Do you use paper charts??

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pdecat

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I still keep paper charts on board and take them home for advanced planning. I just seem to get a better big picture idea of the area I plan to cruise.

I use charts on the computer at home for frequent look up of something and have a great chart plotter on the boat but somehow the paper charts seem to be easier to visualize.

IMO they don't have to be new charts because Im looking for the general idea about someplace. At the greatest level of detail the electronic charts seem easier but in reality at that point I rely more on the marks that I hope get moved faster that my charts get updated.
 
Same as above. Plan on Paper, Execute on Plotter.
 
we keep a set of charts, parallel rulers and sight compass on board. I have to admit its been many years since I had to dead-reckon, but if all the electronics fail we can manage.

the truth is, now that GPS has fully evolved, the ipad for coastal cruising is an excellent back up system. not very useful as a primary, but certainly more effective than dead-reckoning.

at some point I'm pretty sure that dead-reckoning will join the slide ruler and celestial navigation. excellent skills to possess, but little practical value to all but the offshore sailor.
 
I always pull out the appropriate chart book and get it on the proper page before we start. We are always looking the charts to make sure the right page it where we are.

Just in case of trouble with GPS it's always good to have the backup right at hand.
 
Interesting question.
I always keep paper charts on board but am using them less and less...especially for waters I navigate regularly. When cruising unknown waters
I'll study the paper charts and navigate with electronic charts.
 
Almost never these days I carry back GPS units rather then paper. I have paper charts for most areas I travel but I can't remember the last time I looked at one. I do all my planning on my computer and then transfer to my plotter.
 
I usually have chart books for the area, like the ICW chart book or these days the explorer chart books for the bahamas, and keep them open at the helm
 
I carry updated paper charts, but really only use them for voyage planning. 99% of the time I do everything electronically nowadays.
 
Same as everyone else. I have them on board but rarely use them other than a quick overview.
 
I boat in the western end of Lake Erie and I always use paper charts on trips. If I just go to the islands where I've been many times, I know the course and keep track of compass, speed, and time, use the GPS as information and arrival time on the draw bridge. In that part of Lake Erie you better know where you are and going, there are several islands and many almost islands (reefs).
 
Having developed navigation skills prior to LORAN using ded reckoning and depth sounder, I always have my chart book open, right alongside the chartplotter and radar. On runs outside of harbor, I also prepare a log which references courses, distances and GPR waypoint number. In that manner, my wife can always figure out where we are (or were at the last log entry) should I keel over. On long trips, to keep from being bored, I still take sightings on monuments, stacks, etc and use "seaman's eye" to plot a position.

A few years back my old Raymarine chartplotter claimed we were in the Gulf of Arabia. Five-year life internal battery failed on cue and that was the default position.

Gene
 
Always carry paper charts - and the know-how to use 'em. But like most, the Furuno does most of that yeoman's work (or QM's work, as the case may be!)
 
Had an experienced friend cancel his participation in a club cruise because his plotter had quit. What made it even stranger than not relying on paper charts was that he had been on the same route previously. The trip only required one segment of five miles of so out of sight of the next mark.. Seems the almighty electronics are becoming as important as engines starting to some people.
 
Except for POD it's all free (actually you have already paid for them) The BookletCharts are really handy. And, whenever you download a new chart its always the most current updated chart available. Of course with the ENC's you'll need a viewer. The RNC's/PDF's also can be used with an assortment of digital plotters as well. You can print the PDF's if you feel the need to use a parallel rule and compass or save them to a computer, tablet and phone if you really need redundancy.

http://www.charts.noaa.gov/InteractiveCatalog/nrnc.shtml

NOAA RNCs (RNC):
Geo-referenced charts in BSB format.
Print-on-Demand (POD):
Order POD charts from Certified Agents.
NOAA PDFs (PDF):
Full-size, 400dpi printable charts.
NOAA BookletChart (BC):
8.5" x 11" printable panels of the charts.
Notice to Mariner (NM):
Weekly corrections to the RNCs.
NOAA ChartViewer (View)
Historical Map & Chart Collection
 
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