My students in an advanced ASA class were doing their coastal nav test which involved a lot of plotting on a paper chart. They were scattered around the pool at Bimini Blue Water in Bimini when another sailor walked amongst them to see what they were up to.

He then proceeded to give me a lecture for teaching them how to use paper charts said "paper is completely out of date, need to teach them to use electronics"

This was the same week when a couple days before we had experienced complete electrical failure on board for some unknown reason. We were only without power for a hour or so, never knew why, it just went and came on it's own. Very mystrious but was a good learning tool for the students in why we plot and teach and use old fashion nav techniques.

Anyway couldn't ague with the guy, he wasn't going to change his mind.

A couple weeks later I ran into him in a Stuart Boat yard and we had a chat, he was pretty down, trying to figure out how to fix his rudder and the bottom of his boat. Seems he was using his plotter to leave Bimini and the current swept him sideways over the sand bar, a wave picked him up and slammed him rudder first onto the sand, drove rudder, rudder post through bottom of boat, he didn't sink but needed a tow back to the US and now was trying to repair the damage.

Have to give him credit, he remembered me from Bimini and admitted without prompting he should have been using his hand held compass to take back bearings to make sure he wasn't being swept sideways. The distance he was traveling was too short for the GPS to give him warning he was going to left of his course, plus it happened pretty quick, his hand held and a back bearing would have told him right away.

Lesson is rely on electronics solely and you will sooner or later you will have a "SNAG" or satallite navigation assisted grounding! An expensive way to learn a lesson!