Australian Nautical Mile Calculator

[Cruising Roo]

Bloody hell... it worked. Sorry Captain... I am "not the sharpest pencil in the pencil case". All the very best sir

[boatman61]

Please.. I am not a captain, merely an able seaman..
Though I do appreciate what I presume is intended as a compliment..

[Cruising Roo]

Hello my "thalassaphile" friends. I purchased a new computer and hopefully things will work better from here on in. If you have replied to my posts and i did not reply (as said before).. PLEASE do not think I am being non appreciative or rude. It is the bloody technology that has been my downfall and certainly not my lack of appreciation. Cheers

[ChrisJHC]

Originally Posted by Cruising Roo

Hello my "thalassaphile" friends. I purchased a new computer and hopefully things will work better from here on in. If you have replied to my posts and i did not reply (as said before).. PLEASE do not think I am being non appreciative or rude. It is the bloody technology that has been my downfall and certainly not my lack of appreciation. Cheers

You also don’t have to reply to every post!

[chrisr]

Originally Posted by ChrisJHC

You also don’t have to reply to every post!

sets a dangerous precedent...as does being polite to other posters

cheers,

[CaptTom]

Originally Posted by Cruising Roo

...I am getting close to the point of purchasing a boat and need to calculate the distances to see if I will steam or have it trucked...

Good plan. Just drawing some straight lines through the water on Google Maps will get you the rough numbers. Add 10% for avoiding hazards, and another 10% because you'll need to divert from your course, say for fuel or an anchorage, regularly.

That said, if you do decide to run the delivery over water, you'll want to spend a LOT of time filling in the details, some of which you mentioned in your first post. That's when a tool like OpenCPN or Navionics or Zulu Waterways will be very useful. In fact, I'd play with several. You want to really understand the route, and what's along the way, before setting off.

Of course, once you get underway everything will change. But at least you're got the "big picture" in your head.

I say that last bit because I think too many people expect to be able to navigate a boat the way they navigate a car; just wait for some device to tell them when to turn, without ever understanding navigation or having any clue about the area they're traversing. It doesn't work that way. There are no road signs, yellow lines, stop lights or exit ramps on the water.

[ChrisJHC]

Originally Posted by CaptTom

Good plan. Just drawing some straight lines through the water on Google Maps will get you the rough numbers. Add 10% for avoiding hazards, and another 10% because you'll need to divert from your course, say for fuel or an anchorage, regularly.

That said, if you do decide to run the delivery over water, you'll want to spend a LOT of time filling in the details, some of which you mentioned in your first post. That's when a tool like OpenCPN or Navionics or Zulu Waterways will be very useful. In fact, I'd play with several. You want to really understand the route, and what's along the way, before setting off.

Of course, once you get underway everything will change. But at least you're got the "big picture" in your head.

I say that last bit because I think too many people expect to be able to navigate a boat the way they navigate a car; just wait for some device to tell them when to turn, without ever understanding navigation or having any clue about the area they're traversing. It doesn't work that way. There are no road signs, yellow lines, stop lights or exit ramps on the water.

Plus, assuming you’re sailing rather than motoring, you rarely get to follow your planned route exactly anyway.

[NevilleCat]

You could get yourself a book called Cruising Victoria which is produced by the Cruising Yacht Association of Victoria and has anchorage maps and interesting info for Vic coast and the Bass Strait islands and covers down to the north coast of Tassie. It also includes a basic passage distance guide.
Whitworths has it, or Boat Books in NSW

[Cruising Roo]

Captain Tom. Exceptionally good reply and that is exactly what i am thinking. the 10 % comment is a good guide which I had no idea how to come to that. Bloody great reply and THANK YOU. Darren

[Cruising Roo]

Thank Neville cat. There seems to be so many books and if anyone is technically inclined. A web site and/app on this subject would make a lot of money in my opinion. Cheers...Darren

[johnrseager]

Another vote for the free Google Earth. It has a feature, shown as a ruler at the top of the screen, for which the units can be set to Nautical miles. Selecting "path" allows you to enter multiple points along a route.

That said, I have found Navionics Auto Route function excellent for a quick assessment of the real distance between A and B while avoiding (or flagging) major hazards. Of course, it does warn you that the route must "not be used in hazardous waters" and "does not replace safe navigation" but it's a great planning tool.

[CaptTom]

Originally Posted by Cruising Roo

...the 10 % comment is a good guide which I had no idea how to come to that...

Just so you know, that 10% was a bit of a guess. I'm not familiar with those waters. I assume that somewhere along the way you'll be faced with a choice like running a straight line off shore, or threading your way through a much more complicated coastal or inland route. As your plan gets closer to reality, you'll be able to chart out those options. The weather determines which way you choose when you get there.

In my experience here on the US East Coast, that doesn't usually change your total miles by more than 10% on a long delivery. It can dramatically change the underway time on a power boat which can do 30+ knots off shore, but only 5-10 knots in restricted waters with "no wake" zones. But it doesn't sound like that's an issue here.

[Kit_L]

I use Navionics on a dedicated iPad and backed up by a second copy (at no cost; I paid for the iPad version) on my phone. All planned and adjusted routes can be saved, and the app will track your actual route on any trip if you want it to. As someone else mentioned, if you set the boat's parameters, it will calculate expected fuel use. I dip the tanks before and after a trip, and the estimate is very close to actual use.

The iPad is in a waterproof case, and used from the top helm station.

@Chrisr: a public thanks for "Passage Planner"; it's excellent.

[Colin Stone]

https://sea-distances.org/

[Cruising Roo]

Originally Posted by Colin Stone

https://sea-distances.org/

Hi Colin

https://sea-distances.org/

What a great site. This exact thing that included a lot more points would be ideal but its a great start.
Kind regards
Darren