BLINDED BY TECH

But imagine sailing through unknown waters only relying on dead reckoning after days of overcast skies, or approaching an island, trying to tell just by landmarks in the silhouette where the safe harbour or pass through the reef might be. GPS, detailed charts in combination with electronic chart plotters and sophisticated autopilots have changed cruising completely since then and nowadays navigation seems perfectly simple and safe for everybody. But why do yachts still get wrecked on rocks and reefs around the world every year?

Cruising all year round in French Polynesia, we become eyewitnesses to boats running aground, hear