Went to the show yesterday. Really nothing new in boats and only 1 trawler
type. However the electronics booths were numerous and crowded. At several
booths I just lurked and listened to people using the demo programs which were
available. I am guessing that some of these people were in fact boaters and
some  appeared to be knowledgeable. Now as you all probably know I am a KISS type
of  guy and very paper chart orientated. Most of the demos show only part of
a chart  with the aids to navigation but no details of the aid itself. To get
the details  you must use the mouse and go to the detail menu. Most of the
people took about  5 minutes just to find out the aid description . Then they
plotted a  route to the next aid, but this took a little more time. Questions
came up and  the salesman showed them quickly but also said it is in the book.
The answer  back is that "I don't have time to do that (RTFB), just show me"
Some came away  saying that was easy. I asked a couple where was the screen
located and their  answer was they didn't know because it wasn't described other
than lat/long but  other than that they didn't have a clue where they just
cruised on the  screen.
MY CONCLUSIONS: These people will buy these programs and hardware because  it
seem simple and certainly "neat" but will have no intention of really
learning until after they have been involved in some crisis. Mike Maurice has
discussed the importance of knowing these electronic systems like the "back of
your hand" and I very much agree with him. However to know these plotters you
really need the paper chart which gives you the overall picture as well as the
title block, cautions, etc., as well as better descriptions of aids to
navigation without having to go into the "Lists of lights, buoys and fog  signals".
It appears to me that these electronic plotters do not give you all  that
info( immediately) that the paper chart does. I may be way off base  here and very
old fashioned but I can't see me switching over any time soon to  these very
complicated toys. It also seems to me that the persons buying these  really
have no intention to learn what the instruments are telling them and they  will
get into trouble but al least they will have bragging rights that they have
the best toy. Regards and sorry for the long post. Leonard Stern,  Indifference.

I detect a significant number of the PUP members, who are hooked on paper charts and all that goes with it.

This seems to be a bit at odds with the US Navy and commercial shipping who are at or going toward all electronic navigation.

When do think this divergence will converge, or is it destined to continue to diverge ?

John Harris