Electronic Watch Handover and Configuration Control

A watchkeeper needs more than the active waypoint. Handover should cover the current fix and its evidence, course and speed, cross-track trend, next alteration, traffic and CPA concerns, depth margin, tidal assumption, weather, active alarms, equipment defects, and the exact trigger for calling the skipper. Confirm the receiving watchkeeper can identify the relevant controls and has understood the limits.

Record changes that affect the navigation picture: route edits, waypoint advances, alarm changes, sensor substitutions, chart updates, heading offsets, log calibration concerns, loss and restoration of equipment, and fixes used to validate GNSS. A concise record lets the next watch distinguish a deliberate configuration from a fault and supports later investigation of an anomaly.

Control imported routes and removable media. Treat a route received from another person or device as unverified data: check datum, coordinates, every leg, turn direction, chart scale, dangers, cross-track corridor, and arrival behaviour before activation. Retain the route name and revision so a crew member cannot silently select an old or similarly named plan.

Configuration is part of seaworthiness. Before a demanding passage, test on both normal and backup power, confirm chart licences and coverage, verify the date of updates, compare heading with the steering compass, check depth against a known or expected value, confirm GNSS position reaches DSC, and practice the black-screen fallback. The test is complete only when the crew can continue safely without the primary display.