How to avoid shipping lanes?

[freedom44]

Does anyone know if there is a chart/illustration of the main shipping lanes from, say, The Channel to mid Atlantic so that we can design our courses to minimise the risk of sailing pararell with the main shipping lanes? I appreciate the Traffic Seperation zones are well marked; its more, where do they go thereafter?

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[Sgeir]

over the edge of the world?

<hr width=100% size=1>Err...

 

[Mirelle]

Don\'t worry too much

The volume of traffic across the Atlantic is no longer very great, thanks to changes in world trade, and you will be clear of most of it (eg tankers from Sullom Voe to the States go nowhere near your route).

The volume of traffic taking the most direct route from Spain to Ushant is quite another matter. This is perhaps something to think about, but you can avoid it by drawing a fairly straight line on the chart and keeping a few miles to one side or the other. GPS has had the effect of "bunching up" ships by eliminating routine errors in celestial navigation, so several Masters now make a point of keeping to the starboard side of the direct course in order to reduce the risk of collision.

<hr width=100% size=1>Que scais-je?

 

[snowleopard]

two publications can help here:

Ocean Passages for the World goes into great detail on steamer and sailing ship routes, at a price

and

Admiralty Routeing charts have tracks and distances for major routes.

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[Mirelle]

caution; very out of date info in both

For all practical purposes, modern shipping follows the great circle track unless the ship is being weather routed. There are no sailing ships or "low powered steamers" now - a "low powered steamer" made perhaps 8 knots - today's bulk carriers and tankers make 14 and container ships make up to 25 knots. Weather routeing tends to make sense on runs where yachts are seldom to be found.

<hr width=100% size=1>Que scais-je?