Ep 30: Navigation: The Nautical Chart

Welcome to Episode 30 of Carpe Diem Sailing. In this episode I go over nautical charts and how to read one. I cover information found in the title block, scale, projection, depths, elevations, symbols, the compass rose and I briefly discuss digital charts. I do not get into plotting or compass work, that will be the subject of a future video.
CHART #1: SYMBOLS, ABBREVIATIONS & TERMS (CHS)
www.charts.gc.ca/documents/pub...
CHART #1: SYMBOLS, ABBREVIATIONS & TERMS (NOAA)
nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/publi...
CANADIAN TIDE & CURRENT TABLES
www.charts.gc.ca/publications/...
MASTER THE ART OF DOCKING
www.carpediemsailing.com/cour...
CARPE DIEM SAIL TRAINING
www.carpediemsailing.com
LEARN TO SAIL PLAYLIST
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[@SailHosailing]

As a sailor I generally know all this stuff (or should know) but it's so good to see everything in one place explained in a simplest possible way. Thank you

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Thank you Sail Ho

[@tomtiernan8134]

More tutorials like this are necessary. Keep them coming!

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Thanks Tom. I think you're onto something. Reading all the comments in the various FB groups I've posted to has me thinking the same way. I think a lot of people are intimidated by learning manual navigation. Hopefully I can produce short easy to learn vids that will get past that.

[@tomtiernan8134]

@@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine , short and easy is key. Break it down into small chunks that people can easily watch. You’ll lose people if they’re long, complex videos. Look forward to seeing what you produce!

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

@@tomtiernan8134 Absolutely Tom. I have the attention span of a five year old so short and engaged is the way to go for me.

[@tomtiernan8134]

@@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine , same here.

[@JosueBasurto]

This is my first video I se fron this channel and it is quite clear and invites to know more about navigation even if you dont do it very often

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Thank you for the kind and supportive comment.

[@RichardLewissails]

Hi Marco, Your videos are greatly helping me on my sailing journey. Done 101,103 and 104. Getting ready for 105..thx again

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Thanks Richard. Delighted to hear it. Don’t hesitate to reach out if i can be of s as my further assistance. Good luck with your training 👍

[@svkoukla9842]

Your videos on navigation are excellent. Thank you so much for posting.

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

My pleasure! Thank you for the kind comment SV

[@Spatuule]

Hi, nice intro to charts. Really looking forward to the digital charts and in-depth look at all apps and options! thanks

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Thank you for the comment.

[@jacdale]

Good stuff as usual Thank you for emphasizing the need to read the Title Block. Some older Canadian charts, like Sea Otter Cove, are in fathoms and feet. When I first looked st the chart I was thrown off by the soundings until I read the Title Block. I also preferred raster charts. Its symbols match Chart 1. The digital version of Chart omitted the last page. Big mistake. I wrote to CHS to express my displeasure.

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Thanks for sharing!

[@GiC7]

Nice

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Thank you 🙏

[@DougRutherford1]

Thought I would download 'iNavX ' and see how it works. Can you get Canadian Charts or only US. I only saw southern ones. Can mid-island north be obtained?

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Yes, you can get CHS charts. Actually they are my preferred chart. I have a package entitled CHS RM-PAC02 Vancouver Island East. Depending on the package they run from $49 =- $149 buy they dont seem to expire. I've had them for a few years and my Navionix charts are expired.

[@FreedomWon20]

If a nautical chart states to stay 150 yards from "Shoreline". Is that line measured at high, low or ebb tide?

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Thanks for the comment Mark. Could you please clarify. I’m not familiar with a nautical chart making such a statement. Further, tides don’t ebb. It’s a bit of a misnomer. As you stated correctly the tide is high or low. Ebbing and flooding is relevant to tidal streams, that is, the horizontal flow of water driven by the tide rising and falling. Finally, for me I would interpret the “shoreline” at low tide. On Canadian charts the shoreline is marked at chart datum which is Lowest Normal Tide. Hope this answers your question

[@rimasmeleshyus9486]

Great video ,thanks

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Glad you enjoyed it Thank you Rimas 🙏

[@KingstonS326]

can we use the mercator prjection charts for ocean passage planning? at all....? cheers 😌

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

I’m not sure. This is a question for one of my navy navigation officer friends. I’ll get back to you.

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

This is the reply I got from my navigation officer friend: "The short answer is yes. For long trips that have a northerly or southerly direction, and all trips close to the equator, there is very little difference between a great circle and a rhumb line, the latter is a straight line on a mercator projection. For a trip that is easterly or westerly and away from the equator, you would have to break up a great circle into rhumb line segments. There is planning software that can do this for you. You simply input the departure and destination lat/long and how many segments you desire. We typically break a journey into segments of 10° of long, as the greatest the distance can be is 600nm, which is about where there starts being a noticeable difference in distance between GC & RL. I hope that makes sense"

[@KingstonS326]

@@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine thank you so so much to you and your friend, this is the best most clear answer I got over weeks pondering about it, I am so glad I bought my mercator charts then, planning a passage from Australia to Tahiti. Thank you for your great channel too :)

[@jamesroy9666]

I appreciate the need for international orientation to reading maps, etc., but for me having your just stick to Canadian applicable info is less confusing. In later study, if necessary or desired, I can expand my learnings to include USA waters and others. I'm guessing, but could be wrong, that most of your viewers are more focused on learning safe and practical ways to sail in local waters. Just a suggestion from an early adaptor of your lessons.

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Thanks, I’ll keep it in mind.

[@meatdog]

Nope. I travel between between countries, USA, MEXICO AND CANADA so all the info is important.