Today I was reminded about the fictional account of an aircraft carrier and a lighthouse in which the carrier and her escorts were navigating in dense fog and a target appeared on the radar that appeared to be on a collision course with the carrier group. The captain signaled to the target advising it to change course. The as yet unidentified target replied "Please divert your course to avoid collision." The captain of the carrier group advised the still unidentified target to change course or measures would be taken to ensure the safety of the ships. This time the target replied, "I really suggest that you change course; we are a lighthouse!"

I am an avid sailor and in the PNW there are times where the fog is so thick I can barely see beyond my own bow. Under these situations I would rather remain in port and wait it out, but there are some times when I must get underway and radar is an indispensible tool during these times. When I first started sailing in the PNW my boat didn't have radar. I had sailed since I was knee high to a grasshopper, and thought radar was for sissies. One year my father and I circumnavigated Vancouver Island and on the way home we encountered heavy fog. I thought, "OK, I have a GPS, charts, etc. I can navigate my way safely to our next port." My father and I took turns on the bow listening for boats and bells while motoring along at a dead slow pace. It was my father's turn on the bow when we ran right up onto the buoy marking the channel entrance. While I'd like to think my navigation and piloting skills were so great as to put us right on a buoy in pea-soup fog, I realize it was really just happenstance. Radar would have prevented that little bump, but there was no damage and we made it into port for a nice hot dinner and an extra ration of grog (actually scotch) to calm our nerves.

Immediately upon returning from that adventure I put radar on my boat. (Sure the bravado of standing on deck in pea-soup fog has all sorts of manly connotations, but as we mature we learn to understand that adventure is not synonomous with risking your life and there are easier, safer, and more effective ways of accomplishing things that we had to muscle our way through.) It takes a bit of practice to learn how to use radar effectively aboard a boat, and once the techniques are mastered it certainly increases one's confidence to navigate at night and in fog. Radar is very effective at identifying various stationary and moving targets. As a general rule of thumb we want to steer clear of stationary targets (this is truly a best practice) and we want to track the speed and direction of moving targets to evaluate whether or not a course correction is necessary. Occasionally, a stationary target appears on the radar that is 'unidentified.' It could be another boat at anchor or fishing, a buoy, or perhaps some large flotsam. So, it would be fool-hardy to rely only on the radar. Safe navigation in requires more than reliance on a single tool. So, in conjunction to radar I also use a cartographic GPS system, a depth finder, and yes, even good ol' charts to navigate especially in fog or at night, and exploring unknown waters.

With all the tools available today, only a ship of fools will sail in thick fog without radar. But, for some bizarre reason some people still think they are experienced enough to tell the direction of a boat engine in order to make an appropriate course correction. It is also a ship of fools that use tools incorrectly, or for purposes other than which they were intended, or use only one tool or rely too heavily upon one tool. But, it is important to remember these tools are only as valuable as the individuals using them, and a tool still requires a knowledgeable person to input data, interpret the output correctly, make corrections as necessary, and safely chart a course to one's destination. 

Whether navigating a boat or testing computer software the use of tools in the hands of competent users will certainly increase their effectiveness and ultimately achieve desired objectives more efficiently.

But, more importantly, the benefits or value derived from even the best tools are limited to the knowledge and skills of the person employing those tools.

A tool used by a fool is a foolish tool, and a fool using a tool is a toolish fool.