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BVI chart/nav app

28K views 93 replies 19 participants last post by  S/V BOB 
#1 ·
I checked Charts&Tides and could not find a coverage area that applied to the BVIs. On my East Coast edition, all the Active Captain icons show up when I move the location there, but no navigation or chart data.

Is there an app that covers BVI?
 
#3 ·
2 years ago I bought a waterproof Garmin Oregon handheld chartplotter along with a chart chip for the eastern Caribbean. This was in preparation for a bareboat charter that included the Spanish Virgins. I also bought waterproof charts and a Seaworthy guide to all of the Virgin Islands so I could lay my hands on the navigation data and just in case the electronics crapped out.

An app might be nice, but if you want something you can rely on under wet conditions a small handheld is the way to go when you are the skipper on someone else's boat. You can set up waypoints and routes ahead of time and familiarize yourself with electronics that you'll be able to use when/if panic sets in. If your charter boat has a chartplotter, at least you'll have a backup that may be more user friendly (if you've done the drill). One advantage of the Oregon--and similar sized Garmin units--is that they fit into a drink holder by the helm.

The higher end Garmin handhelds are not cheap, but they have more pixels (higher resolution) than the cheaper Garmin handheld chart plotters and they obviously are a lot more rugged than a cell phone or tablet. Think of it as insurance--as part of a layered approach to assuring your safety. The only drawback is that they don't float.

I rationalized the purchase as a backup for my own boat's installed chartplotter/GPS which would fail in the next lightning strike. (After losing all my electronics twice to lightning, this is more than a hypothetical situation for me.) The advantage of handheld electronics is that you can protect them by putting them in your oven or wrapping them in aluminum foil when lightning threatens.

That said, I am trying to figure out what charting and weather apps to acquire for my iPhone (and maybe an iPad in the future) and hope to get some suggestions from this blog.
 
#7 ·
Re: did not require much nav aids

We were in the bvi's for 2 weeks and found that everything was on board our charter that we needed. Doyles guide is all you really need. Line of sight sailing down there
Thanks, but, I'm quite familiar. We've done this before and I don't have a concern for finding my way around.

However, I have been aboard where the bareboat's charts were missing or managed to get lost. I would rather not pack my own, as we'll be strictly carrying on. I will have my iPad, so it would be the best option.
 
#6 ·
"Line of sight" sailing generally applies in the BVI, but not if you are going to Anegada. Coming back from Anegada is a different matter.

I've also been caught in the Drake Channel in an intense rain event where the visibility was down to a quarter mile. These events don't last long, thankfully, so we recovered visual landmarks after a while. I didn't have GPS then, but it would have been nice.

The GPS allows you to navigate precisely to a harbor entrance that otherwise blends into the background. It's true that visual navigation will usually keep you out of trouble, but GPS can be a convenience.

Then there are those of us who are used to dead reckoning in areas that have tidal currents and are quite capable of navigating with a compass and a paper chart, but still want to know precisely where we and the waypoint are at all times.
 
#9 ·
I use a Garmin GPSMAP 478 as my primary on my own boat and backup on chartered boats. It's small enought to fit in my carry on luggage and very reliable. Every charter boat I've used in the past 10 years has had a GPS chart plotter built in but it is nice to set up potential routes on my computer at home before I get there. I then run my Garmin along side the charter boats GPS (which will have a bigger screen). It is great to have both maps (2 sets of data on 2 different GPS devices) to refer to and to compare.
That said, since you have an iPad, I really like the iSailor app.
You can download it for free from the iTunes store. It comes with one free map so you can get a feel to see if you like it. Then, IIRC, you can download the entire caribbean set of maps for $25. Pretty good deal.
 
#10 ·
I've been to the BVI's for the last 4 years and will be there again mid Jan.
I use iNavX and their Carribean and Ct America chart. In fact it's the reason I bought the iPad in the first place. Great app with more features than you need.
I've also got iSailor, but I don't think it's as good.

