Why do I love my Yeoman Navigator?

Probably the strongest plus point the system provides is the fact that it uses a paper chart sitting on your chart table. We always plot our progress usually every half hour so there is very little chance of getting lost. The chart itself is not subject to electronic failure so even if the power fails the traditional way is still available.

The Navigator was introduced as an electronic replacement for traditional plotting instruments. Intially it was interfaced with Decca and Loran, now by GPS. It works by having an electronic grid under the chart table and an intelligent mouse that understands where it is on the grid. If there is a chart on the table, between the grid and the mouse, the mouse if it is connected to the GPS, will show you exactly where you are. That's the real benefit; the GPS will tell you where you are, but the Yeoman will show you. All you need to do is to locate the chart reference points, (which are now pre-programmed with Admiralty Leisure charts), so that wherever you move the mouse on the chart, the GPS will confirm your position in Lat long numbers. The mouse has a set of indicator arrows which light up as the GPS data matches the chart coordinates. A number of other information sets can be displayed, with the click of a button: bearings, range, speed course and time-to-go. Waypoints can be uploaded directly from the Yeoman into most GPS units.

What happens if the chart moves after we reference it? If your chart moves after you've referenced it, it will cause the unit to give inaccurate figures. To prevent this happening we use low tack tape to fix the chart to the table and we also have a clear acrylic sheet on top of the chart which allows us to use chinagraph pencils to record our half hourly positions. The mouse will read through a non-conductive material which is up to 10mm thick without affecting performance. Yeoman now offer a product called ClearView which does much the same job.

We have a library of charts with their reference points marked, and different Way Point sets for the passages we repeat. For new destinations we can plan in advance at home which makes boat time safer and home time productive from a cruising point of view.

Since I bought our Yeoman a number of new versions have appeared; the Sports XL and the Navigator Pro. The Sport models are designed to be portable, they are splash-resistant, and will go with you in the cockpit, up on the bridge, or stay at the chart table. You can extend the connection out to the cockpit for easy use while using the helm.