Tide Plan - Anyone Used It?
- Thread starter Piers
- Start date
srevir
Well-Known Member
Not used this one but have got the Neptune package which I have found useful for doing initial work on departure times and exploring routing options.
However, as always the devil is in the detail and for me the pain point has been getting the package to interface with my on-board plotter.
For me the most useful bit is to check XTE against the prediction so that any minor adjustments can be made as reality intrudes.
The author is quite right to point out that quick 'rules of thumb' such as assuming the tides balance on a trip to Cherbourg can be quite wrong.
Its the case that in some instances you have to be well up-tide of the target as you get nto the last 10 miles
Unless you 'know' that such a large XTE is right then its easy to let the boat head further down only to find yourself fighting back up-tide - been there done that !
My fix for the neptune problem is to print out the predicted course
Be interested to hear other views
However, as always the devil is in the detail and for me the pain point has been getting the package to interface with my on-board plotter.
For me the most useful bit is to check XTE against the prediction so that any minor adjustments can be made as reality intrudes.
The author is quite right to point out that quick 'rules of thumb' such as assuming the tides balance on a trip to Cherbourg can be quite wrong.
Its the case that in some instances you have to be well up-tide of the target as you get nto the last 10 miles
Unless you 'know' that such a large XTE is right then its easy to let the boat head further down only to find yourself fighting back up-tide - been there done that !
My fix for the neptune problem is to print out the predicted course
Be interested to hear other views