The guy I sail with takes a handheld Garmin ( not sure which one)

Both these are not cheep. iNavX is $50 and the chart was $30 I think.
But peace of mind has got to be worth something.
sam :)
 
#11 · (Edited)
I'm not sure if OP has headed out yet, but I have a couple minor things to add, if it's not too late. I'm heading down to BVI starting Jan. 5, so I've been checking a few of these things out myself.

I have the Garmin Oregon 400c, and plan to take it down to BVI in January. I have a $10 bicycle handlebar mount which can attach to the binnacle with a couple plastic tie straps. It's easily removed when done.

The 400c has charts already built in for the Caribbean, but they are very inaccurate (I'll demonstrate this below). I've debated buying a microSD upgrade from Garmin, but I have no idea whether it's any more accurate than what I already have. The inaccuracy is far worse than could be accounted for by the 3-year age of their chart. Why would Garmin intentionally put a grossly inaccurate survey into this device if they had better charts to provide on the chip? It just does not make sense, and as a result I'm not gonna buy a chip to find out. (I've heard that Garmin are absolute bast@%&$ about refunds.)

Here's how I did an informal test of the chart accuracy in the BVI:

Last December we went down for a land-based vacation on St. John USVI, and chartered boats a couple of days. One day we had a 23' powercat to go over to the Baths in BVI. Due to large swell and heavy chop, the captain hugged the coastline for much of the trip. We kept the Oregon 400c in my wife's purse to capture the track the whole day. His shoreline-hugging course gave me an outstanding opportunity to test the accuracy of the GPS and its embedded charts. I found many instances where the recorded track showed us significantly inland, and others where stopping points at shore were significantly off the shore.

For example, upon entering English waters, we had to check in at Jost Van Dyke's Great Harbour. I have exported this track to different charts to get an idea of the accuracy of the underlying charts.

First, the Oregon's embedded chart was off by almost a half nautical mile! The government dock where we stopped is about where the "D" in "Dyke" is located on the Oregon's chart, but you can see that our stopping point below is about 0.5 nm away from that point:


I exported this track and overlaid it on NOAA chart #25641, a 1:100,000 representation of the area (soundings in fathoms). Obviously the scale is not conducive to great accuracy, and I have overzoomed the chart for my screenshot. But you can see here that in this chart, the chart's government dock is located about 0.2 nm to the northwest of where we actually stopped:


A significant reason for the chart's inaccuracy is shown here:


As you can see above, the BVI part of that chart was based on a pre-1900 survey (back when BVI were still owned by Denmark)! Clearly the surveyors of that era did not have modern technology to assist their location. So these charts are not to be trusted for navigation.

Finally, I found much more modern (but still somewhat dated) NGA charts (soundings in meters), which NOAA allows you to browse free of charge but does not make available for download. Here is a screen shot or our track overlaid on NGA #25609, which appears to be much more accurate based on our stopping point and shore-hugging track:


This chart's survey was done in 1986, so it's much more recent, though still old enough to be cause of some caution.

FYI, NGA does publish periodic notice to mariners for critical changes to their charts, but they are relevant to ocean going vessels only, so you won't find important cruising information like Foxy's phone number there. :laugher

NGA 25609 gives a wide view of all the islands out to Anegada. But for closer-in cruising in Drake Channel, Chart 25611 gives a much better view at 1:30,000 and an inset of Road Harbour at 1:15,000 (but does not include Jost Van Dyke, which is why I did not use it here). [EDIT: A couple weeks after I posted this, NOAA removed these NGA charts from their website. I'm lucky I got them while I could! Unfortunately, this makes the instructions below somewhat moot.]

Now here's the trick for computer geeks: Although the NGA charts are not available for download (you can only view them with the Zoomify routines on the NGA site), there is a Python routine out there called DeZoomify that will download all the "tiles" that make up the chart, and stitch the whole thing back together into one large .png file. You need to have Python installed on your computer (it took me a couple tries to get a version of Python 3 that worked on my machine - hint: you need to run 32-bit Python even if you have a 64-bit OS). The Python routine takes several hours to run, but in the end you get a nice, high-resolution chart. Those not inclined to do this can do a Google search for the NGA chart, and you might get lucky and find someone else who uploaded theirs.

