Navigation and Computers

[Stu Jackson]

I recently purchased a chart set for San Francisco Bay and the California Delta from Maptech.

It included a CD of the charts in the booklet.

I've been "playing" with the material on the computer, Offshore Navigator Lite, and have been intrigued by the both the ease of finding waypoints lats/lons and the relative difficulty of using the software because many of the mouse/trackball features are non-intuitive.  I'm still in the "pull out the chart and use the dividers for distance and the parallel rules for course."

I do not have a GPS that has an output, nor a laptop computer to use onboard, and if I'd do it that would be off in the future with other committments I have onboard.

Now having been made aware of the incredible amount of information available through the computer and electronic charting, I'm interested in learning about the experiences you have had when switching from paper to electronic charts and piloting.  (OK, of course, disclaimer here inadvance to avoid having to mention it over and over -- everyone still carries charts and knows how to use them).

[rirvine]

Stu:

You did not have to spend any money to get computer based charts, you can down load all the charts from the NOAA site for not cost - even vector based charts.  You can even download the chart updates as soon as they become available.   Also a number of place (e.g. WM) will print you the lastest version of the charts.

You might also find the discussion under posting http://c34.org/bbs/index.php?topic=3387.0 of interest.

Also to add to your fun, you should look into the benefits and features of adding AIS to an onboard computer system.  You can see all the action on San Francisco Bay at:  http://www.boatingsf.com/ais_map.php  This is generated from AIS data.

Enjoy,  Ray

[Ray & Sandy Erps]

I echo Ray's excitement over the AIS system.  I'm waiting for the prices to come down but knowing where the big guys are in the fog is way up there on the critical information I'd like to have.  We bought a used laptop several years ago and it's been a great tool.  Besides charts we:

Keep track of boat inventory with a small database, searchable by item name.

Consult tide tables with a tide estimate in real time to assist in anchoring decisions.

The charting software has all the current arrows displayed that can be consulted for different times for trip planning.

Washington State has pictures of their complete shoreline taken from an airplane.  We downloaded these pictures for free and have them attached to our charting software with small icons, so we can get a birdeye view of all the hazards in our area and the anchorages we frequent.

Alot of the new charts have marina information with a click of a mouse as well as Coast Pilot information by geographic area.

We have scans of important ship's papers for backup on the 'puter.

Now a days with all the Wifi hotspots, it's not unusual to be able to check email/weather resources with your computer sitting in the cockpit drinking a cold one.

We took digital reference pictures of different places we go and attached them geographically to the chart for future reference, including one of a shoreline rock up in Desolation Sound that lets us know the tide is high enough to get through a shoal area.

We transit a restricted area up in the Strait of Georgia each summer where you have to navigate around the corners.  Lay out the couse on the 'puter downstairs and steer a course.  When we start getting close, the computer tells us we're almost there and then tells us the compass heading for the next leg.

We drew alarm zones around the charted hazards in our area.  Even with the computer down below without actively consulting it, it will ring an alarm and let us know we're approaching an alarm zone.

End of the evening after dinner and we feel like it, we can pop in a DVD movie and watch it if we want to.


Having said all that, our hard drive crashed two summers ago so we were back to having my chart "knee board" up in the cockpit until we got the 'puter fixed.

Great tool for coastal cruising, especially if you can keep it protected from the elements.  We'll probably have one when we go off shore, but it will probably be stowed most of the time out of harms way.

Ray

[Craig Illman]

The solution really depends on what set of problems you're trying to address. I use my little hand-held Garmin eTrex at the helm for mostly SOG, it also does VMG as well. It keeps track of where we've been to upload when we get home. The screen is really too small to be an effective chartplotter. I also have some of the local buoys loaded as waypoints to get an idea of exactly how far away we are from the middle of the VTS to avoid the ubiquitous container ship coming down the sound. I also use the eTrex on my bicycle. It's pretty discouraging when I forget to change the units from knots to mph!

My boat also had an older Garmin 180 down at the Nav station. It really isn't very useful, except that it's tied via NMEA 0183 to my Simrad wheelpilot and will follow a track (rarely used).

I'd like something that would display AIS information, to see what's coming and how fast, but wouldn't expect it to replace radar. Like I mentioned in another thread, I'm hoping in a few years to upgrade to a mix of sensors and displays that shared a common bus. Possibly a chartplotting display at the helm, another multi-function depth/speed/wind at the companionway so the crew can get feedback. It's all down the road a bit, except I liked David Sanner's LCD setup that could be used to display PC generated navigation information while underway, then used for an entertainment display while at rest.

There's wireless access at my marina, but I'm far out the dock. I'm debating whether to mount an antenna on the pushpit and cabling back to cabin. Email access may be a little more incentive to get the spouse up to the boat.

I certainly need to hook up with Ray to see some of the stuff he's done.

I have a technical career, but am somewhat of a Luddite at times. I've always enjoyed maps and charts, I typically have the chartbook out in the cockpit in everything but extremely familiar waters. I wouldn't want to depend on a chartplotter being the only means of knowing where I am and where I need to go.

- Craig

[Ken Heyman]

Stu,
I actually thought I that I replied to this last week but we must have had a server "glitch" at my office so here goes again.I know your query pertained primarily to the integration of a on-board computer but I expanded the subject a bit.

A bit of history------. We bought our first handheld GPS more than 12 years ago. This allowed us to navigate more confidently even with the "pre Clinton" degradation in the signal. We still used the GPS coupled with dead reckoning but obviously were completely reliant on paper charts. Even with earlier models, the wonder of the "track back" feature was evident. If we made in into a shallow anchorage without incident, I knew we could make it out.

As you may recall, we bought a Garmin handheld 76cs a few years ago and now it is our principal navigation tool. Our 34 came with a 1980's vintage chartplotter which we seldom used as it was in the cabin and the display was marginal. The Garmin color product offered great visibility and versatility.
One can get a bit too reliant however(can't be in the demo mode!) so we do double check position the old fashioned way with divider and plotter. The maps provided by Garmin software also provides much more additional info than appears on the paper charts albeit their "Blue charts" cost approx. 100.00/region.

I haven't integrated a computer other than at home prior to a cruise.I typically download the routes from the computer into the 76cs. This year I may try the laptop on the boat in part for improved navigational functions and in part to get access to the many wi-fi hot spot including our own harbor.

BTW the 76CS are now in the neighborhood of about 300.00.

Best,

Ken