Index

A few years ago the US government decided that vessels worldwide using our territorial waters should have access to the most current marine charts to protect themselves, others on the water, and the environment. Plowing through the seabed as well as grounded boats destroys our environment even without developing a leak. They accomplished this by making them readily available at no cost through the NOAA web site. NOAA neither supplies nor recommends any particular software to view or use them but does list some applications that do on their web site. They range from free for the chart viewers to a moderate price for more advance systems. They can also be downloaded and printed like the charts that have been used have for centuries. Charts on the web are often updated within days of a change confirmation making them superior to both paper and chart plotter data modules versions.

It was  only a short time ago that the only alternative for computer navigation systems were devices called chart plotters that were built by a number of large companies. Almost all use proprietary formats for their data and maps which they sell on data cards. Each of these covers a geographic region and the user purchases one for each area they boat. To be fair these are rugged hardware systems that can support external sensors to record and display water depth, water temperature, wind direction and much more. Some can communicate with other systems on a boat such as radar and autopilots. They are still evolving and are still not inexpensive to buy or maintain. Not surprisingly most if not all will not accept the downloaded charts.

Global Positioning Systems (GPS) which use a worldwide network of satellites to determine a very accurate location continue to come down in price and increase in features. A very capable GPS receiver can be purchased for under $100.00 today and along with the free charts offer any boater inexpensive navigation options

Several years ago I started exploring the possibility of using a GPS and the free charts on a laptop computer to duplicate the best features of a commercial chart plotter for both planning and on-water navigation.

I can now say that it is possible. I have cobbled together three such systems which will be tested on a trip from the Cape Fear River in North Carolina to the West coast of Florida. This series will discuss the different types of charts, operation of a typical GPS, the construction and operation of the three, and results of the field trial. Each will be discussed in enough detail that the reader can put together a similar package to meet their own needs. It is not intended to be a comprehensive discussion on all these subjects and assumes the reader has some basic knowledge of boats, navigation, and marine electronics.

So with your computer (a laptop if you want additional capabilities on board) an inexpensive GPS (if you have a portable designed for in your vehicle, it may work) and access to the internet through home, library, or a nearby hot spot I encourage you to keep reading. I think you will enjoy this new technology whether you are boating on a new section of waterway near you or planning a blue water trip to exotic destinations.