Introduction
This is a re-print (slighlty edited) of an article that originally appeared in the 04/2002 edition of 48º Degrees North.

Barkley Sound, British Columbia. Visibility doesn't get any better when night falls. The alarm goes off at an agonizing 3:00AM. We are in anchored in Barkley Sound, and on our way home after a vacation in Clayoquot Sound. Today we will be making the long trip east down Juan de Fuca. As I head up the companionway, a chilly west coast fog greets me. Visibility is less than a tenth of a mile. In prior years, these conditions would have dictated a much-appreciated return to the v-berth. This year, with improved electronics, the conditions warrant caution, but not a return to bed.

It is so dark and foggy I can hardly see the bow of the boat. After I get the anchor up, we carefully navigate out of Barkley Sound. We feel our way out, relying completely on electronics. We use our radar primarily for collision avoidance, but nothing gives a clearer picture of our position than the display on our laptop computer. Our computer is interfaced with our GPS and is running Nobeltec's Visual Navigation Suite. The software continuously plots our boat's position on an electronic chart. The radar and navigation software make it possible to do what would have been difficult otherwise.

The following article is an a general introduction to the world of navigation software and electronic charts. The article originally appeared in the 04/2002 edition of 48º Degrees North and is organized into five sections:

    1—Introduction
    2—History
    3—Electronic Charts
    4—Reduced Reliance on Paper Charts
    5—The Cost Argument
    6—Features & Choosing a Program

Please enjoy the article. If you find you like this article, you will probably also enjoy Visual Navigation Suite After 4000 Miles. Visual Navigation Suite After 4000 Miles is an article specifically about that program, and is complimentary to to this article which is more general.



[On to History]





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