Whether you are at sea on a relaxing sailing vacation, participating in a commercial fishing trip hundreds of miles from the coast, or transporting cargo from one location to another, it is essential to keep track of other objects such as larger boats in the area if you want to maximize your safety in the water. By using one of the latest generation Garmin radar bundles, you can take advantage of a series of technologies that facilitate the tracking of other vessels, and even mark their positions and routes on the screen.
The sea can be a cruel lover, and a change in conditions can happen almost instantaneously. In one minute, you can be sailing on practically smooth water, the next, you can find yourself in a fog that hides the world around you, and you can battling thirty-foot waves and strong winds.
This ever-changing nature of the ocean means that as conditions change, you may face different challenges that can affect your safety. The key to ensuring that you stay as safe as possible is to eliminate as many factors as you can from the overall image.
Other boats are often the biggest threat that any sailor can face. Smaller ships, in particular go undetected in the radar systems of large cargo ships and cruisers, which can lead to dangerous situations. It is the responsibility of all sailors to be aware of the conditions of the sea around them to keep themselves safe from other ships.
You need enough time to react
Fortunately, even the fastest boats do not usually move at more than about 25 knots. It means that if you have radar that covers 50 nautical miles, you will have approximately 30 minutes from the time you first make contact with another ship. Hence, you will have enough time to react and plan your navigation accordingly.
If you pack a high-speed antenna with a large-format radar screen, you can get a very detailed picture of the events happening around you. A modern set of radars like the Garmin radar bundle will allow you to enjoy a 10″ screen that offers a wide margin to see what is happening.
The entire collection of Garmin marine electronics has a decent reputation for the high quality of its equipment. Its regularly updated range has state-of-the-art technology and is always at the forefront of marine radar systems.
One of the great things about modern marine radar systems like Garmin is that they plot the relative position of other ships over time. Instead of being just abstract points on the screen that transmits little information, other vessels appear like a clue through the area.
You can monitor your boat’s movement in clear detail, allowing you to assess which other vessels pose a threat to you, so that you can take appropriate action.
Safety is your top priority
When you are at sea and out of sight of the land, your safety should always be your priority. Therefore, instead of leaving your own safety in the hands of other people, you can stay safe with a marine radar system that works, and make corrections to your course based on the updated information it provides.
By learning to read the information provided by your marine radar system, you can make informed decisions about how to navigate to avoid problems at sea. Knowing what is approaching you and what is happening beyond your visual range will allow you to be sure you are safe and can also react in a timely manner to anything that happens, be it a weather system, a super cistern, or even a wave.
It is important to know what other boats are doing, but it is also important to be aware of what you are doing. You can do this by tracking your own progress across the ocean and taking the time to do the same with other ships using marine radar.