March 22, 2011 19:53
Auto-next for waypoints can be a bad thing if your autopilot turns the boat straight into something (like an oncoming ship, a buoy, a log!). My raymarine chartplotter will not advance the autopilot to the next waypoint until I press buttons on the autopilot. Otherwise it just beeps at me until I do. I can see the logic of both positions, and favor the one that keeps the boat safe. I guess that means having the chartplotter control the throttle too, so it can stop the boat if we pass a waypoint and I don't advance to the next one. Hmm, someone ought to invent a device to do this! 