[Public-List] [Member-List] More Free charts

[Janet Kirk]

At 11:25 AM 12/17/2009, Jim Davis wrote:
>Here is a new source of free NOAA charts.  These are Raster Scan, ENC and 
>booklet form.  Also available are Coast Pilots and Notice to Mariners.
>http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/staff/chartspubs.html
>
>Due to the size of these files I would not even consider using dial up.


Jim... Those free charts have been downloadable for several years, now. I 
have used them on my laptop on a couple of cruises. A good thing about them 
is that they are kept updated with the (near) latest Notice to Mariners, so 
you can download new ones for your cruising area just before getting 
underway. I use them with the elegant, free "Sea Clear" navigation software 
and a hockey puck GPS input. I think the combination is better than the 
very expensive chart plotters on the market. You get a real time display of 
your position on an accurate, up to date chart. (That didn't stop me from 
going aground in the Wye River, but that was operator error - my brother, 
of course.)

The disadvantage is, you'd rather not have an expensive laptop out in the 
cockpit in splashy weather, but run it inside the cabin or use a 
transparent plastic chart case topside. You also should run the computer 
from an inverter and AC power cord to preserve battery life. Finally, 
depending on your laptop, the screen may wash out in bright sunlight. Time 
for a bimini.

Bob Kirk
Isobar 181





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