The next step to get the NGA chart to work in a chartplotter is to calibrate it and (preferably) convert it into a BSB/KAP file. I have struggled with this, because it seems the best tools are in Linux, which I don't have time to install. I have managed to get the .png files to load into SeaClear (that's how I took the screenshots), but these .png files cause it to be very buggy and it does unfriendly things to my computer's menus, so I don't recommend it.

Long story short, if I take the Garmin Oregon 400c on vacation with me, I'll only use it as an emergency backup for an on-board chartplotter (which I hope Sunsail provides), and will manually plot lon/lat onto their paper charts if I need to.
 
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#17 · (Edited)
Here's how I did an informal test of the chart accuracy in the BVI:

Last December we went down for a land-based vacation on St. John USVI, and chartered boats a couple of days. One day we had a 23' powercat to go over to the Baths in BVI. Due to large swell and heavy chop, the captain hugged the coastline for much of the trip. We kept the Oregon 400c in my wife's purse to capture the track the whole day. His shoreline-hugging course gave me an outstanding opportunity to test the accuracy of the GPS and its embedded charts. I found many instances where the recorded track showed us significantly inland, and others where stopping points at shore were significantly off the shore.
Although I appreciate your effort to warn others, I have to wonder about the scientific method you applied by stuffing it in the wife's purse. :laugher

I'm gonna ass-u-me that your wife's purse may have been down below, or stowed somewhere, or that there could have been other things in the purse that may have effected the GPS antenna like getting lodged under a cell phone, etc. That antenna needs a line of sight to the sky to work properly.

I would say this is not a very scientific method of judging a GPS unit. Again, I think you had the best intentions.

Respectfully.
 
#12 ·
TakeFive, I bought an Oregon 450 2 yrs ago in preparation for a trip out of the USVI to the SVI. The 450 didn't have built-in detailed charts so I bought the US and Southeast Caribbean BlueChart g2 chips. The SE Caribbean chip is # HXUS030R.

I found the accuracy to be as good as the paper charts for the area. We threaded some reefs at Culebrita and elsewhere using paper charts and eyeball navigation, including reading the depths, until we established trust in the Garmin system. We ranged from St Thomas to Culebrita, Culebra, and Vieques and back by way of St. John with no issues. Actually, it was rather impressive.

BTW, I took a look at Great Harbour using my SE Caribbean chip and it provides a little more detail than your map views. I don't know if this microSD chip works in your 400c, but I would think so.

Your 400c has the same dimensions as my 450, which fit nicely in a drink holder on the boat we chartered.
 
#13 · (Edited)
TakeFive, I bought an Oregon 450 2 yrs ago in preparation for a trip out of the USVI to the SVI. The 450 didn't have built-in detailed charts so I bought the US and Southeast Caribbean BlueChart g2 chips. The SE Caribbean chip is # HXUS030R.

I found the accuracy to be as good as the paper charts for the area. We threaded some reefs at Culebrita and elsewhere using paper charts and eyeball navigation, including reading the depths, until we established trust in the Garmin system. We ranged from St Thomas to Culebrita, Culebra, and Vieques and back by way of St. John with no issues. Actually, it was rather impressive.

BTW, I took a look at Great Harbour using my SE Caribbean chip and it provides a little more detail than your map views. I don't know if this microSD chip works in your 400c, but I would think so.

Your 400c has the same dimensions as my 450, which fit nicely in a drink holder on the boat we chartered.
Thanks, that's the kind of input that I was looking for. Now I need to figure whether Garmin could ship fast enough for me.
 
#14 ·
If you use the Imray-Iolare charts, note that they are not only not to NGA standards, but they are on a different datum than the US charts and your chartplotter, which is undoubtedly on WGS84. Read the fine print on the chart if you want to be precise, although there is only a very slight correction if you want to transfer a waypoint from the chart to your GPS.
 
#19 ·
In my tests with the chartplotter programs, I was concerned about both datum and projection (though the latter not such a big issue close to the equator), so I carefully verified both. The NGA chart header says it is WGS datum, and the NOAA chart is as well.

