Doug,
I would like to offer my opinion on this question too. I am considered by some to be a leading authority on Solo Cat Sailing.
I sail a Mystere 6.0 with a spinnaker, but usually with a small hooter instead. Before that I sailed a Hobie 18 with a medium sized hooter.
99% of my sailing is done solo. Also, I can offer good wisdom on waterproofing due to the fact that I do one hell of a lot of intentional capsizing. I sail the ocean, so this also brings in the question of salt proofing the electronics.
The combination of what model gps I use and how I handle it results in a nice answer to your question of what gps to use while soloing in regards to usefulness, ease of use, and waterproofing.
I use a Garmin Etrex Legend. That is one of the higher end in the Etrex line. This model has a built in base map that covers most of the entire world. Yes, world! There is buoy and other navigational aid marks in it for the U.S.A.
This means that you can go hit the water before you have ever inputted any information (way points) in it, and find channel markers, lighthouses, major shore contours, etc. just from having this unit along with you.
You can search it on "city" and it will go right to that area, or just let it lock in on a fix and you will be able to view a map of your surroundings.
The display gives you an option of roughly five different pages. Each page has plenty of optional viewing preferences. There is a joy stick that resembles an eraser head type of cursor control on a lap top computer.
All of the controls on the unit are designed to be used with one hand, the left hand. However, I find it just as easy to use in either hand, right being easiest for me.
The page that has the most available information at once is adjustable to read out 4 or 5 readings, or something like 8 readings.
You also have a choice of font size between small and large. The large numbers make it easy to get information at a glance. Each field, whether you are using the 5 or the 8, is individually customizable to read what you want it to display.
The number of choices in those fields is remarkable. I don't have mine here, but from memory here are only a few of them:
velocity made good
present course
speed
highest speed attained
time
time to mark
distance to mark
bearing to mark
overall time
est. time of just about anything
and much more.
The Legend comes with an interface cord included. You can buy software or download any number of multitudes of freeware all over the Internet. Setting up cruising trips and placing routes in the unit is always a fun time, at the home computer.
The unit comes with an attachable neck strap that would allow you to choke yourself if you felt suicidal. I have found a great use for this strap however.
I wear a spray suit that has a pocket on my right thigh with a flap on top of it and a piece of velcro there to keep the flap shut. I shove the lanyard into the pocket before the gps. Now when I pull my gps out, the lanyard is still in the pocket. I am going to sew a loop into the pocket to attach the lanyard to, but for now.. the lanyard gets all hung up on the velcro and provides enough friction to keep the unit from going bye bye.
When soloing on the wire, flying a hull and three sails, I can easily reach into my pocket and pull this baby out for a reading. The best part? It continuously reads the satellites RIGHT THROUGH THE NYLON FABRIC POCKET! So when I pull it out, it is totally up to date.
When I first got it, I was going to use a waterproof pouch with velcro on the back of it and have a place to attach it to on each side of my boom. The unit fits sideways very nicely on the side my boom.
After finding out how easy it is to use from my pocket, I'm done. I used it for months and months without the lanyard attached. I was still thinking about how best to secure it. By the way, it is easy to hold this thing in the same hand as the tiller handle. So I can keep it out for a long time when I want to do some speed comparisons while I change course and change sail or board trim.
When I first got it, I was using zip lock bags. They did a good job of keeping it dry. It fits in those little tiny zip lock brand snack size bags. BUT, handling it and trying to use all the controls is a little slippery. So I've gone away from that.
I've made it a point to keep it in my pocket during dousing of hard spray and to try to pull it out during "dry" moments. And then, I try to hold it next to my leeward hip so as to provide some spray blockage.
But over the time I've had it, a year, and after all that I've subjected it to, I have come to be very confident of its water tightness. I do occasionally get a tiny bit of moisture inside, visible on the display screen. When this happens, I place it in a dry room and open up the battery compartment. Within a day it is back to normal.
There appears to be a microscopic vent in it, covered by what should be gortex. The vent is on the back, near the top, and has a raised area around it that resembles a very small pour spout..or maybe a nipple of some sort.
I believe that the moisture gets in through there when the unit cools down and is slowly drawing in some atmosphere in order to equalize itself. Gortex can't be perfect, right? Anyway, that is just my speculation.
The fact is, I never use any bag on it other than my somewhat spray proof, water infiltrated pant pocket. It has never let me down until just a few weeks ago when one of the joy stick functions was a bit sticky. I actioned it several times in a row and the problem went away. A minute amount of switch contact corrosion I presume.
The contact points for the computer interface are brass and have a leaky rubber cover over them. After lots of salt water use, they become a little corroded. I simply scrape the layer of white/green dust away and everything is fine. Sometimes I take an old toothbrush with some toothpaste and shine them up like new. This minor corroding has never been a problem. The contacts on the patch cord are gold so it it relatively easy to get the required connection between the cord and the brass contact points on the unit.
I hope there are some who will benefit from my long winded answer. I "can'///t find the wind" so I must make my own. :-)
