With the rise in popularity of the laptop computer ashore, it seems almost a natural development that sailors would soon discover that taking a laptop to sea is not the disaster-fraught idea which led to many newcomers rejecting the very thought of such idiocy ten years or more ago.

As laptops have become more reliable, and the build quality of the brand leaders such as Acer, Compaq, Toshiba and Dell has improved out of all recognition, the modern laptop has become a masterpiece of miniaturisation and high-tech capability.

Visually, the development of screen resolution to a point unheard of even 4 or 5 years ago has resulted in superb definition, colour, and contrast, and with remote TFT screens now available, and screen sizes steadily increasing, the detail that can be shown on a modern laptop is quite incredible, and has left far behind the

screen detail of dedicated chart plotters and suchlike.

It is inevitable then that the laptop is the favoured instrument when it comes to making the switch from conventional to electronic navigation, and some owners of larger yachts and motor cruisers have even moved to full-size PC’s, or in some cases, “marine” PC’s, although these are quite expensive when compared to new laptops.

Connection to the GPS is through the USB port, and a special cable is required for this., although Bluetooth can be used in some cases

Because modern computers require a higher voltage supply than is normally encountered on yachts, an inverter, to supply the AC voltage that the laptop’s own power supply cord uses, is desirable.