I will heed your warning to watch out for the datum on any charts that are on the charter vessel. Are there simple offsets available?
 
#21 ·
I keep forgetting that my son bought us an iPad, and got us the wireless version just to get the built-in GPS. (We don't use the wireless capability - just WiFi and occasional tethering to my Android phone if we need mobile connectivity.)

The reason I keep forgetting is my wife uses it so much I don't get much chance to try it out.

So I'm going to spend a little time looking into iNavx, iSailor, and Navionics. However, they're of little interest to me on my own boat until they're upgraded to accept NMEA sentences via Bluetooth. I want real-time AIS targets on my chartplotter display like I have on my Netbook - anything less is a downgrade. But for a charter, one of these apps might do the trick if they're not too costly.
 
#24 ·
I keep forgetting that my son bought us an iPad, and got us the wireless version just to get the built-in GPS. ...
Wow. You really aren't into gadgets, are you? How do you forget that you have an iPad? :)

I just downloaded onto mine some of the apps mentioned in this thread. I keep getting a message saying "There are no charts to download. Try again later." on the Garmin app.
 
#28 · (Edited)
Wow. You really aren't into gadgets, are you? How do you forget that you have an iPad? :)
The issue is gadget overload, not gadget phobia. In the last 2 weeks, we've added 2 new Windows 8 PCs, a new Windows 7 laptop from work, and two Nexus 4 Android phones, 2 new gigabit ethernet switches and a gigabit wireless access point. Of course, my whole family wants this stuff to "just work," so as the de facto IT guy I've been up to my ears in configuring everything. This has been a challenge because all the old computers were XP, so there's a lot of new stuff for me to learn.

That, plus my wife's domination of "our" iPad, and I haven't had any chance to even think of using it, and it's therefore easily forgotten.
 
#20 · (Edited)
...and almost useless unless you have a Garmin chartplotter with WiFi networking capabilities. I was disappointed to see that this is not a freestanding chart plotter app that uses the internal GPS, but merely a repeater that takes the GPS coordinates though WiFi from a Garmin chartplotter - with purchase of a Garmin WiFi adapter.

I'll download the free app and see if it can make a wireless link with my Oregon 400c (which is touted as being capable of wireless sharing), but I'm not willing to buy the Garmin WiFi adapter to run the experiment. Leave it to Garmin to require a dongle add-on to override the iPad's built-in WiFi capability. :mad:
 
#29 ·
Getting back to GPS tracks overlaid on paper charts: You need to know how position is indexed on your paper charts (the "datum"). All of the GPS units I've used are indexed by default to WGS 84 datum, although I had at least one device that would allow you to reset to use other datums.

My Imray-Iolare Virgin Islands chart was "corrected" as of 2000, but it was not on WGS 84. Rather, if you read the "fine print" on the chart, you needed to adjust your GPS position by 0.12 minutes North and 0.01 minutes West. Basically you need to know that your GPS latitude offset is 246 ft, whereas the longitude offset is small enough to ignore. Actually, there aren't many areas where the 246 ft offset matters--maybe on the approach to the Salt Pond Bay moorings on St. John.
 
#31 ·
OK, I finally pried the iPad from my wife's clenched fingers. :laugher Here area few questions for those of you who may have used it in BVI:

  • I've downloaded the free Garmin Bluechart Mobile software and the ActiveCaptain database, which has several useful entries for BVI. As Gerry pointed out above, it does pick up the internal GPS if I turn off the external GPS option in settings. As I look over Garmin's chart purchase options, I see some of the same issues that scared me off from buying their microSD cards for my Oregon. For $30 I can get US Coastal which appears to include the same range as my Oregon 400c. It's hard to tell from the little coverage chart, but it looks like it just barely makes it over to BVI (just like my Oregon), and it's less costly than the total North America coverage at $45. But then there's the concern about accuracy in BVI, as I illustrated with my Oregon above. Does anyone have experience with Garmin's US coastal accuracy in the BVI region for these downloadable charts? Is the $45 North America coverage any more accurate in BVI?
  • Charts&Tides, which Minnewaska recommended, looks interesting and much lower cost for the charts. But I do not see any coverage in the Caribbean. Is there something I'm missing? And if there is coverage, how is its accuracy?
  • I also downloaded Transas iSailor, recommended by Minnewaska. The instruction manual is very limited, and doesn't mention features like Import and Export. I'd like to import some GPX waypoints and tracks, but how do I "Add files to the iSailor Documents list"? Where is this list located? (I tried a File Manager program, but can't find any folder where this list might be located.) Also, how is the accuracy of their charts compared to Garmin and the others?

