John Konrad has an update on eLoran over at his excellent gCaptain website. His focus is on commercial mariners, but the coverage of navigational technology such as GPS and Loran is equally relevant for recreational boaters.
Being generally of an impatient nature, I’ll skip right to his conclusion:
Next Steps
The mariner is facing a few critical battles in the electronic navigation front. With their adoption of Web 2.0, the deployment of Rescue 21 and a myriad of other, forward thinking, initiatives the USCG is taking a leading role in the development of new technology aimed at maritime safety but, as encouraging as their work towards using new technology to keep safe is, questions still arise within the USCG on the necessity of critical systems. You need not look further than gCaptain’s post titled “Vessel Search And Rescue – Should LRIT Replace Amver?” to realize the USCG, IMO and others are struggling with questions that seem rhetorical to the average mariner. It is our job to help guide the decisions, let our thoughts be known and avoid failures in imagination.
Let’s support the adoption of eLoran and continue dreaming of reasons for its use. Sure it is not absolutely needed to safely operate ships and competent mariners will continue to learn traditional navigation but, like GPS today, future mariners will view eLoran as a tool they couldn’t possibly live without.
2 responses so far ↓
Richard Rodriguez // Jun 20, 2009 at 12:49 pm
It should be pointed out that YOU as a mariner have the primary responsibility for knowing where you are, with or without electronic aids.
Additionally the rescue of you and your crew or passengers is the skipper’s responsibility. Having the Coast Guard and or a Commercial Assistance Plan should serve only as a back up to your own efforts, and should not be your first line of defense.
John // Jun 21, 2009 at 7:20 pm
Excellent point Richard!
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