Over Reliance on GPS Risks Safety
Dependence on Technology Seen as an Increasing Safe Boating Threat
Nov 3, 2008
Members of the search and rescue (SAR) community are becoming increasingly concerned with the over reliance of boaters on global positioning system (GPS) navigation technology to verify their vessel position. Reliance on a single source for navigational data can lead to severe consequences for boating safety if that resource fails.
Modern GPS navigational systems for boaters incorporate plotters that utilize electronic versions of navigation charts and provide a wealth of data for the boater during a voyage. Effective use of GPS technology depends on a mariner having a solid foundation in the fundamentals of coastal navigation. While the use of compass, divider, and paper chart may strike many as archaic, this is a proven technology that works even after the power fails.
Here are a few example incidents were the over reliance on GPS navigation by a mariner has put people at risk.
Yacht Aground Off the Essex Coast
Operating in heavy rain under a force 8 gale, the 25-foot yacht Nelly became disoriented off the coast of Essex, England between the mouths of the Blackwater and Crouch Rivers. The vessel's crew has depending on a single GPS navigation unit for position information. When this equipment failed, they ran aground on a beach experiencing severe breaking surf that battered the vessel. Rescue craft could not reach the Nelly due to the extreme surf conditions and the crew had to be winched off the vessel by helicopter.
In press release issued by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency of the United Kingdom, Thames Coastguard Watch Manager Mark Baker says, "This incident highlights the risk of relying solely on a single GPS navigation unit. A vessel's position and track should be regularly plotted on a chart and a backup navigation system employed during an offshore passage."
Collision with the Illiomana Navigation Beacon in Auckland Harbor
Two boaters were convicted of causing unnecessary danger to persons and or property in an Auckland, New Zealand court after their vessel struck a lighted navigational buoy returning to the harbor. The power vessel Chardonnay hit the lighted beacon, with a rated visibility of five nautical miles at high speed, injuring all aboard the boat.
During sentencing, the judge in the case pointed out that the skipper of the vessel knew his GPS equipment was unreliable and that there was no paper chart of the area onboard. Recreational boating managers in the region stressed the importance of not relying on GPS alone for navigation at the conclusion of this incident.
Learn About Coastal Navigation
Being a safe boater means learning to be a more professional mariner. Take time in the off-season to complete a course in basic coastal navigation. Learn to plot vessel positions on a paper chart and always carry a current version of the chart covering operational areas onboard. The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary offers a program called the Weekend Navigator that's a good starting point for learning about the subject.
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