The whole chart accuracy thing is a real issue for me, given the discrepancies that I demonstrated above. So any help you guys can provide would be greatly appreciated.
 
#42 ·
OK, I finally pried the iPad from my wife's clenched fingers. :laugher Here area few questions for those of you who may have used it in BVI:

  • there's the concern about accuracy in BVI, as I illustrated with my Oregon above. Does anyone have experience with Garmin's US coastal accuracy in the BVI region for these downloadable charts? Is the $45 North America coverage any more accurate in BVI?

The whole chart accuracy thing is a real issue for me, given the discrepancies that I demonstrated above. So any help you guys can provide would be greatly appreciated.
From Fallaed: "For the peanut gallery:

The Garmin BlueChart for the US is fantastic in the Oregon or similar Garmin handheld chartplotter range (higher resolution/pixel count than the lower end Garmins, but you pay for that, of course.) However the US coverage extends to the BVI, but without the same resolution as in the continental US.

The BlueChart for the Southeast Caribbean fixes that. It provides detail in the Virgins that is comparable to that of the US chip in the continental US. Once again, you pay for that."


I'm confused, I'm headed for BVI 1st of April & looking to buy a 78SC (loaded with HUSO39R,U.S. Coastal BlueChart g2).Garmins website shows the coastal maps extending to BVI- but your saying this is actually wrong or that, specifically the detail is lost just in the BVI on this g2 map?
Also, I don't see any North American BlueChart g2 offered, let alone for $45, where is this coming from? I see the Bluechart HUSO30R SE Caribbean offered for a small $160 fee.

So, I found a 78SC (pre loaded u.s.coastal) for $349 and the SE Caribbean BlueChart g2 used for $46. If the coastal actually don't cover BVI, think this is my option?
Any problem buying a used microSD? Need any codes? can I update it?

Thanks for any info on this-
Robes
 
#32 ·
I use Charts and Tide in New England for the Active Captain database, float planning and as a backup GPS. It works great and is very accurate. It does not cover BVI, which is why I started the thread.

iSailor was a recommendation I picked up here and have only recently downloaded it. I like it's presentation compared to some of the other recommendations, but have not used it on the water.
 
#33 ·
I use Charts and Tide in New England for the Active Captain database, float planning and as a backup GPS. It works great and is very accurate. It does not cover BVI, which is why I started the thread...
Sorry! Funny how after 30+ messages I forgot your original question.
 
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#34 ·
Hi Take 5

The US Coastal does not cover the BVI's, you will need to buy the North America coverage. Your question about the Coastal chart accuracy is therefore moot.

As for overall accuracy, here goes (I know you know all this, but for the benefit of the peanut gallery);

1. With all electronic charts you have three potential errors, chart errors, GPS errors and the relationship between both. Without all three being 100% you are getting incorrect information. You have to assume that for pilotage, plotter info is not accurate.

2. I have used Navionics, Garmin Bluechart and Jeppesen C-Map in the BVI's and Caribbean. Which is most accurate? It depends. They all take turns and all claim to be the best. I tend to like Garmin because I drive on the white, slow down on the blue and stay off the yellow and green.

3. My favorite electronic instrument is a depth sounder. My favorite non electronic tool is a long boat-hook marked in one foot increments which I use to sound around my grounded boat in order to find the direction to kedge/get towed off.

4. These electronic charts are now relatively cheap. Buy as many as you can afford and have fun with them. If you really want to understand chart accuracy in the Caribbean you should have listened/read the discussions between Don Street and Chris Doyle about the accuracy of their relative chartlets.

