Something to consider, http://speedonthewater.com/commentar...e-blunder.html.

Had a crucial lesson reinforced the easy way.

Matt,

When i was flying i had the same problem watching the gauges, and not focusing on the horizon. Good article

"Driving the Plotter" can be a terrible mistake indeed. GPS devices seem to act like magnets for the eyes at times. Good old paper charts seem to have a greater ability to imbed a chart in the mind, something that GPS devices just don't do for me. I use both, and still end up being overly cautious because I don't trust my memory and better than the GPS.

accuracy of GPS Co states to use as a example, not to be exact. Use at own risk. WOW. So very true I found out traveling down from Chicago to florida on the rivers. Things where not as they seem on GPS at all in various locations throughout my trip. Location on the Equator changes the position on GPS to be W or E of true heading.
I belive it showed me I was 10 feet from land West side all the way down to Miss', then East side of the river down by florida. Garmin stated an accuracy of plus or minus 9' to 19' feet. Wow once again. At night one could drive into channel markers or ground. Radar was my second eyes and saved my butt a many a times in bad weather. Plus a remote Spotlight on the beek.
B38

You get to drive Speedy ? Great story; Thanks Matt, and don't sell yourself short. I seem to remember seeing you behind the wheel in quite a few of those boat tests in Powerboat.

In this case, it wasn't the accuracy of the GPS that created the problem, it was my fixation on it. Instead of keeping my eyes on the water ahead and the channel markers, I ended up watching and "following" a little digital boat moving across a screen.

Yeah, after that blunder it is hard to believe I got to drive Speed Racer. As for the rest, yes, I can drive a boat and have scratched out a good bit of seat time over the years, and yet I still managed to make an incredibly basic mistake. My point was not so much to beat up myself in public but to offer an honest, real-world example of what not to do when you're driving a boat.

If you wanted to beat yourself up in public, you would have discussed the pre A/C poker run party at Bob's house last year or the Islamorada Poker Run with your brother....

Just Kidding!
Missed not being with you guys down there! I get to go for a ride with Bob in St. Pete in a couple weeks! Woo-Hoo!

Now, now, Tom. What goes ... stays.

Great to see someone be so honest about their mistakes, which we all make whether we want to admit or not. The main this is that no one gets hurt and we learn from them. Pride can be a terrible thing.
Thanks for sharing.
Michael.

Thanks for the story and the reminder. We all need to be checked now and then and glad it was without injury or damage to the boat. Situations like this are humbling. I dont care if you r on the water or driving the icy roads I get to travel every day. Thanks Matt