Paper Charts or Just Electronic

[TBW]

What is a good source for paper charts? Not books. Measure maybe 2 by 3. Old timey cream / yellow ones.

[Bill Youmans]

Paper always, for planning and to check detail handier, no matter what the zoom on electronic chart. Tendency not to plan carefully for hazards if just go on the fly with electronic.

[Kenomac]

We have paper charts of all the locations we cruise, but haven’t used them in over six years for navigation purposes, just for an overview, but less and less.

I’d be fine with just our electronic charts which has 12x redundancy will all the devices. There’s much finer detail on the electronic charts, especially the Navionics Platinum+, than on paper. I can’t see how anyone who uses both can possibly disagree on that point.

We toured a modern US Navy cruiser three months ago in So Cal.... only electronic charts aboard according the the officer giving the tour.

[Mike Banks]

I carry both.

[Dockhead]

Well, as you see, there are different opinions on this.


Here's another one


There are I think three different main approaches to this:


1. Real navigation demands paper. Never leave home without it.


2. I don't actually do any navigation. I just follow the dot on the plotter like playing a video game.


3. Neither of the above approaches works for me.




Count me in 3. I do believe that Approach 2 is unseamanlike, and not just because I grew up in the era before GPS. I do appreciate that real chart work is very hard to do with electronic charts. HOWEVER -- I sail in the water of 10+ countries every year, and it is physically impossible to carry enough paper -- AND KEEP IT RESPONSIBLY UPDATED -- to cover it all with paper. Hell, I spend more than €1000 every year just keeping my electronic charts updated.



Therefore, I have stopped trying to have paper for every square mile I sail in, although I do have probably 100kg of paper charts stuffed under every bunk on my 54' boat, and still use them as much as I can. Instead, I use a 4k resolution large monitor displaying OpenCPN, with RASTER charts, for navigation. You can almost do proper chart work with this set up. And most importantly -- you can realistically store the 1000+ charts you need to cover a cruising area like mine, AND KEEP THEM UPDATED. Which is just impossible with paper. On a commercial vessel some junior rating is occupied practically full time keeping the charts updated. This is simply not realistic on a pleasure vessel, and NOT keeping the charts updated is irresponsible.



Then, the ship's main navigation system with Navionics and NV Charts -- always up to date -- for PILOTAGE. On two B&G Zeus plotters.


This is just one possible way to do it, but it WORKS.

[Paul L]

What is "real chart work"? Is it getting my parallel rules, divider and hand bearing compass out and working hard to get a running fix over a couple of hours when I can spot a lighthouse, or carefully plotting a DR poistion every hour, or ...? A chartplotter and GPS continuously plots a fix that is free of the many plotting errors that used to get into fixes done by hand on a small boat.

[Paul L]

Yea, both weeks of summer are nice in Maine if you can deal with the overwhelming number of lobster pot floats.

[waterman46]

Originally Posted by Brian2109

Just curious how many people still reference paper charts before sailing somewhere. It seems that the electronic charts are so reliable and paper charts would only be needed in rare circumstances. Just curious as I have just begun getting into sailing.

We almost hit a huge rock in Panama due a label on the Navionics electronic chart completely covering the tiny image of the rock. The writing on the Navionics chart was for something else unrelated. I was relaxing then the Admiral saw ithe rock visually about 1 mi away dead ahead. Radar alarm was off since too many small boats near. Checked paper chart, it shows up clearly.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by waterman46

We almost hit a huge rock in Panama due a label on the Navionics electronic chart completely covering the tiny image of the rock. The writing on the Navionics chart was for something else unrelated. I was relaxing then the Admiral saw ithe rock visually about 1 mi away dead ahead. Radar alarm was off since too many small boats near. Checked paper chart, it shows up clearly.

You simply need to zoom in closer. It’s standard procedure, or should be, to zoom in close and double back over your entire course track to check for things like a “huge rock” before allowing the boat to track on auto pilot.

Your mistake... not the chart.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by Paul L

Yea, both weeks of summer are nice in Maine if you can deal with the overwhelming number of lobster pot floats.

Not sure how this got posted here as it was a response to another thread - oh well.

[conachair]

Originally Posted by Brian2109

Just curious how many people still reference paper charts before sailing somewhere.

These days, for passage planning - never look at a paper chart. Main tools are opencpn, sasplanet & google maps satellite view alongside an almanac/cruising guide and maybe a few google searches on here or ybw.com.

SasPlanet is great for jumping between charts (navionics & cmap) and satellite images to check for any obvious inaccuracies which might cause problems. Google maps can give a very good 3d realistic view of what the harbour/bay entrance actually looks like from the water. Hard to imagine how anyone could miss anything with the data zoom levels set appropriately and zooming in to check.

Another handy resource is marine traffic density maps which can help keeping away from the worst of the traffic or to confirm restricted areas. Any tricky passages will have a written passage plan with waypoints/buoys ticked off as they get passed. Usually enough paper between small scale charts & cruising guides to nav safely if everything goes down but on passage the norm is mainly a tablet with computer screen down below.

[Maka]

I keep paper charts on the boat and the accompanying charting tools.
I use the paper charts to plan trips and plot where we are in pencil on the chart at least once daily. If my plotter goes down ( or GPS for that matter ) I know exactly where I am and can plot the course for the rest of the trip on paper.
Updating charts is mostly adding / changing navigational aids, such as lights and buoys. I can deal with those as I find them if I have to. However not having reference points to land and coastal formations could be deadly.
In the 1790s Capt. George Vancouver charted the Pacific Northwest of North America. You could successfully use his chats today to navigate the PNW.
I saw on TV recently where a large solar flare could take out GPS satellites, among other things.
Needless to say, in my opinion paper charts are essential to safe navigation.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by Maka

.....
I saw on TV recently where a large solar flare could take out GPS satellites, among other things.
Needless to say, in my opinion paper charts are essential to safe navigation.

Not having a functional GPS removes your continuos fix, it does not disable your electronic charts. You can plot your fixes and a DR position on an echart just like you can on a paper chart.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

... We toured a modern US Navy cruiser three months ago in So Cal.... only electronic charts aboard according the the officer giving the tour.

The Navy uses a compliant Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS) for electronic navigation.
Are your plotters ECDIS compliant?
How does your screen size compare with theirs?
I’m not denying the utility of recreational electronic nav’ systems.
However, I don’t believe they’re comparable to Naval ECDIS systems.

[tkeithlu]

Aside from planning - the problem of electronic charts not showing the big picture - plotting your location on the paper chart by your side each half hour gives you immediate spatial orientation (course home) when your glass cockpit monitor goes "ping."