Nautical Charts: Three Rules for Using Nautical Charts for Navigation

 

Nautical charts are graphic representations of the different maritime areas in the world, and their adjacent coastal regions. They are based on hydrographic surveys, and are issued by the national hydrographic offices in many countries. There are also commercially published charts, some of which may hold further information of particular interest, e.g. for yacht captains.

 

Here are three rules for using nautical charts that boaters should never, ever forget.

 

 

Full-sized nautical charts aren’t always practical in the tight confines of recreational boats. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Coast Survey has released a trial nautical chart product aimed at recreational boaters. NOAA’s “Booklet Charts” have a very familiar look and feel to any mariner that has used a traditional paper marine chart.

 

 

An indispensable reference for reading nautical charts is Chart No. 1 – Nautical Chart Symbols, Abbreviations and Terms published by the Office of Coast Survey. The abbreviations, symbols and terms found in nautical charts produced by National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the International Hydrographic Association, Maptech and the NOAA are all illustrated in Chart No. 1.

 

 

The charts are built on widely different scales and can be generally classed as follows: ocean-sailing charts are small-scale, 1:5,000,000 or smaller, used for planning long voyages or marking the daily progress of a ship. Sailing charts, used for offshore navigation, show a generalized shoreline, only offshore soundings, and the scale is around 1:600,000.

 

Consider how you use your charts to figure out which type is best for you. You can choose a chart with light use in mind if you travel a bay occasionally. However, if you’re in the area regularly and you constantly use one chart, you need to choose a more durable chart type.