The Importance of Having a Co-Captain

Military fighter pilots can suffer from a condition called information overload, which can be brought about by overwhelming amounts of technology in the cockpit that distract from the primary mission of flying the aircraft.

This phenomenon has led to placing a second aviator known as a RIO—radar intercept officer—on board to relieve the pilot from monitoring, managing, and operating technologies such as radar, weapons systems, and navigation. If you watched the movie Top Gun (the first and best one, I think), you will recall that Goose, seated behind Maverick in the F-14 Tomcat, served as the RIO.

Information overload also can occur for helmsmen piloting today’s boats. As marine electronics provide increasing amounts of information, there’s a tendency to become preoccupied with electronic displays rather than keeping eyes on the surrounding waters and driving the boat.

This is particularly true in challenging conditions such as in the dark of night or dense fog, when technologies such as radar, AIS, electronic chart plotting and night-vision cameras are relied on heavily for safe navigation.

These are times when I want next to me at the helm the boating equivalent of a RIO—a co-captain whose responsibility is to manage and monitor critical navigational electronics while I man the wheel and maintain a lookout.

In order to trust a ­crewmember in this role, they need to be someone who possesses the skillset to operate and interpret marine electronics—and remain focused. For me, this includes a handful of fishing buddies, most of whom have honed these skills aboard their own boats.