (map) and parallel rulers. You would
determine a range of directions (bearings) that were acceptable and those that
weren’t. You considered current (and leeward movement for sailboats) and try to
offset these invisible movements. If you could see visible markers, such as
buoys, you were in pretty good shape although the current and leeway could
deceive you. When you could see two navigational markers you could precisely
locate your position and that was thrilling. Otherwise, you were not exactly
sure of where you were. Your depth sounder gave you some idea of what was going
on but it could not be fully trusted in silty waters. You struggled with how
fast to go when things got tight. Running aground at anything but dead slow is
a big problem. Sextant sightings were fine in the open ocean but not around
hazards.
I don’t miss the tension of analog piloting. It was a challenge and had some visceral thrill (we are going to run aground!) You were still dependent on technology, but it was charts and navigational aids. This is not much nobler than GPS and electronic charts. However, I guess you are more prepared for power outages and digital deaths. I also know high speed Morse Code, having been a ham radio operator for many decades. However, this ability has not helped in any way for the last few decades. It is a little sad when your skills are no longer important, but that is how life goes. Don’t love anything that won’t love you back.
I recently finished Dana’s, “Two Years Before the Mast” which
recounts a trip from the US East Coast, around Cape Horn and up to California.
It was a more interesting read than I expected. Now you can view California’s
nature on YouTube. When Dana was traveling in the 1830s, you might have to wait
a week in the raging seas to get a wind shift so you could actually get around
Cape Horn. Losing your ship for any reason meant you were likely to die or at
least be stranded. The saddest part of sea life at that time is the men were
stuck in their position. They had little hope for anything better. I can’t imagine
not having hope. Hope is fueled by wonder and in turn fuels ambition and
action. Losing hope takes away a deep part of human essence.
Secret knowledge closes doors. Modern navigation turned my old
skills into nearly useless relics, but reducing the stress of boat navigation
is a sweet change and makes boating more accessible to everyone – adventure
democratized by design. Navigation is a small example of the doors opened by
design and technology. Designing both technology and its integration into purposeful
systems has allowed people to do wonderful things, from visually hopping on
their drones to accessing the world’s greatest library on the internet.
I don’t know if “purposeful systems” is a real term, but I like it. Only humans can have a purposeful vision that brings technology together by design. Adventure democratized reminds me of rock climbing, kayaking, and backpacking. These are some of the inexpensive ways to gain access to nature’s wonders, but that is another story….
