I made Lee Cloths for s/v Gratitude. Looks like they turned out ok.

I Stand Corrected

Previously I shared my "challenges" in updating our Garmin GPS. I believe I suggested that Garmin needed to work on their customer service. Well, they have and its G-R-E-A-T. They have opened a walk in customer service center at their Olathe HQ just this week. Yep, I suggested it via email a week and a half ago and they did it. I am a PC and Windows 7 was my idea. Ooops, I mean....I am GPS and a Customer Service Center was my idea!

I loaded up our 76cx and cord, Kim's 478 and cords, the new chip, the unopened chip, Little Blue (my mini laptop), and my receipts for HomePort (Garmin's charting software) and the duplicate chip and headed down there. Of course the boys in the service center didn't quite know what to think of me. They were all automotive GPS guys. However the CSC manager, Randy jumped in and we muddled through. He had not seen the HomePort software. In fact they didn't even have it loaded in the CSC. We downloaded to Little Blue and together began figuring it out.

The CSC had a display of GPS units that is primarily made up of Nuvi's. They did have a 76 like ours. These are to use with customers along with a customer computer station. I don't know how (I meant to ask but forgot) but somehow our GPS unit was able to get connect to the satellites inside the CSC. As many of you know, you must be outside to acquire the satellites. I can only assume that Min has arranged for some super, duper, high tech, direct satellite connection into their HQ. They don't actually sell products in the CSC at this time. They plan to in the future but only on a limited basis. Randy was pretty sure they wouldn't have any marine units or such because there is just no market for that here in KS. Yes that same old story we KS sailors hear all the time...."What? You sail where? Kansas! I didn't know people sailed in Kansas." **So all my KS sailing friends, please flood them with marine requests and maybe they will add those to the shop as it develops. I think it's strange that they wouldn't have one of all their products on display to play with. Probably a good thing for me they didn't as I half expected to end up buying something. What a let down that there was nothing to buy! Oh well.

I was able to get a battery for Kim's 478. And at no cost - SCORE!!

I really can't say enough good things about my experience. They were all very nice. Randy was willing to spend as much time as needed and even made a couple of calls to ask some specifics about HomePort. They told me to come back and I assured them I would. One of the guys is going for more training next week and part of that training will be on marine products. I told him he was my NEW best friend.

I grilled them for info on the pending purchase of Raymarine but they didn't know much or weren't giving it up to me. I thought about hitting a local bar close by for happy hour to see if perhaps some Garmin marine developer might wander in for some after work refreshment and then accidentally leave a prototype of a new marine chartplotter-GPS-radar-XMradio-BBQgrill-beercoolie combo in the bar. But then I realized if I had a prototype like that, I wouldn't need to go to happy hour as it would be happy hour all the time. Maybe by the time they roll that unit out, they will have all the marine products in the CSC and I can test it for myself.

**Yes, I really did have the guys at the CSC take my pic in front of the building! Dorky I know but I knew I was going to update my blog with this experience and I thought a pic to accompany the posting would be nice.

Nav Class put to use

As you can see from the pic, we really put our ASA 105 Coastal Navigation Class knowledge to use.
NOT!
We opted for not one but two Garmin GPS combined with our other ships instruments and some very kewl iPhone apps.
Which brings me to my next point....sailing iPhone apps are kewl and useful!
My new favorites as of this trip...
1. Weather USA - gives coast weather reports including synopsis, map and radar.
2. Navionics Marine -simple rocks. I used the US Central that covers the FL panhandle. As good as both Garmin GPS.
3. JourSail - electronic log book. Still learning but seems kewl.
4. Boaters Ref- all things boatie that you might have to look up like nav aids and list of lights.
5. AccuWeather - I just dig the radar on this app. Especially during tornado warnings. **Oh, pretty colors, D-oh!
6. Kindle for iPhone - Some legendary sailing stories are now available for free! Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor and Sailing Alone Around the World by Joshua Slocum.
Check them out if you are a sailor.
**However we did have onboard paper charts and all the stuff to do coastal navigation if we needed.