A New Stonehenge

Ever since the advent of GPS, I have not found much use for the chart table on my schooner Britannia. Most of our passagemaking navigation is done on a Raymarine multifunction display on the helm pod, which is then transferred to a paper chart on the saloon table roughly every hour. The chart table is only used to store things that didn’t have a permanent home and as a desk for my laptop.

Considering the chart table and its attendant seat took up over 40 percent of the length of the port-side saloon, it was not a very efficient utilization of space. The basic layout also left a lot to be desired. The area between the table and companionway ladder was a narrow 10in, and squeezing into the seat frequently resulted in accidentally tripping breakers on the master power distribution panel, which had been placed at the side of the table. The half bulkhead it was attached to also impeded sliding in and out of the seats when the saloon table was up. It had to go!

I’m a traditionalist—I wouldn’t sail a square-rigged schooner if I wasn’t. However, advancements in equipment,