Plotter only, no paper charts? How do you do this......?

[Anonymous]

I keep paper charts on the table at all times despite having C-Map cartridges that will go into my plotter, radar and laptop (using the USB reader). One reason is that if I hear a lat and long given, for a vessel in distress or some danger I can plot it in a few seconds and instantly see whether my track required is anywhere near it - or, if it was a vessel in distress, I can plot an approximate compass course in much less than a minute.

I am planning to do some cruising this year for an area that I don't yet have paper for. I'm wondering how I would cope. Please can those of you who don't use paper explain to me how you do it? i.e. having written down the lat and long given by the other vessel or the CG, how do you determine the bearing and range to that point? How long does it take you?

Many thanks.

 

[damo]

I would put in a waypoint, then alter the coords to the desired lat/long, then do a goto to get the distance and bearing, then.....

Hell, that's why I use a paper chart as well as you /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif And it makes passage planning a lot easier IMO - to get a course from a plotter you have to zoom out, then you lose the detail for many dangers. I would be interested in the answer too /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[NickiCrutchfield]

I am a non technical sailor, but I think you can just move the cursor to the lat long on the chart plotter and do a goto. I'm sure that's what I do on smart boats. Paper only on mine though. Even if only small scale chart, I do feel 'naked' without something non-electronic to look at.
Nicki

 

[aknight]

On my (Mac) software, you command-click* on your position, then drag the cursor across to the target position and release. A pop-up then appears next to the target position showing distance and bearing (true and magnetic). If the tides function has been enabled, a button appears in the pop-up which, if clicked, displays a course-to-steer to the target position, after allowing for the tide and (if you need it and want to enter it) leeway.

This is on ARCS raster charts running on PassagePlus (Mac software).

*Command-click: clicking while holding the Command button on a Mac keyboard. No clear equivalent on a PC, but I assume that some other button combination (or right-clicking) has a similar function if you insist on suffering with Windoze ;-)

[Edit: I didn't quite answer your question. How long: about 10-15 seconds assuming the position is on the current chart. To locate the position, I just move the cursor round (there is a continuous display of lat and long that changes accordingly) much as I might with a yeoman plotter mouse. Once I 'drop', the position remains displayed with the bearing and distance information described above, until I choose to cancel it. As others have said, I can then convert it to a waypoint and create a route from the current position to the new waypoint. After that it's GPS-as-normal.]

 

[NickiCrutchfield]

Aha. Another Mac man. Nice to meet you.
Nicki

 

[aknight]

Nice to meet you too. There aren't many of us around afloat /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[NickiCrutchfield]

Hi,
To be fair, I am not afloat with my mac. Only at home. Have yet to find a place for a computer on board. I just love the way PC people seem to pity mac users, and I love the way we are never told we have performed an 'illegal' move. Illegal my arse Mr Gates. macs look loads better too.
Till we meet again.
Nicki

 

[ccscott49]

enter as a WP then goto, little panel at the side tells you bearing and distance to, fairly simple on tsunamis, but I like paper as well!

 

[roly_voya]

Looking at boats like the round the world racers and big professional boats that run all electronic charting the normal seams to be 2 identical EIDCS certified systems with independed power supplies running arcs or similar certified charts. Costs start from about £12k. Thats why all the yach equipment has the warning message "not to be used for navigation". I would get at least some passage charts before going! I would also check your insurence, may be invalid if you don't have charts on board.

 

[whipper_snapper]

Although, for cost reasons, I rely heavily on electronic charts for long passages, I always insist on having some paper for wherever I am. And I always have the paper on the chart-table with a recent(ish) position on it. But that paper might be a photocopy of a photocopy of a 1:1 million scale chart that was cancelled in 1928. I will have very carefully checked the passage ahead on the electronic charts and scribbled onto the paper anything important - a small island perhaps! - I find that combination very cheap and simple and reassuring and means that in open water you don't need to run a computer. And if all the gizmos fail, pilot books plus charts will get you where you need to go.

