Over the last few years, we've seen our GPS units take on the mountains of Nepal, the sand and heat of Desert Storm, and the rigors of many around-the-world journeys. But this one really takes the cake (or at least the cookie jar)....

It seems Jim Vandenberg and his wife Sue were riding out a severe thunderstorm at the Pickwick Cove Marina in Counce, Tennessee in their 48' DeFever trawler, Tangaroa. Jim placed his GPS 75 in the galley oven to protect it from several lightening strikes which came perilously close to their slip.

The next morning, after the storm blew over, things got back to normal aboard the Tangaroa. Sue got ready to bake a batch of cookies (preheat oven to 350 degrees, bake for 8 minutes until golden brown), as Jim checked the vessel for storm damage.

The cookies were done before either Jim or Sue had realized what else had bakedPÐthe GPS 75! The Vandenberg's newest piece of navigation equipment had suffered a serious meltdown. After allowing the GPS to cool off a bit, Jim decided to see if his worst fears were confirmed by powering up his fresh-from-the-oven global navigator.

Jim was amazed to find that the GPS 75 not only powered up and functioned perfectly, but locked on to satellites and calculated a position using his external antenna.

The Vandenbergs now have a brand new GPS 75 and are getting back to cruising the Tenn-Tom Waterway.

After hurricane season is over, they plan to return south to the Gulf of Mexico. "Wherever we are, our Garmin GPS 75 is a vital part of our navigation equipment," said Jim. As for the cookies, "They turned out fine."

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