This is hard work!!

[iangrant]

I must confess I've been a little lax with the old chart corrections. So, I thought I'd update the Solent Small Craft Folio (they should have been called a port folio, ha ha, obviously no sense of humour these Taunton Chaps).
WHAT A NIGHTMARE - you have to check all of the chart corrections for the charts that they were derived from.

So confesseions please - who's charts are out of date - just think about the SOLAS regs, passage plans, etc... if one had an accident and the authorities found yer charts out of date..

Ian

 

[jamesjermain]

The yachting journos had a meeting with the Admiralty chaps just before the boat show - and there were some distinguised names present. We had a presentation on the latest in ARCS and Vector chart cartography.

Much discussion ensued about how often we updated charts and how much we were prepared to pay for the service. We were mainly talking about electronic charts, but paper charts were also discussed. Most of those present admitted to updating once a year at most and that was usually just local information from the latest almanac plus changes affecting the summer cruise area. Others were forced to confess they still had strangely monochrome charts, annotated with coffee and blood stains (red wine?).

There was a general feling that the majority of yachtsmen don't bother to correct their charts at all but operate a programme of rolling renewal by which most of their portfolio gets replaced every five years or so. This acknowledges the fact that, on a small boat chart table even a well kept chart only has a lifespan of a few years.

There was, however, a significant geographical division, with those on the East Coast, for obvious reasons, being more likely to update charts from Notices to Mariners on a regular basis - sometimes even more often than once a year! West Country and Scottish sailors just looked blank and said 'what corrections'.



JJ

 

[Chris_Robb]

Confessions

I inherited a very comprehensive set of charts from my Uncle when he gave up sailing.

I do however have two sets of small portfolios which were already out of date by a year and a half when I bought them, for Solent and west country. There is no interim update of these charts so you takle it or leave it untill they republish.

Typical of charts used this year, was the Villaine to Belle Isle dated 1984. The bay leading to the Villaine river is very shallow, showing 1 mtr CD. However there are warnings that it has silted heavily, and on entering on neaps 2 hours after low water, I had only 1.8M at times, so clearly the charts are not showingthe correct depths. Actually the new French chart I looked at also showed the wrong depths. Major rocks don't move, GPS tells me wher I am, and the local pilot gives up to date changes.

I should be replacing all my charts however this probably won't happen as I always use them in conjuction with an up to date almanac, and to date I have not had any scares.

I suppose if my GPS lets me down and I am reliant on up to date bouyage, then I could well have problems.

I am not a convert to any more electronics on the boat, so a chart plotter will NOT be appearing.

 

[dickh]

If you get Stanfords Charts,(www.allweathercharts.co.uk) they are on waterproof paper, you can update them on a monthly basis from the internet FREE OF CHARGE!! As they are yachtsman charts they don't have all the information for big shipping as on Admiralty charts.
I was distinctly put off Admiralty charts when I hit an uncharted shallow patch in the Thames Estuary, informed them of this, and, when they eventually replied, said I should have used their charts and not Stanfords! Checked with an Admiralty chart afterwards and they were still innacurate!


dickh
I'd rather be sailing...

 

[Twister_Ken]

How often does the HO update charts?

see thread regarding No Mans Land fort.

 

[Twister_Ken]

How often does the HO correct charts?

see thread regarding No Mans Land fort.

 

[davel]

Ditto on the Hydro Office on-line chart correction service. Very very hard work and I eventually gave up. Don't understand why it should be so difficult in this database age to be able to type in the chart reference (not the derived from number) and get a list of applicable corrections sorted in date order !

Net result, of course, is that my charts lay uncorrected.

Dave L.

 

[nicho]

Mine are partially updated, but nowhere near fully so - what happens if you've just had your C-Map electronic cartridges updated by the Manufacturer - are you still likely to be prosecuted, or does that let you off the hook under Solas Regs?. (serious question if anyone knows the answer by the way). Very few (if any) of the boating fraternity I know update their paper charts on a regular basis.

 

[iangrant]

Re: How often does the HO correct charts?

The submerged barrier stops about 1/3 of the way to the shore on 5600.7 from No mans land fort

Ian

 

[Twister_Ken]

Could it be that the real reason they don't have a sensible correction d/base on the web is because if they make it difficult to correct, then more people will throw out old charts and buy new?

 

[Miker]

Not before the event

I am still waiting for the NM to tell me about the raised pipeline off Walney Island that I had a brush with in May. The chart says that pipelines can be 2m above charted depth. This one was at least 4m above. I even went out and bought a new chart in case I had missed something.

 

[whisper]

I have about 40 charts that I regularly update and I agree that this can be very time consuming. I therefore decided to concentrate, wherever possible, on only Imray's charts as they can be easily corrected from their website. Alternatively you can subscribe £10 per year to receive 1/4ly corrections through the post. You can also use them to update your Pilots where applicable.

However much the task of correcting can appear to be hard work, it is a far more valuable pastime than being glued to a VDU reading & creating the claptrap contained in these forums!

 

[jamesjermain]

Every week nm

.

JJ

 

[jamesjermain]

As a small craft skipper you are probably off he hook, provided you have a back-up means of navigation.

Under Solas, I don't believe C-Map is an accepted format anyway.

JJ

 

[nicho]

Thanks James - better get the old 2B's out then!

 

[rich]

Re:NOchartplotter

YOU don't know what your missing..

rich )

 

[Gunfleet]

Re: Confessions

Ah, Chris, you'll regret not buying that Yeoman if you keep sailing round the Vilaine mate!

 

[steffen]

In Holland we use yachtsmen folio's from national hydrographic service (1800 series).
Problem is that bouys are very dense, especially in entry routes from Northsea. When NTM say "move bouy from A to B" or "add this bouy on that position" its often just 100 or 150 mtr and on the chart thats impossible to handwrite because of the scale.
I for one, quit with incorporating NTM's into those charts. I just buy new one every two or three years. They are only Eur 25,= per folio.

 

[Chris_Robb]

Re: Confessions

I already have a yoeman - bloody waste of time, I've taken ot off the boat now!

Besides - would'nt have made anymore water!

 

[FlyingSpud]

I think part of the problem is the nature of the corrections. How often have you contentiously sat down to correct a chart, and fund that the correction seems to make no sense, so you end up deciding you must have it wrong and better to do nothing? The best answer would be for all the corrections to be shown graphically (which they do sometimes), but I suspect the fear is that we would all just download the corrections and use those, instead of buying the charts