Chart for Atlantic crossing

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Alcyone

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We're off across the Atlantic fairly soon now, crewing on a mate's boat. Clearly the yacht is fully kitted with nav equpment and plenty of charts, but I fancied buying one that I could plot and keep for myself.

Is there a single chart thta covers from the UK to Barbados? I think Imray North atlantic passage chart 100 may be whant I want, but I can't seem to find a picture of the area covered.
 
Alcyone said:
We're off across the Atlantic fairly soon now, crewing on a mate's boat. Clearly the yacht is fully kitted with nav equpment and plenty of charts, but I fancied buying one that I could plot and keep for myself.

Is there a single chart thta covers from the UK to Barbados? I think Imray North atlantic passage chart 100 may be whant I want, but I can't seem to find a picture of the area covered.
Click to expand...

Yes the Imray is ok, though it is not Mercator projection so it all appears "twisted" compared to the usual idea of the world one has with Mercator charts :)


Also, the chart (or for that matter also Mercator charts of the north atlantic ocean) is large and if you want to follow your progress in the big picture there is the risk to be visually lost.

Personally, I printed and laminated an A4 hurrican tracking chart where I marked the daily noon position, I had all the other paper charts but this A4 size chart was by far the best to visualise the track.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/tracking_chart_atlantic.pdf

***Sorry, I used it for Carib to Azores, I realize the chart does not cover the uk, however with a bit of resizing, adding one more grid line to the NE of the chart...
 
THanks for all the answers, guys. I'll make my choice and get it ordered. Looks like we'll be off later this week.

Can't wait, tbh.

:D
 
School atlas's almost always have a chart of the Atlantic. Have a look in your last diary, that may have a map that includes it.

Many 60's transats used to just use a bit of blank paper for plotting their track between the solid bits. Why spend money on a chart with no soundings or land? There aren't many nav marks either. :D
 
Searush said:
Many 60's transats used to just use a bit of blank paper for plotting their track between the solid bits. Why spend money on a chart with no soundings or land? :D
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People still use "blank paper" plotting sheets for plotting astro fixes. But if you want a general impression of how far you've got, then it helps to show the land either side!

Pete
 
Bobc said:
Because he wants a souvenir of the trip.
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Thanks, I did understand that, I was just teasing - that's why I used the :D.

Even so, probably best to mark up a new display copy when you get home.

One marked up during an Ocean crossing is likely to end up somewhat crumpled, stained & corrected by the end of the passage, plus a flight home.

Fine, it may add authenticity in a Bachelor pad, but I know a few SWMBO's who would object to "that huge dirty mess" being on their wall, and please put it in the shed with your other junk . . . :eek:

I used to display a full size Mersey Approaches chart on the dining room wall over the table in our first house, but it didn't survive removal to the new one. I'm certain SWMBO saw to that! :o
 
Searush said:
One marked up during an Ocean crossing is likely to end up somewhat crumpled, stained & corrected by the end of the passage, plus a flight home.

Fine, it may add authenticity in a Bachelor pad, but I know a few SWMBO's who would object to "that huge dirty mess" being on their wall
Click to expand...

IMO, if it doesn't have that authenticity, no point in having it.

Searush said:
I used to display a full size Mersey Approaches chart on the dining room wall over the table in our first house, but it didn't survive removal to the new one. I'm certain SWMBO saw to that! :o
Click to expand...

My parents have a big drawer full of OS maps of various parts of the country. A lot of the older ones of Cornwall have their edges cut off - apparently this is because in their first house the maps were tiled together to wallpaper the whole of the upstairs landing.

Pete
 
>Yes the Imray is ok, though it is not Mercator projection so it all appears "twisted" compared to the usual idea of the world one has with Mercator charts

Yes it is 'twisted' because it allows you to work out and mark the waypoints along the rhumb line, the shortest route. You can't do that on a Mercator chart. Thus we used the Imray one.
 
