Navigation electronics

Paper first, plotter second

Electronics are wonderful until the battery dies or the screen goes dark in salt spray. A paper chart, a pencil, and a working compass will get you home when nothing else will.

paper chart  the backup that never fails
plotter      convenience, not truth
compass      the only instrument you can't turn off
log          speed through water, by feel too

Two backups, minimum

Position, depth, and heading each deserve a second source. Phone, tablet, and plotter all running off the same battery is one backup, not three.

Know your fix without the screen

Every few hours, work a fix the old way — a transit, a bearing, a sounding. When the electronics go, the skill is already warm. It's the cheapest insurance aboard.