Interesting, Norm. How do you handle the various NTMs which the CG publishes every month and changes to the Light List? Do you have a way to upload those revisions to your charts? From what I can tell, neither my Maptech program on the laptop nor my new chartplotter (Raymarine using Navionics chips) nor my old Standard Horizon (using C-Map+ chips) have the ability to be modified per the different CG releases/changes from the NTMs or LightList. I signed up on their website a while ago and when I get the changes I'll notate them on my paper charts. The usual drill is to look at the paper chart, figure out my best route from A-to-B and then plot it on the chartplotter. Since 95% of our cruising is L.I.Sound, Block, Buzzards Bay and Cape Cod and Mass Bay I tend to try to play the currents so depending on time of day of passage I'll plan the route accordingly.
For example, on some trips East from OB to Stonington, CT for example, I might start out along the coastline (either CT or L.I.) and then head out to mid-sound. This way, by playing the currents, (and "planning" with my Reeds or Eldridge next to me) I'll minimize the drag from a foul current or, alternatively, maximize the lift from a fair current. Then after I've looked at the paper charts and noted any changes written down from any of the CG alerts, I'll put the waypoints in the chartplotter and take off. I don't want to seem really anal here (it sounds like it!) since 90% of the time we're not in a hurry and we'll cruise the best heading the wind affords us to minimize the motoring ..... Steve Weinstein S/V CAPTIVA 1997 Hunter 376, Hull #376 Sailing out of Oyster Bay, NY All outgoing mail protected by VIPRE A/V ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, May 16, 2009 9:58 AM Subject: Re: [Liveaboard] SeaClear/Garmin gps 75 software > > > Not free, I think I paid $20 for the unrestricted version, but I have > found > the Shareware "GPS Utility" to be useful. There is a free restricted > version to try out. > > My "system" is a bit convoluted. I use an old version of Nobletech Visual > Navigator to lay down routes on the computer charts, save the route as a > text file, use three Word macros I created to change the text file into a > form acceptable to my Garmin 12 GPS, check it for gross errors with the > map > feature of GPS Utility, and then still using GPS Utility, upload it into > the Garmin. > > Since I tend to use the same routes on our annual trek up and down the > East > Coast, over time I have built up a library of proven routes I can use just > by uploading them to the GPS. Since I have three Garmin 12 units (each > one > can hold 19 routes) I use one for the Chesapeake, one for going up and > down > the coast and one for New England. > > As for charts, originally I built up a library from gifts from other > boaters, but recently I bought a DVD full of both Raster and Vector charts > ("all available NOAA charts [over a thousand charts] and lots of > publications like Bowditch etc) from ManagingTheWaterway.com. They are > not > copy protected so I made a working set and stashed the originals away. > The > East Coast charts are on my HD > > > Norm > S/V Bandersnatch > Lying Julington Creek > 30 07.695N 081 38.484W > > > > >> I am making my first foray into electronic charting. Sea Clear seems >> like the right choice for me, After making up a DB9 connector, my old >> Garmin 75 works with it. I am interested in any open source - free >> software that I may use to update way points and store routes. Any >> recommendations? >> Philip >> -- >> Philip Lange AE4OV >> USSV ORYOKI >> Edenton, NC > > > > _______________________________________________ > Liveaboard mailing list > [email protected] > To adjust your membership settings over the web > http://www.liveaboardnow.org/mailman/listinfo/liveaboard > To subscribe send an email to [email protected] > > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] > The archives are at http://www.liveaboardnow.org/pipermail/liveaboard/ > > To search the archives > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] > > The Mailman Users Guide can be found here > http://www.gnu.org/software/mailman/mailman-member/index.html _______________________________________________ Liveaboard mailing list [email protected] To adjust your membership settings over the web http://www.liveaboardnow.org/mailman/listinfo/liveaboard To subscribe send an email to [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] The archives are at http://www.liveaboardnow.org/pipermail/liveaboard/ To search the archives http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] The Mailman Users Guide can be found here http://www.gnu.org/software/mailman/mailman-member/index.html
