Date: Mon Oct 8, 2001 9:25 am

It occurred to me that the federal government may reinstitute selective availability or something that will compromise the accuracy of GPS units to a greater degree due to the current terrorism threats. Perhaps not, but I would caution those who rely on these units during the coming weeks or months.

Date: Mon Oct 8, 2001 12:53 pm

Very good point. I'm considering sailing to Rhode Island in early November, so this is a good thing to think about.

I had just (a few days ago) modified my going-to-sea checklist to include rating the mechanical clock, mostly thinking about how a lightening strike could take out both GPS and the quartz watch used for celestial. If celestial is to be the ultimate backup, I suspect relying on a high-tech

timepiece may be dangerous.