Everything has changed so quickly. If I told my kids we used to make phone calls through the VHF via a marine operator, they couldn't comprehend. I don't know if they remember we had a land line when they were little.

Your scenario made me think, devices like phones, tablets and laptops with charting software, give temporary electrical redundancy to the boats main power systems of electronic charts. Soon, it will be a rare boat that doesn't have this redundancy.

In the high pace of electronic charting, when I bought my first CP in 2000, I paid 300.00 dollars for the Maine coast chip(Bluechart). I remember thinking that was outrageous but gladly paid it. My paper chart kit for Maine was a little dog eared, and I wouldn't have to buy a new one for about a hundred bucks.

I still have and use that Garmin chart plotter AND those same paper charts(which I use occasionally because the CP isn't as handy for planning). I'll occasionally step off mileage with dividers(show off for guests...) but it's rare to use the parallel rules and a pencil these days.

Today, I can put the whole East Coast of North America and Caribbean on an ipad, for 30 dollars. For the majority of boats out there on our coastline, paper charts are going the way of the dinosaurs. Paper anything really, my ipad came without a paper manual.