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Jammer Six · 22-01-2014, 00:43

For all you guys who are navigators or officers, where did you learn to correct charts?

Technical school? Academy? Is there a class where they sit you down and say "This is a Local Notice To Mariners. This is a chart. To correct the chart, this is what you do."?

I just learned here that there's a difference between a discrepancy and a correction, and Bowditch says corrections should be made in pen.

So I'm wondering where those of you who are licensed pros learned to do this The Right Way.

I'd like to learn The Right Way, and short of joining the Navy, I'm willing to take a class if I have to.

PjotrC · 22-01-2014, 01:08

British Admiralty: NP 294 "How to keep your Admiralty Charts up to date" is a comprehensive source, that should be sufficient.

Many Chart Catalogs include such sections as well.

The problem usually is just in finding a fine waterproof magenta pen...

**carstenb** · 22-01-2014, 01:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jammer Six

For all you guys who are navigators or officers, where did you learn to correct charts?

Technical school? Academy? Is there a class where they sit you down and say "This is a Local Notice To Mariners. This is a chart. To correct the chart, this is what you do."?

I just learned here that there's a difference between a discrepancy and a correction, and Bowditch says corrections should be made in pen.

So I'm wondering where those of you who are licensed pros learned to do this The Right Way.

I'd like to learn The Right Way, and short of joining the Navy, I'm willing to take a class if I have to.

Actually, there is an easy way. Most notices to mariners these days include a picture of the corrected chart (just the affected portion) I simply print this out, cut to size and past (rubber cement) it on my chart in the exact position where it goes.

Simple and easy.

bletso · 22-01-2014, 03:25

Join the USPS, (United States Power Squadron) Upon completion of their basic boating course you can join and they offer classes from Advance piloting through Navigator (Sextant navigation) and a whole host of other courses. http://www.usps.org More important is that unlike the Annapolis School on Seamanship, it's free other than course materials and time!

In Seatlle it is http://www.usps.org/seattle/index.htm

Spirit28 · 22-01-2014, 03:32

In the Aus navy, the Navigating Officer would not normally do the chart corrections himself. He had a Navigators Yeoman to do the donkey work - usually the Met observer.

Didn't look like a fun job. Ships maintained a vey comprehnsive folio of charts and they all needed to be kept up to date. Can recall arriving in port after a few weeks at sea and literally bags of mail with notices to mariners containg corrections. Would keep him busy for days and days until the next lot arrived.

**nigel1** · 22-01-2014, 04:13

In the UK Merchant Navy, chart correcting (and publications) are traditionally carried out by the 2n Mate ( a good reason to progress up through that rank as quickly as possible)
Chart correcting is normally learned while onboard ship, not much class room time is dedicated to the subject.
On well run merchant ships nowadays, chart correcting is a lot easier than it was in the past. Computer software keeps track of the chart folio's, and a corrections are sent electronically on a weekly basis, and the software will then print out the needed corrections on tracing paper. This is then overlaid on the chart and the correction made.
In the good old days, a bunch of weekly notices would arrive in the ships mail, maybe every 6 to 8 weeks, and then the painful progress of correcting would be done, using parallel rules, dividers and pen

An old edition of NP 294 can be found here
http://helptodeckofficers.weebly.com...correction.pdf

Not a brilliant copy, a few pages missing and its not in the correct page sequence, but it will give you some idea.

Saltyhog · 22-01-2014, 12:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by bletso

Join the USPS, (United States Power Squadron) Upon completion of their basic boating course you can join and they offer classes from Advance piloting through Navigator (Sextant navigation) and a whole host of other courses. United States Power Squadrons® Safe boating fun thru education More important is that unlike the Annapolis School on Seamanship, it's free other than course materials and time!

In Seatlle it is Seattle Sail & Power - Boating classes for fun & safety + vessel exams

+1

I suppose it depends on the instructor, but I've gained a lot of knowledge and practical tips taking the USPS courses. So far I've taken the Piloting and Advanced Piloting courses. Plan to take more.

Jammer Six · 23-01-2014, 07:32

I've never seen a correction in a Local Notice to Mariners that could be cut and pasted to a chart. District 13, USCG.

**carstenb** · 23-01-2014, 08:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jammer Six

I've never seen a correction in a Local Notice to Mariners that could be cut and pasted to a chart. District 13, USCG.

The Danish ones have them

**Lepke** · 17-02-2014, 19:04

One of my first jobs was logging Notice to Mariners and correcting charts. Later I became a Navy trained navigator. You make the change look as if it was originally printed on the chart. Find the change somewhere else and draw or write in the change with proper colors. I like carstenb's post about copying the printed correction. When I first did corrections Notice to Mariners was all text. Now we have color printers.
Lepke

Jammer Six · 17-02-2014, 21:55

I've seen some of 13's LMNs printed as small "overlays", but I haven't seen anything in Puget Sound printed that way, nor have I seen any of the corrections printed that way.

All I've seen in a couple years is text descriptions, and callouts of which section of Chart Number One to use.

**JPA Cate** · 17-02-2014, 23:16

The magenta pen isn't the only challenge: the fine motor coordination for the super small print can be one, too.

A.

goboatingnow · 17-02-2014, 23:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

The magenta pen isn't the only challenge: the fine motor coordination for the super small print can be one, too.

A.

Also many chart types aren't suitable for updating. ( like IMRAY )

Dave

**nigel1** · 17-02-2014, 23:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

The magenta pen isn't the only challenge: the fine motor coordination for the super small print can be one, too.

A.

If you want neat, and have the cash to spare, there is always this bit of kit
Chart Correction Kit: Thomas Gunn: Online Shop: :

Its a set of fine stamps of just about every chart symbol

Occasionally have 2nd Mates asking me to purchase this for the ship, but I tell them if they use a really fine drawing pen, and stay sober, they dont need it.

**Jim Cate** · 17-02-2014, 23:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by nigel1

Occasionally have 2nd Mates asking me to purchase this for the ship, but I tell them if they use a really fine drawing pen, and stay sober, they dont need it.

My Gawd... a hell ship for sure!

Cheers,

Jim