in the cockpit sometimes if it's okay or if not on the top of the frig right at the companionway step bottom. The computer is an energy hog, we don't like to run the engine, and even if we do, the computer is stuffed away somewhere safe, where it won't get wet or banged around. We do have plotters at the Helm (mounted in a NavPod on the pedestal) and the Nav, and the same software charts as the paper charts. I usually turn the backlight intensity way down to conserve power, and if need be, I can hit one button to bring back to full to see, at night I keep them as low as I can anyway to preserve night vision. We'll plot our course every couple hours on the paper charts, and when we're in the Bahamas in between islands and in & out of Cuts, which is where we spend most out time, we always have the Explorer paper charts close at hand.

There are so many times I recall when the going is rough, it's dark, it's wet, the boat is bouncing around like crazy, lines are dumped down the companionway, perhaps there is a wet sail on the cabin sole, everything is stowed away. I just can't imagine having a computer out someplace below, with power cords cords, hockey pucks & cables running all over the place.

cheers, John