Searush said:
Thanks, I did understand that, I was just teasing - that's why I used the :D.

Even so, probably best to mark up a new display copy when you get home.

One marked up during an Ocean crossing is likely to end up somewhat crumpled, stained & corrected by the end of the passage, plus a flight home.

Fine, it may add authenticity in a Bachelor pad, but I know a few SWMBO's who would object to "that huge dirty mess" being on their wall, and please put it in the shed with your other junk . . . :eek:

I used to display a full size Mersey Approaches chart on the dining room wall over the table in our first house, but it didn't survive removal to the new one. I'm certain SWMBO saw to that! :o
Click to expand...

Searush, if you know my Swmbo, you will realise that she, to, will, be 'somewhat crumpled, stained & corrected by the end of the passage', so don't fret.

Personally, I'm hoping for a beard like yours! (me, not her)

:D
 
jimi said:
Good luck! Keep us updated on progress if you can.
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There is a link to our blog in my signature. As yet, it's just lots of 'getting ready' type stuff, but I'm hoping to keep it up to date. We now have a nexus 7, which, apparently, is not a killer robot droid......
 
Alcyone said:
Searush, if you know my Swmbo, you will realise that she, to, will, be 'somewhat crumpled, stained & corrected by the end of the passage', so don't fret.

Personally, I'm hoping for a beard like yours! (me, not her)

:D
Click to expand...
I'm sure she will still look good, even after sailing you across the Atlantic! I hope you don't get too bored watching her sail, cook, wash up, tidy, prepare you clothes, repair the boat, trim the sails, plot the course, catch fish, etc etc.
You are lucky, you couldn't look more 'crumpled, stained & corrected by the end of the passage' than you do now!
Allan
 
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There are several types of chart for that route and they serve different purposes. For a souvenir, almost any type will do. In fact you might be better off just noting noon positions and marking them up on a virgin chart when you get home.

I have a gnomonic projection, designed for plotting great circles as straight lines, on which I've plotted my passages for many years. The problem is that they don't cover the tropics so my Caribbean passage is mostly in the bottom margin.

I keep a weather routing chart under the perspex top of my chart table, very useful to have an idea of expected weather.

One good argument for navigators having a proper admiralty chart of the ocean is that it has isogonic lines marked, i.e. it tells you what the magnetic variation is. As that goes from 4°W around Britain to over 15°W in Barbados and more in the Leeward Islands, it's worth knowing.
 
KellysEye said:
>Yes the Imray is ok, though it is not Mercator projection so it all appears "twisted" compared to the usual idea of the world one has with Mercator charts

Yes it is 'twisted' because it allows you to work out and mark the waypoints along the rhumb line, the shortest route. You can't do that on a Mercator chart. Thus we used the Imray one.
Click to expand...

Yes I know, I transferred the straight line of the great circle chart into the Mercator one and I ended up with a slightly humped route, something not too far away from the loxodromic, this for Carib Azores..
Besides, the route one can actually sail is definitely different from the ortodromic (except if flat calm and motoring 2000miles straight across), and more so in a Canaries-Carib direction, I personally would not bother again

Anyway, it gave something to do around midday: plot on the mercator, plot on the imray, plot on the A4 mini-chart... 1205h time to prepare lunch :)
 
Allan said:
I'm sure she will still look good, even after sailing you across the Atlantic! I hope you don't get too bored watching her sail, cook, wash up, tidy, prepare you clothes, repair the boat, trim the sails, plot the course, catch fish, etc etc.
You are lucky, you couldn't look more 'crumpled, stained & corrected by the end of the passage' than you do now!
Allan
Click to expand...

Congrats on your YM.

Git.

:D
 
Alcyone said:
There is a link to our blog in my signature. As yet, it's just lots of 'getting ready' type stuff, but I'm hoping to keep it up to date. We now have a nexus 7, which, apparently, is not a killer robot droid......
Click to expand...

Lovely boat! Have fun.
 
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