When it comes to confirming distance off a solid object such as a cliff, the most accurate tool on board a fully equipped yacht is radar. A good example is rounding Portland Bill keeping a cable or two off the shore to stay in the deep water but safe inside the boiling tide race to seaward. It takes nerve to stay so close, but there’s no transit, so radar it is, if you have it!
Choose the most appropriate range, hit the button to activate the variable range marker (VRM) and set the circle to the chosen distance off. Double-check that you haven’t committed a nonsense, then go ahead, keeping the VRM just touching the echo of the cliff. Don’t forget to watch the echo sounder for that vital cross-check, and remember that the final arbiter is still your own eyes. They’ll soon tell you if you’ve made a major bloomer.
