Reeading electronic charts

[Black Panther 1,686]

In the good old days if you saw a symbol you didn't recognize on a chart you would check the legend or go to chart 001.

Nowadays the charts move seamlessly and never show the legend and I don't know what happened to chart 001.

So where do you go to look  up an unknown symbol?

[SpareHand 13]

I managed to find this document with a quick google of "nautical chart symbols"

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/bbm%3A978-94-011-7370-4%2F1.pdf

US but hopefully would shed some light on whatever you were after.

[Black Panther 1,686]

Thanks Sparehand that's the kind of thing. Now just need to find one foe for admiralty/nz charts 

[SpareHand 13]

25 minutes ago, Black Panther said:

Thanks Sparehand that's the kind of thing. Now just need to find one foe for admiralty/nz charts 

https://www.sailingschoolasia.com/downloads/International_Chart_1_Symbols_Abbreviations.pdf

 like that ?

or there's this,  straight from the horses mouth.. 

https://www.admiralty.co.uk/news/blogs/the-quick-guide-to-enc-symbols
 

[Kevin McCready 83]

Sorry, busy at the moment so can't be specific. I recall solving the problem a few years ago. Stuff from this cut and paste from my charts info may be useful.

Chapszip.zip
= USA Chart 1  “Nautical Chart Symbols Abbreviations and Terms” 
[similar to NZ use of Chart 5011 (INT 1) Symbols and Abbreviations used on Admiralty Charts, published by the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office.]
I’ve cut and pasted from chapszip into:
chart symbols not legend USA.doc
see also
chart.doc
For information on symbols, terms and abbreviations used on nautical charts, LINZ recommends that you refer to the following two publications:
Chart 5011 (INT 1) Symbols and Abbreviations used on Admiralty Charts, Edition 3, published by the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office - available from Trans Pacific Marine
Karte 1 (INT 1) Symbols, Abbreviations, Terms used on Charts, 6. Edition 2008, published by the German Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie).
Both of these publications are regularly maintained and contain all the symbols, terms and abbreviations used in New Zealand charts.
Publication NZ 201 (INT 1) Symbols, Terms and Abbreviations Used on Charts has been withdrawn as advised on 15 August 2008 in Notices to Mariners Edition 17 - NZ 162/08. LINZ no longer provides an online PDF version of this publication.
NZ Notice to Mariners says “It is emphasized that the List of Lights is the authority for lights and that many alterations, especially those of a
temporary but operational nature, may only be promulgated as corrections to the List of Lights.”
The Mariner’s Handbook (NP 100) gives a fuller explanation of the limitations of charts. All users should study it in their own interest.
For compliance with New Zealand legal requirements for nautical charts and publications please refer to
Maritime Rules Part 25, as supported by Maritime New Zealand Marine Guidance Notice 8 "Use of Electronic
Charts, ECDIS and ENCs in NZ" available from the Maritime New Zealand website
www.maritimenz.govt.nz/Commercial/Shipping-safety/Safety-updates/Guidance-notices.asp.
Further details can be found in the New Zealand Nautical Almanac (NZ204), Annual New Zealand Notices to
Mariners, No.1 and on the LINZ website www.linz.govt.nz
Land Information
 

[Ed 144]

From here:

https://www.linz.govt.nz/sea/charts/information-about-charts

[Island Time 1,284]

You can download a PDF of US chart 1 from here;

https://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/publications/docs/us-chart-1/ChartNo1.pdf

 

[AJ Oliver 155]

Another problem with e-charts is that it is pretty easy to zoom out a bit to far on your nav screen - 

and if you do that, some hazards will not be shown. 

I can think of several fairly recent examples of boats hitting the beach and/or reefs for that reason. 

[SpareHand 13]

1 hour ago, AJ Oliver said:

Another problem with e-charts is that it is pretty easy to zoom out a bit to far on your nav screen - 

and if you do that, some hazards will not be shown. 

I can think of several fairly recent examples of boats hitting the beach and/or reefs for that reason. 

Indeed,  that's the reason Team Vestas Wind hit a reef in the Volvo Ocean Race back in 2014.
https://www.yachtingworld.com/blogs/elaine-bunting/comment-how-the-team-vestas-wind-crash-really-happened-and-the-surprisingly-simple-things-we-can-learn-from-it-62634

 

[Island Time 1,284]

I again reiterate. Three sources of data makes for safe navigation. Eg gps position on a plotter, depth and visual. If it's dark, radar or a fix from light/lights etc.

This is basic navigation. 

[Crocket 12]

Having not been involved in this generation of electronic charts and GPS plotting, is the old method of taking sights off landmarks and DR still relevant or is this totally relegated to the history books?

With the limited outings I have these days doing the odd twilight and short coastal events, I just can't get comfortable with the knowledge that there are no charts on board, apart from the phone that the owner gets out of his pocket occasionally.

[Island Time 1,284]

1 hour ago, Crocket said:

Having not been involved in this generation of electronic charts and GPS plotting, is the old method of taking sights off landmarks and DR still relevant or is this totally relegated to the history books?

With the limited outings I have these days doing the odd twilight and short coastal events, I just can't get comfortable with the knowledge that there are no charts on board, apart from the phone that the owner gets out of his pocket occasionally.

Absolutely not. GPS position should be regularly checked against the real world. A transit, a depth contour, a charted mark/marker all these things can easily be used to verify your position.  Checking your compass every time you are on a known bearing, be it a transit, or leading markers, whatever. Errors of over 5 degrees mean the compass should be adjusted. 

Modern electronics are just an AID to navigation, and as I said above, three points of agreeing data make you safe. The fewer, the more risk of an "accident". However, some are happy to use only a GPS plotter.  Boats  of all sizes are lost because of this every year.

[SloopJohnB 324]

Crikey Crocket......showing your age there.......I have the same issue when I get the occasional ride, no bits of paper, hurst plotter, dividers, hb penicls, rubber, hand bearing compass.

 

Just like at home with the paperless office......the printer works flat out!

[Fogg 427]

Agree about feeling uncomfortable having no paper onboard having been brought up on charts. A few weeks after buying our current boat the ageing plotter screen suddenly starting giving up - and we happened to be in a dead spot for coverage in the gulf so for a while neither phone nor plotter was working. I was familiar with the area so no drama but it’s not unheard of to suddenly find all your electronic aids letting you down at the same time (sods law)...

[chariot 244]

I still carry all my paper charts. Don't know how common this practice is these days. 

[Crocket 12]

Working out exactly where we were and how many miles to the next waypoint was something that was practiced often on the countless trips made between Whangarei and Auckland or BOI for a weekend of racing. A hand bearing compass would always be close by for anyone to use, however if you touched it, you would be required to tell everyone exactly where we were.

I sincerely hope this practice still happens. I must clarify the boat I do occasionally go out on these days would never venture more than 20 miles from its mooring, so we're fairly safe. It just that it doesn't feel right not to have charts or any navigational aids on board.

Through the 70s and 80s, there was never any hesitation to venture out on a coastal race in appalling conditions, racing around little rocks in the middle of the night with no visibility. The race would always be on and it would the discretion of the individual boat if you wanted to go out.