An example of a range is found in the mouth of Adams Creek, just after Mile 185. Occasionally, you will need to plot a compass course across a sound or large bay, but most of these have been pre-plotted in our chartbook. We have used plotted courses on well-marked stretches when visibility was poor, or caught out at night. Your depthsounder should be on constantly if you draw more than six feet. Calibrate the unit by dropping a measured line over the side while at anchor.
Some units allow the user to input a correction to the displayed reading.
We have found a small fishfinder to be very useful on the Waterway. The depth readings are very accurate, but the trend of the bottom can be even more useful. When approaching an anchorage or other side channel, a distinct up-slope on the fishfinder is often the first warning of impending shallows. The position finding capability of Loran and GPS is of little value most of the time, though it can be very handy if caught in a thunderstorm while crossing Albemarle Sound. We use our GPS constantly to keep track of speed over the ground.