 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||||
 |
|
|||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||
 |
|
|||||||||||
 |
 |
|
||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |
|
Reduce Your Paper Chart Collection Managing a full set of paper charts is a lot of work for the lazy recreational sailor. By “managing”, I mean finding the right paper chart, getting it out, using it, and re-storing it. On the Patience we have several hundred beautiful paper charts. Anyone making a voyage of any length will probably require a similar number of charts. Despite what seems to be a pretty good paper chart management system, managing paper charts on our boat is a hassle. Why? On some days we need 5 – 10 charts to make a given passage. Finding the appropriate chart in the chart catalogue, getting it out and then correctly re-filing it takes time. With VNS, the chart-quilting engine handles all chart management. This unique feature “stitches” all your individual electronic charts into one seamless chart. You never need to look for the adjoining chart in a chart catalogue or thumb through your massive pile of paper charts. When I grew up boating with my family, we had an electronic plotter for many years. When we were in unfamiliar waters, we used the plotter to get a general sense of where we were, but we always went back to paper charts for specific details. In contrast, on the Patience we don’t use VNS in this manner. We use VNS as our primary navigation system—the paper charts generally stay in the chart drawer. For example, when we went to the Charlottes, we used paper charts on only two occasions, and even then, only for a few minutes. On our recent trip to Southeast Alaska, we never used a detailed paper chart, although we did use two small-scale (large area of coverage, little detail) paper charts religiously for planning purposes. Does this mean you if you use VNS you won’t need any paper charts? Not in my opinion. However, can you get away with buying fewer paper charts, or charts of lesser quality? I think so. If you don’t care about aesthetics, B&W copies of NOAA or CHS (Canadian) charts are a cost effective way to go. Another option is to significantly reduce the number of official paper charts you buy—only get those you will need in a pinch should your computer fail. For example, on our Southeast Alaska trip we only bought about 15 “emergency” paper charts, out of a possible ~130 Southeast Alaska charts available. Lastly, if you really want to save money, you can print-out “emergency” charts from VNS on a laser printer at home. These print-outs might not look as sexy as an official NOAA paper chart, but they will get you out of a bind. I might be nostalgic about our paper chart collection, but I sure don’t miss digging through them, trying to find the right chart.
TGW.NET is property of Tim Whelan. All pictures, diagrams and text ©Tim Whelan 1980–2002, all rights reserved. Only permitted images and material may be downloaded from this web site. For usage, please see my copyright notice. | |
 |
|
Comparing what you see out
the "window" to what you see
on VNS. I am always amazed at how
many flashing nav-aids mysteriously
"appear" at night.
|
|
|
|
|