 

[jeremyshaw]

First, on the plotting query I guess it depends on the plotter. On my Raymarine I can just move the cursor to the given lat/long and it will tell me the range and bearing, so that's simple, but your plotter may be different.

If I were going to an area for which I did not have charts I would at least want:
1. A passage planning chart
2. A pilot book

I have also sometimes printed out charts from my plotter so I have a paper backup.

I once crewed a boat all the way from the UK to Turkey which only had passage planning charts. I was not ecstatic about that, but it was OK as long as you kept well offshore and only closed the shore and entered ports in daylight. Once we got to Greece we had a pilot book and personally I'd rather have a combo of a passage planning chart and a good pilot book than just more detailed charts.

 

[chrisgee]

much prefer paper charts and a good pilot book. Couldn`t use a 4"to 5" plotter -- how do you see anything worthwhile!
Did use Sea pro on a laptop a while ago on passage from Malta to Cephalonia but obviously only as a back up to proper charts. The hard drive packed up a few weeks after that and I threw the lot in the bin.
I might be persuaded to have a go with a Yeoman at some time -- is this perhaps the best of both worlds?

 

[Endeavourquay]

I use a plotter but keep paper too, I get a better perspective of where I am on paper.

 

[Liz_I]

Re: Plotter only, no paper charts? How do you do this......?

Hi Lemain
Presume you have a GPS? Select unused way point number, plug in lat & long of distressed vessel, select Nav mode & your selected number, hey presto bearing & distance in 10 secs!

 

[jon]

Yes,Yeoman really is the best of both worlds, would not be with out mine. I have a socket for the Sport in the cockpit and at the chart table. Just wish there were more chart folios available with the reference points, but does'nt take long to enter your own on charts and into the unit.

 

[alexrunic]

In my opinon you should never sail without back up paper charts what happens if you have an electrical fault. i use gps but always plot my posistion on a paper chart every hour.

 

[whipper_snapper]

[ QUOTE ]
In my opinon you should never sail without back up paper charts what happens if you have an electrical fault....

[/ QUOTE ]

In an ideal world of course that is true, and if you are always based in the same place it is easy. But if you are going long distances then you simply cannot carry a full portfolio of every possible chart you might need at nearly £20 a pop. Thus many people who move their boats significant distances use electronic charting plus a few large scale paper charts, plus very carefully selected 'key' charts of potential dodgy areas, plus pilot books. In the 'good old days' they would probably have carried much the same range of paper charts, but no large scale electronic charts either!

 

[Nick_Pam]

Dangerously!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif IMHO

I use plotter, laptop, paper charts and pilot books........ALWAYS!
Passage plan on chart....transfer to laptop at home......review on screen to my hearts content and then upload to chart plotter on arrival at boat....can print off passage plan to satisfy the power that be too.

 

[sailinglegend420]

[ QUOTE ]
I am planning to do some cruising this year for an area that I don't yet have paper for. I'm wondering how I would cope

[/ QUOTE ]

Lemain that's BAD!!!!

Lots of interesting comments here - I would also agree that all you really need is pasage planning charts, Pilot Guides and a spare GPS.

The insurance point is a good one and has made me look up my policy details. There's a generally exclusion due to "Recklessness or Willful misconduct".

Am I being "Reckless" if I have no chart for a section of a passage but I do have two large chartplotters and a backup handheld GPS that has an NMEA output that can be fed to the chartplotters if the main GPS fails????

 

[whipper_snapper]

[ QUOTE ]
..can print off passage plan to satisfy the power that be too.

[/ QUOTE ]


I imagine (maybe wrongly) that you and the OP are talking about very different kinds of sailing.

What happens when you need to divert because of weather or injury or boat problems to an unexpected place? Do you carry detailed approach charts for every port, every channel, every place of refuge, every archipelago that you might end up in ? When setting out on most long passages that is not an option and never was when there was no electronics option.



But please, let's not have one of those arguments.