Compass/Chart online learning resources?

[David MC]

During the FANTASTIC on-the-water CAM session yesterday, I realized I need more knowledge on using a chart and compass together. I'm much better at reading a topo map to navigate on land. But, the ocean, with infinite possibilities, is a different puzzle. I need to bone up on this stuff.

Did any good online resources come out of the April 10 workshop? I wish I hadn't missed this. Looks great!

http://www.nspn.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=7793&st=0&p=44453&hl=+compass%20+chart&fromsearch=1entry44453

Any e-learning or practice websites are especially welcome.

Thanks!

-David

[Rob Hazard]

David, a google search will reveal an embarrassment of riches on this. I found a very quick tutorial on Youtube called Map and Compass basics: Plotting a course. It's about a minute and a half long and will give you a good start.

[scamlin]

During the FANTASTIC on-the-water CAM session yesterday, I realized I need more knowledge on using a chart and compass together. I'm much better at reading a topo map to navigate on land. But, the ocean, with infinite possibilities, is a different puzzle. I need to bone up on this stuff.

Did any good online resources come out of the April 10 workshop? I wish I hadn't missed this. Looks great!

http://www.nspn.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=7793&st=0&p=44453&hl=+compass%20+chart&fromsearch=1entry44453

Any e-learning or practice websites are especially welcome.

Thanks!

-David

David:

Good to work with you on the water. Below are the online resources we covered in the April 10 workshop. You may find it useful to cut and paste into a Word document for easier reference: you can just click on the links.

It's not the "knowledge on using a chart and compass together" you asked for--that was covered in John Huth's workshop earlier in March--but rather how to find the information you need for pre-trip planning.

Chart reading and topo map reading are not that much different: mostly it's the symbols that differ so you just need to get to know them. The best source on the symbols is the U.S. Coastal Chart No. 1 maintained and published by NOAA: the link leads to a pdf file of the entire publication. While it has everything (in color) and is free, many boaters find the paper version more useful to refer to while reading charts. The charts themselves are available as RNC files you can download from NOAA for free (see below). You will need a viewer such as the Chart Navigator, also available from the publisher for free (again see below).

The knowledge? I guess it's also free, but takes a bit of work to acquire.

Scott

NSPN Pre-Trip Planning Workshop

Online Resources

April 10, 2011

Forecasts and Predictions

National Weather Service

Marine Forecasts

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/box/

NOAA Tide Predictions

http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/tides11/tpred2.html#MA

Tide Prediction Changes 2010 to 2011

http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/tides11/tide11changes.shtml

NOAA Current Predictions 2011

http://www.co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/currents11/

National Data Buoy Center

Wind, wave heights, wave periods, air temps, water temps, etc. at buoys in New England

http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/obs.shtml?lat=41.640078&lon=-69.971924&zoom=7&type=h&status=r&pgm=&op=&ls=false

Chart Sources

NOAA RNC Chart Home Page

Starting point for NOAA charts.

http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/Raster/index.htm

NOAA RNC Chart Downloader

http://www.charts.noaa.gov/RNCs/RNCs.shtml

Link to download page for free NOAA charts in RNC format.

NOAA RNC Charts/Free Demo Viewers

List of "free" viewers on the NOAA site (not all links work).

http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/Raster/index.htm

Alternate listing of RNC Charts

Another list of free viewers.

http://www.navsoftware.com/charts/rnc.php

MapTech Chart Navigator Viewer (ftp)

Application to view RNC charts on your computer; this is the ftp download page on Chart Navigator's own website.

ftp://ftp.maptechnavigation.com/

Source for Chart Navigator

Another download source for Chart Navigator.

http://findfiles.com/list.php?string=CHTNAV_ENGLISH.exe&size=48888832&db=Mirrors

NOAA Online Chart Viewer

NOAA's own website for online chart viewing.

http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/OnLineViewer.html

Google Earth: Earth Gallery

A third party source for charts as overlays on Google Earth; the charts are a transparent layer over the satellite view. Also, has map and topo layers which makes it an extremely useful tool for planning trips as you have four or five views of the area, each with different information.

Search “EarthNC NOAA Charts”, then View or Download

Other Resources

U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center

Starting point for Coast Guard resources.

http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/

Local Notice to Mariners

LNM is the weekly update on all CG information of use to mariners, everything from changes in the status of lights (out, moved, etc.) to bridge repairs, dredging, changes in channel markers, whale restrictions, etc. Everything, updated weekly.

http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=lnmMain

Current Light Lists

A comprehensive list of all aids to navigation.

http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=lightLists

NOAA Office of Coastal Survey

http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/nsd/cpdownload.htm

U.S. Coastal Chart No. 1

Lists, pictures and explanations of all symbols used on NOAA charts.

http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/chartno1.htm#toc

Coastal Pilot 1

Comprehensive description of all coastal U.S. for mariners: hundreds of pages of info of use to boaters.

http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/nsd/coastpilot_w.php?book=1

MA Coastal Zone Management – MORIS (Ocean Resource Mapping)

