What we had when we set out on our 2007-2008 voyage
Our navigation system is centered around a Raymarine RL70CRC Chart plotter, which is an older, out-of-production system, but is still very reliable and easy to use. It uses C-Map NT+ vector charts and we have a huge collection of chips covering all of the Great Lakes, the Saint Laurence River, and all the coastal waters from Nova Scotia to the Bahamas. The chart plotter gets its GPS position information from a Raystar 120 mounted on the stern rail. This GPS occasionally loses its fix, which is restored when we re-boot it (I’m sure Microsoft is behind this problem). One thing I learned is that the Raystar 120 does not obtain a Differentiated Fix (what is dispalyed as a D-Fix, or SD-Fix on the RL70CRC). To get that kind of accuracy, we’d have to use the Raystar 125.

Our autopilot is a Raymarine ST6001, with the S1G core pack, Type 1 linear drive and a flux gate compass. We’ve had this system for 8 seasons, and it has served us well. However, we were surprised last year by a software bug that caused the chart plotter screen to invert its image. That took a bit of mental adjustment, but I’m happy to report that Raymarine has an excellent service department, and they fixed the problem quickly and without hassle.

Our sailing instruments consist of even more Raymarine products. There’s the ST60 wind and tri-data (depth, speed, log) and the ever-useful wireless autopilot controller. I use this piece of equipment at the bow as we slowly enter an anchorage looking for the proper depth to set the anchor in. The display repeats all information available on the SeaTalk network.

AIS has become popular, and there are a lot of products to choose from these days. We purchased a system from SeaCAS at the beginning of the 2006 season, and it works like a charm. It consists of an external AIS/GPS antenna that plugs into a USB port on our ship computer (a Dell laptop at the nav station). We use Rosepoint Coastal Navigator to follow ships whenever we get near the shipping lanes in the Seaway system.

We use the NMEA feed from the chart plotter to supply position information to our Standard Horizon VHF and our iCom M802 SSB. Both radios use the information to support the DSC function.

What worked, and what will we replace?