Mitch, I think you'll find that if/when you begin to paddle open water, new areas, 20 sea mile trips, convoluted coastlines--you'll see the utility of nautical charts and a compass. Consider: the "display" of a nautical chart on your foredeck/spray skirt in a map case, can be as large as 13 inches by 18 inches, in glorious color, and showing you every boomer, every tiny tidal channel, every shoal....the mind boggles! And battery or satellite or electronic failure? UNKNOWN! That's why serious mariners use charts and compasses. Sure, carry a GPS, but regard it as extra baggage.