The end of paper charts is nigh!

[st599]

Regarding software, OpenCPN (at least the drawing plugin) seems to offer some features that would allow for marking off areas, adding clearing bearings, etc. Personally I find it too kludgy to be practical, but the functionality is there.

My preferred app (SEAiq) allows any number of EBLs and VRMs, as well as marking out areas and lines when adding annotations. For me it's far quicker compared to OpenCPN, and doing something like a 3-point fix requires merely dropping three EBLs, putting one end of each on the planned targets, and then dragging the other ends once you've taken bearings. Multiple EBLs also work for calculating course to steer, etc.

I haven't yet played with it, but Rose Point's Coastal Explorer also claims to allow unlimited range/bearing lines and unlimited boundary circles, lines, and areas with alarms, along with a dead reckoning mode.

Yes, the method of using legs on a route is possible, but to me it's stretching things a bit much and asking for error.

It may be worth posting a few screenshots of good practice - that can then be turned in to a feature request for OpenCPN.

 

[mattonthesea]

It may be worth posting a few screenshots of good practice - that can then be turned in to a feature request for OpenCPN.

I would like a plugin for opencpn for plotting, clearing lines etc. A simple line drawing tool that you can click on your sighting point and drag to finish it. As you do it shows, in big numbers, the bearing to the click point. After releasing the roll over will pop this info up again. If a clearing line then an option to change line colour? Having said that I often use the plot as a clearing line.

Now someone is going to tell me it already exists!

BTW and thread drift: I've discovered that my partner gets quite anxious when I use traditional nav skills. I have to let her turn on the chav nav every couple of hours so long as she doesn't tell me what it says. It's as if she's worried that we'll fall off the edge of the world.

 

[westernman]

........ unless of course the Americans turn off their military sat nav .

But then we can always use the Russian Glonass system.