But you can't tell them much (insert rimshot sound)

Will you be "safer" if you go back to that cruising life?

I bet you find most of your modern conveniences actually increase your safety and ability to make correct decisions. I seriously doubt you would even be out cruising now without a GPS, let alone undertaking your next planned adventure without one. Maybe wouldn't be doing it without roller furling either.

I don't see how an error on a chart can be attributed to the user of that chart.

While I find a lot that can be improved with current electronic systems, and a lot that frustrates me to the point of completely avoiding specific manufacturers, I have not found an example where the manufacturer can be blamed for creating a dangerous product. Seems like you could not either.

I would say that having an integrated system can pull your bacon out of the fire, and be safer in general. It has even been postulated on this forum that in this particular incident an integrated system could have kept the boat off the rocks. I agree with that.

It seems that many people here think integrated systems consist of one saying "computer, draw me a straight line from here to there and steer straight for it without bothering me again".

Or maybe they think integrated systems are limited to just that. Some seem under the impression that as soon as you push some big "integrate" button, the boat does all sorts of random, unexpected dangerous things.

But that's not how they work. Yes, it is human error if one plots a course over a hazard. It is also human error if one does so without electronics using an improperly scaled chart. I don't see any difference between the two, and it is just as easy to do with both.

And the point is moot anyhow with most electronics bought today - they are intrinsically integrated because that is how they are wired now. You can't choose to "not integrate" them - their power and communication/integration network is the same physical layer. You can choose to not use any functions involving integration - we certainly pick and choose depending on circumstances - but you can't choose not to integrate them.

It is MUCH easier to go aground hand steering in currents, high leeway and wind shifts than it is when the autopilot is taking it all into account. If the chart is wrong, going aground on a submerged ledge is going to happen regardless of who/what is steering the boat.

I'll bet the Polynesians also lamented the day sextants came to be - people were steering straight on lines of latitude instead of following the wave patterns from the actual landmasses. Allowed a lot of unskilled people to jump right into "captain" without decades of training first. Many of these "nouveau" captains sailed right past whole continents without even seeing them. Some even thought they were on completely different continents. Dangerous things those are...

Mark