Tom Cunliffe's Passage Planning

[Sandy]

We all use our chartplotters and all other electronic navigation facilities available to us almost exclusively nowaday.

Not all of us.
I am one of a small number who find chartplotters and other electronic navigation facilities don't offer me the view and detail of a passage that I want, for example, I'm planning a trip to Scapa Flow next August with charts, an almanac and a tide atlas I know that neeps is the 18th and a very clear understanding of the flow of the tide through the Pentland Firth and am planning my passage to enter firth at 0800 UTC for the dash to Scapa Flow. But then again, I've looked at paper maps and charts for decades and almost see them in 3D.

While the route will be planned on paper I do load up the waypoints onto the plotter, us it as a data collection tool and actual against planned progress. In my world it is definitely not a planning tool.

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

Not all of us.
I am one of a small number who find chartplotters and other electronic navigation facilities don't offer me the view and detail of a passage that I want, for example, I'm planning a trip to Scapa Flow next August with charts, an almanac and a tide atlas I know that neeps is the 18th and a very clear understanding of the flow of the tide through the Pentland Firth and am planning my passage to enter firth at 0800 UTC for the dash to Scapa Flow. But then again, I've looked at paper maps and charts for decades and almost see them in 3D.

While the route will be planned on paper I do load up the waypoints onto the plotter, us it as a data collection tool and actual against planned progress. In my world it is definitely not a planning tool.

It is a matter of preference; a chart can be on a piece of paper on a chart table or on a flat screen of a laptop or on a chartplotter , planning can be achieved using all types of chart media. The danger is when people dont bother to plan or even worse when they dont appreciate the need to plan.

 

[TernVI]

....The danger is when people dont bother to plan or even worse when they dont appreciate the need to plan.

If you don't have a plan, what can possibly go wrong?

 

[Uricanejack]

Unfortunately. YouTube blocked me from watching TC no doubt it would be quite practical.

It might be surprising to some, certainly it was to at least one young lad I was introducing or rather assessing on well worn passage plan across a bar the other day.

Despite all the additional aids, I still do it by the sounding.
Why, It works on a good day and a foul night.
There are other approaches where by the time the sounding causes you a concern it’s to late.

Can lights be ambiguous, certainly if not well thought out. Having never been to Dublin, I wouldn’t know.
Fore warned if if I ever do visit Dublin. I can be prepared.

 

[awol]

Can lights be ambiguous, certainly if not well thought out. Having never been to Dublin, I wouldn’t know.
Fore warned if if I ever do visit Dublin. I can be prepared.

I've had a glance at my Admiralty charts of Dublin and surrounds and apart from cardinal marks and a couple of channel buoys (well apart from each other on different channels) I can't find these ambiguous lights.

 

[lustyd]

They might well have been changed in the intervening years. I certainly reported them at the time as being problematic.

 

[DaggersJeff]

Quick Question all. I'm moving to West Scotland from Essex later this year and have a Bayliner Ciera on the Crouch. I intend to take the boat up there at sometime to a sea harbour mooring around Ayr.
What would be the best way around? North or South?
Thanks

 

[awol]

M19 - M1 - M6 - M74 - A76 - A70

 

[Sandy]

M19 - M1 - M6 - M74 - A76 - A70

Ideally on the back of a low loader.

 

[jimi]

I've had a glance at my Admiralty charts of Dublin and surrounds and apart from cardinal marks and a couple of channel buoys (well apart from each other on different channels) I can't find these ambiguous lights.

I’ve been into Dublin in the dark (first port after Falmouth), just missed the pubs:-(, I remember having to be careful because two lights were similar. But my pilotage plan based on checking off lights in sequence from reeds was absolutely fine.

 

[kaj]

I've had a glance at my Admiralty charts of Dublin and surrounds and apart from cardinal marks and a couple of channel buoys (well apart from each other on different channels) I can't find these ambiguous lights.

Looking for channel buoys aka lateral marks you'll certainly find "ambiguous" lights.

Like:

....
If you want to look at the chart it's the entrances to Dublin and Howth. I don't recall which lights it was, but I feel like it was green flashing markers from distant memory. As I said the characteristics were identical
....

I could easily find two green lateral marks in the entrance. Most probably they have the same light characteristics. IALA specifies Fl 3 s (primarily) and Fl (2) 6 s for lateral marks.

Looking at the Utö–Naantali fairway (in my home waters) there are some seventy five 'Flashing 3 seconds' [Fl 3 s] lights. About half of those are green lateral starboard marks, buoys and edge marks, with the same characteristics and colour.

Ambiguous? Never thought of it that way. But you've better know which buoy or buoys you are seeing. To distinguish one from the other you need some additional information.