> I really don't understand your arguement here, Nick. I can use my GPS just
> like a compass but without the errors associated with a compass
> (deviation, variation, lead-lag, swinging, etc.) The GPS has come a long
> way since it first became available. Tracking a course is easy, and does
> not require any key strokes with most of the common units.

Tracking a course with a GPS is easy when you have the waypoints. If you don't have a waypoint, a non-charting GPS has no way of figuring one out for you. Unless the GPS has compass built in, it will not give you a bearing to a point for which you do not have a pre-programmed waypoint. The GPS is only as good as the waypoints you give it.

Most of the time I spend on the water I don't really know where I am going to go. I see an island that looks nice and I head towards it. I may not know the coordinates of the island, but I can see it. To make the GPS work, I must first tell it where the island is. With a non-charting GPS, I do this by looking at a paper chart and figuring out the coordinates to enter a waypoint. It is not easy to get those coordinates on the water. If I didn't bring a chart I am out of luck, the GPS is useless without a waypoint at my destination. If my chart is folded up, the border with the lat. and long. is probably hidden. Chances are I don't bother figuring out a waypoint because I can see the island.

So I start heading towards the island. How do I know I am not paddling into a current that is going to sweep me out to sea? With a compass, I take a couple bearings along the way. If the bearings change, I need to set a ferry angle. The GPS can give me a cross track error if I have a waypoint for my destination, but it was too difficult to enter the waypoint, and since I can see the island, I didn't bother and now I don't know what the current is doing to me. I get swept out to sea.

"But I have a plotting GPS" you say. A plot of your course track is only useful if you know how your track relates to your destination. You may paddle due north towards an island, but if you have a strong east flowing current, your GPS is going to say you are moving north east. Your track will show a nice straight line going NE. Since you are pointing right at the island you may assume the island is NE of you when it is really north. Eventually, your course track will show a curve, but this will only happen when you are swept well off course.

This may seem a little far fetched, but I am naturally lazy and I'll do whatever is easiest. I don't plan my route all that carefully, so I am not always prepared for the route I take. More serious, conditions may change and I may have to change plans. All the waypoints I so carefully pre-programmed are no longer anywhere near where I need to go. You must have a chart with your GPS or it is only a fishing weight. Knowing where you are is only useful if you know where you want to be.

Don't get me wrong, I fully intend to get a GPS sometime soon, but if you have a choice between a compass and a GPS, get the compass. It works without batteries and it can help you get home even when your chart blew away. Learn how to navigate with a compass and a chart, then get the GPS, it is a good suppliment but not a substitute.

> The big advantage I see with the compass is that it is simple, reliable
> and requires no batteries.