Traditional Navigation Subclass???

[SOS]

Reposted also on fb page....Anyone Interested in a Traditional Navigation Subclass? "EC Classic"

I've been closely following the Golden Globe Race this year, and it got me thinking about doing something a little different for the 2027 Everglades Challenge. I spent so much time just staring at my GPS/phone VMG/Windy app on the last race that it's easy to spend more time looking down than looking up! I do enough of that when I'm not on the water. So I want to sail the EC using traditional navigation only — paper charts, compass, dead reckoning, and visual observations only. No GPS, Navionics or chart plotter, navigation apps, or electronic instruments. Just navigating the way we would have done it before all that equipment became commonplace. Besides that all normal WaterTribe safety requirements would still apply.

Ironically I still want to use my Starlink and livestream setup on the boat so people can follow along but I would just not access it with my phone during the race.

I'm wondering whether anyone else would be interested in doing the same, perhaps as an informal Traditional Navigation Subclass. "EC Classic?" or EC-TN (traditional navigation)?

I don't think this would necessarily make the EC dramatically more difficult unless its your first time in which case I wouldn't recommend it haha. But obviously much of the course follows recognizable coastlines, channels, and navigational features that are well represented on paper charts. But it would certainly change the way you approach the race. Night sailing might require more caution, route planning would become more important, and without GPS speed, VMG, and other performance data, we'd be giving up some competitiveness. On the other hand, that might be part of the appeal.

The idea isn't to make any point it's simply to bring a different kind of challenge to the event for me personally: navigating by chart and compass, making decisions based on observation and experience, and accepting a little more uncertainty.

So thinking if anyone else is crazy like me maybe a voluntary set of rules so anyone interested could participate under the same basic conditions. Would anyone else be interested in trying this for 2027? And if so, what restrictions would make sense? I'd especially like to hear from people in other classes, since I think this could be fun regardless of what kind of boat you're racing.

EC Classic —
Traditional navigation, (with modern safety)

Navigation: Paper charts, compass, dead reckoning, and visual observations only. No GPS, chartplotters, navigation apps, or electronic performance instruments.

Weather: No weather forecasts or routing updates after the start, except safety-critical warnings.

Communications: Text messaging and phone calls permitted as usual but nothing beyond using your phone as just a phone. VHF permitted. No outside navigation or tactical assistance.

Electronics: Required safety equipment and tracking devices remain operational. Cameras, livestreaming, and satellite internet are permitted for broadcasting only, not navigation.

Emergencies: Electronic navigation may be used when necessary for safety, but doing so ends "EC Classic eligibility"

All in fun.

[CrazyRussian]

I am not sure about the weather thing. I mean can I use VHF to get weather from NOAA channels? I have done more than one challenge when gps died during first half of the trip, I don’t see the navigation part as particularly difficult. Going without the weather forecast sounds a bit more challenging, but realistically, as long as the trend is known prior the challenge, it shouldn’t be hard either.