MA gov mapping site with dozens of layers of data in GIS format.

http://maps.massgis.state.ma.us/map_ol/moris.php?Yes=Yes

Maine Island Trail – Online Guide

Guide to 192 camping and day use islands and mainland sites on the Maine coast, plus launch sites, marinas, etc. Ten state sites available to public; current membership required for access to the rest (same info as in the paper Guide with sites shown on NOAA charts).

www.mita.org

Boating Access

MA Office of Fishing and Boating Access

Lists and maps of launch sites.

http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/pab/pab_facilities.htm

MA Coastal Zone Management – Coastal Public Access Sites Viewer

Online viewer of access sites.

http://maps.massgis.state.ma.us/czm_access_locator/viewer.htm

MA Coastal Zone Management – Coast Guide

Guide MA coast.

http://www.mass.gov/czm/coastguide/online/index.htm

[kevinfre]

There's an AMC trip scheduled for June 25th focusing on on-water navigation exercises. I'm an AMC member and I plan to be there, but I don't think you have to be a member to participate. Leader is Dennis Blejer who I've paddled with a bunch of times and found to be a very helpful coach. You can search for the trip listing and contact info here: http://activities.outdoors.org/search/

Kevin Fredette

[David MC]

Thanks for the great info, both here and on the water Sunday. Great paddling with you. I love how the more I learn about paddling, the more I discover that I want to learn!

[pikabike]

If you can stomach studying printed materials, Nigel Calder's HOW TO READ A NAUTICAL CHART (large-format paperback) is a good resource.

This winter I kept a chart of an area I was staying at (and paddling) on a table and began reading/digesting this book. I went back and forth between reading, highlighting, making notes on the margins, examining the chart, and some field exercises. For example, after perusing the chapters on lights, beacons, and buoys, I looked at every such symbol shown on the chart and made myself say out loud what they meant, checking with the book's tables only if I got stuck/forgot something. I walked along the beach with compass in hand and tried to find every designated navigation-related feature shown on the chart in a given stretch.

You get the idea. I didn't memorize the book whole but worked about a chapter at a time. In this way, I ended up reading the entire book, which at first glance had looked VERY dry and uninteresting. Correlating what was in the book with real life (both paddling and beach-walking) made it come alive. And now I have all those notes and highlights in it for when I need a refresher.

We don't have workshops here of the kind you described, but I obtained some water-trail maps (not MITA) for an area I will be visiting again and (hopefully soon) moving to. Also got the Captain Jack's Almanac of Tides and Currents for that area, have bookmarked various webpages from NOAA for both weather and tidal info, and will order a chart or two as well. Then I'll come up with some sample day-trip routes in the area, for which an instructor has graciously offered to "check my work" when I get out there. I know at least one other "interior U.S. paddler" has done this, with good results. There is still, of course, the actual butt-in-boat-in-currents nav practice that doesn't exist here, but at least this way we can get some of the mental practice down before actually going. Also seems like a decent way to start getting to know what to expect in a particular area.

The above methods are not online, but they have helped me learn. I totally agree with you that "the more I learn about paddling, the more I discover that I want to learn!"

[David MC]

If you can stomach studying printed materials, Nigel Calder's HOW TO READ A NAUTICAL CHART (large-format paperback) is a good resource.

This winter I kept a chart of an area I was staying at (and paddling) on a table and began reading/digesting this book. I went back and forth between reading, highlighting, making notes on the margins, examining the chart, and some field exercises. For example, after perusing the chapters on lights, beacons, and buoys, I looked at every such symbol shown on the chart and made myself say out loud what they meant, checking with the book's tables only if I got stuck/forgot something. I walked along the beach with compass in hand and tried to find every designated navigation-related feature shown on the chart in a given stretch.

You get the idea. I didn't memorize the book whole but worked about a chapter at a time. In this way, I ended up reading the entire book, which at first glance had looked VERY dry and uninteresting. Correlating what was in the book with real life (both paddling and beach-walking) made it come alive. And now I have all those notes and highlights in it for when I need a refresher.

We don't have workshops here of the kind you described, but I obtained some water-trail maps (not MITA) for an area I will be visiting again and (hopefully soon) moving to. Also got the Captain Jack's Almanac of Tides and Currents for that area, have bookmarked various webpages from NOAA for both weather and tidal info, and will order a chart or two as well. Then I'll come up with some sample day-trip routes in the area, for which an instructor has graciously offered to "check my work" when I get out there. I know at least one other "interior U.S. paddler" has done this, with good results. There is still, of course, the actual butt-in-boat-in-currents nav practice that doesn't exist here, but at least this way we can get some of the mental practice down before actually going. Also seems like a decent way to start getting to know what to expect in a particular area.

The above methods are not online, but they have helped me learn. I totally agree with you that "the more I learn about paddling, the more I discover that I want to learn!"

Thanks pikabike! Great book. And it was available from my local library! :-) Lots of different charts are pictured with "highlights" pointed out in captions. I'm having fun hiding the captions and examining the charts, then revealing "the answers". Cheers.