One thing we've struggled with is that the plotters on the boat are
somewhat dated. They were surely top of the line when Ed first
bought them, but now they were somewhat slow, used very old-style
maps that are somewhat expensive, and don't support new technologies,
such as AIS and man-overboard alarms.

AIS (stands for Automatic Identification System) is a technology by
which boats transmit on a special channel their GPS coordinates,
heading and speed, and other information. An AIS receiver can pick
up these signals and plot the exact information. This is done in
place of using the radar to locate and track other boats, which is a
definite improvement. Also, if the Northfork has an AIS transmitter
in addition to a receiver, we know that other big boats should have
us located on their plotters, which can provide some degree of
comfort.

Man overboard alarms involve a receiver base station on the boat and
pendents or wristbands worn by the crew. If the base station lose
track of the pendants, for instance from that crew falling overboard,
the base station signals an alarm, records the GPS coordinates, and
can even stop the boat. The idea is that if the other crew are
asleep, they will be awoken immediately so they can pick up the other
crew.

These are both technologies we want to incorporate into the boat, one
way or another. One option is to upgrade the plotter units. The
issue there is that Ed provided a full set of auto pilots and other
components as part of the spares; we need to ensure that any new
plotters will support these old components, as we don't have to buy
replacements for the ones on the boat as well as the spares.

The first upgrade we made to the boat was to install iNavX on Mark's
new iPhone 3GS, for $50. This application uses the phone's GPS as a
standalone plotter. It downloads for free the USCG maps over the 3G
network. This was our solution for going out the Potomac as it made
our lives much simpler tracking our location.

The next step was to add MacEnc software to Mark's MacBook. This is
made by the same guys who did iNavX and also uses free USCG maps. We
purchased serial-to-USB adapters so that we can connect Mark's (and
eventually Dana's) MacBook to the boat's instruments. Dana (our
Chief Navigator) should also then be able to generate routes and
waypoints on our MacBooks and feed them to the ship's computer. We
also purchased a USB GPS unit that we can use on the MacBooks
separately from the ship's GPS.

The hope is that this will take us through the fall on our way down
to the Carribean, though at some point we need to have the long call
with the RayMarine guys about buying a new set of plotters.