e-Charts Bahamas

[Sailingbeagles]

Ditto what Rick says. We are headed out to the Bahamas (via the ICW) from the southern Chesapeake in early October - where are you leaving from? We have done the Bahamas and the Eastern Caribbean before, but this time are only gone for about 8 months, only doing the Bahamas, and will have our kids with us.

See you out there!

Nica

[Janice]

I started a new thread to find out what people thought that had read Van Sant's book - The section on Weather. Please go there if you actually read the book..... Is is just me?

[Vasco]

Janice,

Is there something in BVS's guide on the weather that bothers you? My copy is one I got in 1990 but the weather section seems ok to me. Or is it his style? He is somewhat blunt and has not mellowed with the years as someone who recently corresponded with him told me a year or so ago.

[Janice]

After spending over a month cruising the Bahamas I feel I can post MY opinion. The Navionics chip for my chartplotter was amazingly accurate. I would never be without my Explorer Charbooks though. I used them to add waypoints and for verifying my chartplotter. The few errors I did see where on the cautious side, meaning it stated water shallower that actual. I am only posting this as I was pleasantly surprised how accurate the latest chip was. If you had other experiences it may be that you have an older chip.

[gonesail]

pavlidis also wrote an excellent guide to the exuma islands .. quite an inspiration.

[Intentional Drifter]

That's great, Janice. Where were you? What version/date for your chip?

ID

[Sunset]

I also found the Navionics charts shown on my Raymarine chartplotter to be very accurate throughout the Bahamas. It is the Platinum chip and I recieved it Christmas of 2008 so assume it is the 2009 edition.

[Janice]

We purchased it in Oct of 09 just before we left. It is CF-17XG-2 Ver O4.2o for the Mid America and Caribbean.

[gbanker]

realize this is an old thread but... my previous boat had a SIMRAD CR42 that used C-MAP NT+ data. New boat (2010) has Raymarine E series units that use Navionics (2010) data. C-MAP much superior in the Caribbean as well as the Bahamas. Am now trying to find a small GPS/plotter to utilize my C-MAP chip (and install as a separate stand-alone system) or use that C-MAP chip somehow with a PC navigation program or go with Nobeltec or ? Anyone resolve their issues in the above posts to their satisfaction?
And does anyone know if the current C-MAP (MAX PRO?) incorporates the Explorer Chartbook data?

[nautical62]

Originally Posted by jdoe71

So the charts for Garmin are accurate? Do they have Explorer data?

I used these last winter mostly in the Abacos, Eleuthera and Exumas.

Overall, I found them to be very good, however there were exceptions. Many locations had correct features, but the entire map was off by maybe 50-75 yards. Hatchet Bay Eleuthera and the Carter's Cay group, Abacos being two notable examples. (where 50 yards really matters)

In the Abacos, I also noticed some very notable depth discrepencies in the central and western Carter's Cay Group area around the eastern Fish Cays. I noted more minor discrepencies in the Don't Rock Passage, the anchorage north of West End, the sandbars west of No Name, The Bight of Old Robinson, Spencer's Bight, Sandy Cay near Staniel, and some of the areas around Glass Cay in the southern Exumas. (though I found the pass down towards Hamlet, to be accurate and very helpful) It also appeared the ocean side of of many of the northern Abacos Cays was not very well represented.

[capt_douglas]

I'd trust the Explorer paper charts over most of what's out there. Monty & Sara Lewis double checked most of those soundings personally. Their charts have been the standard for some time. There have been copyright challenges issued concerning some of the data so that may account for the errors.