Don't start the season with out-of-date charts or you may run into trouble.
By Capt. Vincent Daniello
Paper charts tend to show their age. After a ChartKit, a rolled-up chart or any chart book has been kicking around a boat for a while it takes on a telltale, dog-eared appearance that proclaims, "I may not be all I once was." This is accurate — in more ways than one. The chart itself is not what it once was, nor is what it depicts. Savvy boat owners, especially at the start of a new season, make sure their charts are up-to-date, which usually means springing for a new copy — the latest version. These boaters' charts depict only a moment in time, and waterways constantly change.
Because their appearance usually reflects their age, it's obvious when paper charts become outdated. But what about electronic charts — disks or chips that look as new as the day they were purchased? Just because they are products of more recent technology doesn't mean they don't become obsolete just as rapidly. Changes in shoal lines, navigation buoys and underwater hazards do not appear on a chip any more magically than they do on a chart in a tube.
"The most critical things change the most rapidly," says David Enabit, technical director of the Office of Coast Survey, NOAA's chart-producing arm. Objects like important buoys in tight channels get the most scrutiny from the U.S. Coast Guard, which maintains navigational aids, and also from NOAA when they update charts. "That is why it is critical to update," Enabit says. Even if you don't venture far from your home port and have a wealth of local knowledge, you should still consider keeping up-to-date charts. We don't tend to look as carefully at markers in familiar waters and can easily miss changes. Sun, when there is glare, fog and heavy rain all obscure markers, but in familiar waters we tend to think we know where we're going and aren't as cautious in proceeding from marker to marker as a newcomer would be.
In the United States, almost all chart information comes from Enabit's office, with databases updated weekly. Companies like Jeppesen Marine (producers of C-Map charts) and Navionics, which produce charts for many plotter brands, receive these updates from NOAA and then add photographs and details on marinas, area attractions and even local restaurants. Jeppesen's subscription-based service makes updating charts easy. For $89 annually, new chart chips arrive in the mail every spring or fall, along with an envelope to return the old charts' memory chips (jeppesen.com/lightmarine). Navionics updates its charts annually, with critical updates implemented throughout the year. Update charts or even upgrade to a newer Navionics format (Silver, Gold, Platinum or Platinum Plus) by purchasing new charts from a retailer and then mailing back the old chips for a rebate ranging from $25 to $100 (navionics.com).
Most plotters use Navionics or C-Map charts - Furuno, Raymarine, Northstar, Humminbird,
Lowrance and Nobeltec, to name a few. (Some brands offer a choice when purchasing a plotter.) Garmin provides its own charts, updated by in-house cartographers twice a year. Trade in new charts at a local dealer or through Garmin for $75 per chart set (garmin.com).
Other Boatkeeper tips featured this month:
- More Electronics from past issues.
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