Gone are the days when anyone going to sea needed a stack of charts and a full understanding of navigation in order to know where they were heading.  These days, by using a Garmin GPS Handheld System, you will be able to pinpoint your location at sea within seconds, and use the device in order to plan your trip more accurately than ever before.
One of the hardest things about navigation in open water is that there is very little in the way of land marks to tell you where you are and where you are heading.  Traditional navigation requires you to take regular measurements of the angle of the sun, the time, your speed and heading, and many more factors in order to accurately gauge where you are.  While this kind of navigation can be a deeply satisfying process, and provide many rewards in terms as you learn it effectively, many times when you are at sea, you simply want to get somewhere, and enjoy the ocean rather than being tied down to a map table, and this is where Garmin GPSMAP Systems come in.
 
Garmin GPS systems and those of other manufacturers work by using a radio signal from a satellite network above the earth to calculate your exact position.  They generally do this by comparing the strength and direction of the signal from 3 satellites, and through a complex process of calculation, decide your position in relation to the source of the signal.  In the past, GPS systems were accurate to within about 30 meters - the size of a swimming pool, but nowadays you can get your position correct to within an area the size of a car. 
 
The increasing accuracy of GPS systems coupled with a reduction in price over the last few years has made them a much more common and accessible tool for people to use.  Unlike in the past, where the prohibitive expense of GPS meant that it could only be used by the military, these days, almost anyone who wants to know their position can invest a few hundred dollars in a global positioning device, and use it for navigation.
 
There are two main kinds of Garmin GPS system currently available.  The first, simpler model simply provides you with your coordinates using the Global Positioning Satellite system.  Such systems, like the Garmin Etrex Venture offer a range of navigation functions including an inbuilt compass, and are a great boon to traditional navigation, and great value, with prices from starting from under $140.
 
If you choose a basic model such as the Garmin Etrex Venture mentioned above, you will still need to invest in a suitable mapping system to complement it, and you can choose from traditional paper charts, or alternatively opt for a computer based system if you have the resources to run a laptop on board your boat.  For a computer based navigation system, you can choose from a range of highly detailed charts that come on a DVD or CD, and are available at around $80 each.
 
Because of the additional expenses associated with an entry level Garmin GPS system in terms of maps or computer software, many people prefer to choose a more advanced model GPS that incorporates a small screen in order to show location.  While these are great for in-car use, and popular with hikers and walkers, some navigators will find that the size of the screen can make finding your bearings a little difficult compared to a traditional map - although for weekend sailors, models like the Garmin Etrex Legend, at around $270 are ideal, and provide all the functionality that you could possibly want.
 
Aside from basic positional information, the Garmin Etrex Legend Handheld GPS also displays where you are on a moderately sized map, allowing you to plan your journey on a single device.  The map is fully interactive, and can be scaled and moved around, and you can also plot waypoints on the system that allow you to plan your route in advance.
 
Although going to sea seems easier than ever thanks to Garmin GPS, it is still important for anyone going to sea to learn the basics of traditional map reading and other aspects of navigation, because despite the reliability of modern systems, in an emergency, it is vitally important to be able to get back to land as quickly as possible.  For this reason, you should never rely 100% on your computerized GPS, and always have some kind of back up plan in mind to get out of trouble.