The pic of the day is of our Raytheon chart plotter. It is integrated with our autopilot. Both instruments have been around for some time, and they are a cruiser's blessing. We can check out the charts, plot our course around various obstacles, and sail on. We can also go below deck to get something to eat, get more layers to wear or go to the loo, as they say in this part of the world.

IF all goes well, we (usually Captain Ken) set up our 'track', and 'George' as we affectionately call him, takes over. He steers Moonbeam to our waypoints. Of course, if you don't set the course correctly, 'George' will go anyway, even if it takes across across land, reefs, etc. That's why the Captain takes a keen interest in this task.

The plotter has a visual chart of our course. It also has lots of information: our current lattitude and longitude, our speed through the water, our speed relative to the ground (which adjusts our speed up or down to compensate for the effects of wind and currents, the heading to our waypoint, the actual course we are traveling, the deviation from our destination, the wind speed and direction (both apparent and true), the depth of the water, and...MOST IMPORTANTLY, the TTG (time to go) until we can start happy hour.

If Christopher Columbus had these instruments back in the day, those of us from the Northern Heisphere would still be Native Americans, and if Captain Cook had them, those of us who are from Australia...well, we would still be Australians.