Ideas on how to set up

[mcidade]

Hi,

first of all let tell you why i'm here.

i'm a scout leader on the azorean sea scouts group, and we're recovering a swede 55 for our scouts to sail around the azores.

As not much of an expert, i was searching for some kind of software that i could use in redundacy to the chartplotter that we're planning to put on the yacht, and came across opencpn wich i enjoyed.

what i would like is some advices and help on setting it up. I've ordered a gps a Globalsat BU-353, as it was one of the gps receivers that as been tested.

I'll be using a Asus eeepc 1101ha.

i've tried, to download some chart of the Portugal area without sucess.

can you please help with the following:
1. what's the ideal setup (gps, Ais etc) that you think it's advisable?
2. where can i get the charts? Online ? free
3. as a minimal option apart from gps what do you consider the 2nd most important feature to have working?

Thank you for your time.

best regards

Marco