Miami - Nantucket live on Webcam...

IMO every chip I have looked at is a pos in the areas where you really need the data. They all seem to delete the detail in shallow areas and the folks that mindlessly follow the markers don’t demand anything else or know anything different as most have never seen a paper chart.
 
Swing bridges... We've got 'em in Maine - this one is just west of Boothbay Harbor.

Boothbay008.jpg


But Pascal and Nancy's swing bridge seems much more pleasant this time of year! Enjoying our ride with you guys! Thanks!
 
Bruce

i really like the Garmin chips... all the details you want and you can set what you want to see... I simply cant' imagine what Cmap designers were thinking when they decided to skip marker numbers and have all teh flashing lights red!!!
 
Pascal, depending on where you end up tomorrow, we may do some of this trip in fairly close company. We were going to leave New Bern tomorrow for Baltimore, but now it will be Thursday morning. It's certainly been blowing some serious snot the last few days, so I can see why you stayed inside.

George
 
Pascal, that is why I like the Offshore Navigator program on my laptop.
I have it on three different laptops so I have a backup, have every chart from Key West to the Great lakes on the disc and the updates are free. Plus I can print off with a color printer the charts I am using the next day for a paper trail.
The GPS plugs right in and the charts scroll automatically. Every detail of the paper chart is displayed.
 
FWIW, the C-Map Max chips do show the Nav Aid numbers, greens don't flash red, either. Maybe should update the chips.
 
GAry

true, i use Maptech Navigator (free versoin) which is really nice but laptops are hard to read even in a pilothouse. The free version doesn't support the delorme USB GPS I have so I also have SeaClear II if i want live tracking.

George

I feel that the ICW is too nice to run outside, even if the weather is nice. Especailly nowadays with high fuel cost, running slow inside is a better option unless you're on a tight scedule.

We're leaving shortly, probably running to Oriental or somewhere in that area tonight. North of Albemarle tomorrow, then lower/mid Ches friday and annapolis on Sat.

forecast doenst look good for later on in the week, couple of fronts and a low... it's early but we're going to stick to Ches/del instead of of going outside
 
Maybe we'll see you up the road a bit, but it looks like you will be about a half a day ahead of us. The real reason we went outside when we did was mostly for a little change of scene, bypassing areas we'd been to already and didn't find particularly interesting. In one case, we didn't have the tide in our favor as well. We think most of Georgia and SC are beautiful and like to dawdle and anchor out through there. When we went outside from St. Catherines to Thunderbolt, it was really just for the heck of it. I hardly ever go more than 9 knots on this boat, regardless of in or out; so fuel savings not a big issue in the decision.

I'll be very interested in your travels past Baltimore, as we will ultimately end up in Westport, Mass for the summer starting around 4th of July; so Nancy it would be fun to hook up when we go over to Nantucket or the Vineyard from there. It will be our first time past the Chesapeake in our own boat.

George
 
Re Blue windows. In a couple of the pix the port side windows showing behind you were blue.
 
furuno has a new system that uses disk storage and comes preloaded with, supposedly all the nationwide maptec charts plus some brand of vector data. I have yet to see it but that sounds like a system which will finally overcome my objections to replacing my obsolete chip system with another insufficient chip based system.

I have yet to see a chip system that shows the out of channel detail of paper charts. If they were the only data people used they would have no way to find anchoring holes.

I think the chip data makes some overly broad assumptions about depths in out of channel areas and reduces detail significantly. One good thing about the chip charts is that the absence of detail keeps boats away from my dock because the chip sets show 1’ in the out of channel area near my dock. It is actually over 20’ but the transition to chip plotters over the years seem to have caused a noticeable decrease in boat traffic. :D
 
PascalG,
Looks like you will be passing Curituck tomorrow. I was born and raised on Curituck Sound. Haven't been in 25 years. I hear it is vacation home area now. My relatives all made fortunes selling off the family farms along the shoreline.
Jim
 
<<..."We even got a barge bridge north of Myrtle beach...the bridge is on a barge which swings out of the way. interesting..."....>>

Pascal - That bridge is the last remaining floating bridge on the ICW. It is just north of the SC/NC line. Itis the bridge to the barrier island town of Sunset Beach, NC.
 
The Navionics Gold chip I use on my Furuno 1944 and 1920 black box plotters don't have any of the issues noted above. I always keep paper charts immediately at hand regardless. However in many areas, affected by moving sand and currents, the soundings on charts can be based on 100 year old surveys; so one is well advised to tread softly and carry a good depth sounder... Seems like any time I go lax on this advice I get rewarded with a little nudge from Mr. Neptune.

George
 
George: Have you compared out of channel detail in several locations?
 
Pascal QUICK....QUICK...head ESE for three days! Stop over for a Dark 'n' Stormy then head back up to the Cape...

You need a bit of a detour..

If those guys can do it in a flats boat it'll be a piece of cake for you.
 
Rats, the cell service must be flaky and we're missing all the NC scenery and probably the Neuse crossing.

Nancy
 
AT&T coverage in southern Virginia and North Carolina is very poor.
Here is a shot of their coverage map for the area. The light tan is no coverage.
We may not see much from Pascal for a few days.

NT_Streets_Cingular_US_n10021aps0001.wdc1.attens.com27927316248.png
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top