Setting up a wi-fi

SCOUTING new anchorages has always been a bit of a hit and miss affair. Turning up at a remote part of the planet and wanting to stop for the night would often find us anchoring in places that sometimes did not offer the protection we could have had if we were able to move closer to shore.

These ‘off the beaten track’ anchorages often lack detail on the charts we have. Exploring new areas late in an afternoon made us uncomfortable, due to the angle of sun not allowing us to see into the water easily. Getting our keel caught up with a falling tide has the potential to be disastrous.

We have tried several different methods to help quickly scout out areas we were interested in moving through. The first was a forward-facing sonar; while the idea was good, it turned out to be an expensive exercise.

The drawback was the unit was very hands-on and, when we wanted the unit to be working at its best while manoeuvring in tight quarters, we could not easily keep up with the setting changes to keep the