Digital First
The move from paper based navigation to electronic - Our approach
The concept of the world wide web started in 1989 and as it has developed it has had huge impact on all our lives in many ways. It has occurred alongside enormous progress in the hard and software which means we have reached a stage where the technology can function in the hostile marine environment. We now have electronic charts, chart plotters, weather and tidal apps and much more. All of this can function on our smart phones. This has been further formalised with the worldwide adoption of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) in 1999 which though only applies to large commercial vessels sets an aspiration for the leisure industry.
The UK Hydrographic Office announced in 2022 that they were phasing out admiralty paper charts by 2026 though they have decided to delay this until 2030. This does not mean that paper charts will disappear by then but I suspect we will be seeing less and less of them.
The RYA have recognised that the digital revolution brings huge benefits in terms of detail of information, accessibility and safety. It has been made very clear that the training we provide needs to recognise this particularly in terms of navigation and collision avoidance. However, electronics are not a panacea and we need to be aware of there weaknesses and potential pitfalls.
On our boat we have upgraded our electronic systems recently so we have 2 chartplotters, radar with MARPA, AIS with a transmitter and of course our smart phones with all those useful apps. We will be making use of all these devices and understanding how to get the best out of them but we will be doing this alongside paper charts, almanacs and pilot books. It is vital to triangulate your sources of information and what better way of doing it than combining both electronic information with paper.
