The anniversary of one of the most infamous ocean tragedies of all time has just passed recently, the sinking of the Titanic, just 100 years ago, on April 15, 1912. America's Boat US Foundation asks - what have ocean travelers of today learned from the Titanic tragedy? Well, what have we learned?

In 1914, two years after Titanic's loss of 1,503 lives, maritime nations gathered in London, adopted the International Convention of the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS Convention) and put in place a series of measures learned directly from the tragedy.

Slow down: The commission that investigated the sinking found that excessive speed combined with the prevalence of ice flows was a major factor in the disaster. Do you slow down when boating at night, in foggy weather or when in unfamiliar waters? Any time you're out on the water and something doesn't 'feel right,' slowing down is your best first move, giving you critical time to react.

Call for help:  The radio that the Titanic used to send out the SOS had a limited range of only 200 miles and the airwaves were 'crackling,' leading rescuers to misinterpret her position. Also, sadly, the vessel closest to her, the Californian, had shut down her radio for the night. Sailing nations of the world have seriously upgraded their response to distress signals. In the USA, the Coast Guard Rescue 21 system now covers over 40,000 miles of US coastline and some major rivers, taking the 'search' out of search and rescue 24/7 by providing accurate location information with the simple push of one button - but only if your boat has a DSC VHF radio and it is properly connected to your GPS/chartplotter.

Unfortunately, today coastguards around the world report that most DSC VHF radios are not connected to a marine GPS device or GPS chartplotters. If you travel offshore or boat alone, an EPIRB or personal locator beacon (PLB) can also speed your rescue. On larger bodies of water a cell phone should only be considered a back-up emergency communications device, and always have your VHF on and tuned to channel 16.

Give a safety briefing to guests before you leave the dock: Regrettably, no lifeboat drills were held aboard the Titanic, the crew lacked training in their operation, and there was no public address system. Today, before they head out, recreational boaters and anglers can simply share with guests the location of the safety equipment and how to use gear such as the VHF radio, distress flares, fire extinguisher, or inflatable life jackets.

Have a life jacket for everyone aboard - that fits. It is inconceivable to consider, but the Titanic did not have enough critical safety gear, such as lifeboats, for all her passengers. Do you have enough correctly-sized life jackets for everyone aboard, and are they readily accessible? A child in an adult size life jacket could easily slip out simply by raising their hands above their head. Be sure all gear is appropriate to the individual passengers on board at any point in time.

Planning ahead is crucial to a safe and enjoyable outing, so don't shortcut yourself or your passengers in this area. In order to have fun you should first and foremost be sure to be safe.

A common question that you hear is “is there a site that one can go to for a profile to fit a GPS to the person and needs?” Generally you can go to any of the major manufacturers' web sites and find comparison charts on their models. Most manufacturers have comparison functionality on their web sites that could help determine what to look for. It looks pretty basic, and you may have already determined what you are looking for. Now you just need to find the right unit. First you must decide what type of unit are you looking for – automotive GPS systems, motorcycle GPS, marine GPS chartplotter or fishfinder, handheld GPS units? I especially like Garmin's site for doing comparisons of GPS device features. There you can pick your interests (basic handhelds, mapping handhelds or on the side there is a link to geocaching). You can learn a lot from their site, and they have a wonderful comparison feature. This would be a terrific place to start. If you like geocaching there are also sites such as geocaching.com which teach you a lot and are a lot of fun. I generally like helping you find answers to your questions, but at the same time a feature which makes great sense to one person will sound like a waste of time and money to someone else, so you really need to do the final homework yourself to be sure you really find the GPS unit which suits your needs and that you will love for some time to come. I hope this helps to simplify things a little for you.

Turn by turn directions for marine GPS? That’s a new one on me! I was talking to someone who asked us for exactly that just recently. That sounds pretty slick, but can’t say I have ever seen that before.  After all, on a river or a lake the maps are going to show you where there are obstacles and where it is safe, deep enough for the boat to navigate safely.  Nobody sticks to just one particular route unless they are navigating white water or other treacherous situations, working around shoals or sandbars or whatever.

Anyway, GPS chartplotters or GPS fishfinder combos are meant to show you the lay of the land, the obstacles and the channels which, if you actually use their aid, will help you to navigate safely and to find where those big fish actually live, but won’t give you a strict street map setup.  After all, in my book that is much of the magic of spending time on the water, the ability to wander freely and enjoy the ride.  Again, turn by turn directions?  Not really, but marine GPS will still certainly help you to find your way and bring you home again.

Hey boating enthusiasts, now that you are familiar with marine GPS navigation, both GPS chartplotters and fishfinders, the best of both worlds is a GPS fishfinder combination. With a GPS fishfinder combo you are able to not only chart your course to your favorite fishing grounds, but to clearly take your deep sea and fresh water fish finder GPS fishing to new levels. Plus, these waterproof units include a high-sensitivity internal or external GPS receiver, so you will always know your position at sea, then they will help you find those monster fish once you get there. There sure is nothing like a nice relaxing day on the water, a friend by your side and fishing pole in your hand.

Anglers tend to take one of two approaches to a fishing trip: either they’re in it for the relaxation and camaraderie or they’re deadly serious about reeling in a trophy fish. Family fishing trips seldom become competitive; it’s usually enough to catch a few bass or trout in an inland lake while spending the rest of the time shooting the breeze and enjoying a cold beverage or two.

Fishing competitions are another matter entirely. Serious anglers often realy possess keen fishing instincts that have been honed through years of experience. Still, they accept help wherever they can get it. An Eagle fishfinder features a combination of sonar and GPS mapping technology, allowing anglers to pinpoint the likeliest location where a school of fish might be hanging out. When pride and prize money are on the line, a fishfinder is practically as essential as the boat itself.