If you have lots of spare time check this out;

Street's Cruising Guide to the Eastern Caribbean: Puerto Rico, Spanish, U.S. & British Virgin Islands - Donald M. Street Jr.

Fair Winds

Gerry
 
#36 ·
For the peanut gallery:

The Garmin BlueChart for the US is fantastic in the Oregon or similar Garmin handheld chartplotter range (higher resolution/pixel count than the lower end Garmins, but you pay for that, of course.) However the US coverage extends to the BVI, but without the same resolution as in the continental US.

The BlueChart for the Southeast Caribbean fixes that. It provides detail in the Virgins that is comparable to that of the US chip in the continental US. Once again, you pay for that.

The small screen is a challenge after using the larger built-ins or tablets/iPads, but a device like the Oregon that is small, rugged, and waterproof and can be retained in a drink holder at the helm in bad weather has its advantages, like when you are threading a reef during a sudden tropical downpour in 100 yd visibility and can't read the bottom visually. That might be an infrequent occurrence, but it's nice be prepared for it.
 
#37 · (Edited)
Thanks for the excellent clarification. I look forward to trying the SE Caribbean bluechart chip.

Because of my overall distrust of any single chart supplier, I have really gotten to like plotting routes on my computer using the most reliable chart I can find (usually NOAA when in US waters), then transferring the routes to the Garmin Oregon. This gives me the opportunity to view the exact same route plan overlaid over two charts from different suppliers, and I believe that redundancy leads to better safety.

When we chartered last summer this became our normal MO - I would plot out the next day's planned rout in the evening, export the route to the Oregon, and we'd head out the next day. I liked it better than the boat's chartplotter because it was my own gear that I use on my own boat.

With this in mind, I put in a major effort today to convert the NGA charts (which I believe to be far more accurate than NOAA's charts in the BVI/USVI region) to a calibrated chart that can be imported to a chartplotter on my Netbook or an Android tablet (iOS devices are a lot more difficult to "sideload" content - charts, routes, waypoints - than the others, which I think over time will become a big negative for Apple). So far I have succeeded in getting the charts into a .WCI format that can be read by SeaClear II (without the menu corruption that I was having before), and I am 80% of the way there to converting them to BSB/KAP format that will allow using them in OpenCPN, which is by far my favorite free/low cost PC chart plotting program. The conversion is churning away as we speak. It's been a real learning experience installing VirtualBox on my computer, and Ubuntu Linux inside the virtual machine. I know more about this stuff than I want to know. But it also has given me a good view into how all these things work.

In the end, BVI is mostly line of sight sailing, so this level of redundancy is not really necessary, but I wanted to see whether I can do this myself.
 
#38 ·
As I mentioned last night, I have successfully managed to convert the nice NGA images of BVI into reliable electronic raster charts. This is the exact same format that NOAA uses for their freely distributed charts of the US waters. So far I have gotten them to work flawlessly with SeaClear and OpenCPN on my PC, and with the Marine Navigator Android app on my Nexus4 cell phone and Nook Color tablet.

I have yet to find any iPad app that will import the NOAA KAP files (or these new KAP files that I have created). If anyone knows of an iPad app (even a paid one) that has this capability, please let me know.
 
#39 ·
Having just returned from my BVI charter (and not wanting to fully let go of the memories), here's a brief summary of my navigational experience down there.

As I previously mentioned, I installed the newly released Garmin Bluechart app (free) and ActiveCaptain database (also free, but registration required) into the iPad. Just prior to going I decided to spring for the $45 North America Garmin Bluecharts. This was not required, since the ActiveCaptain data was still fully useful without the marine chart, but for $45 I was willing to give it a try.

The Garmin charts are useful, but since I did not have the Garmin WiFi network on the charter vessel (nor do I want to install one on my own boat), there appears to be no way to offload routes, waypoints, and tracks onto other devices. This will limit the functionality going forward.

Prior to leaving, I also borrowed a Bluechart SD card for the area and loaded into my Oregon 400c (thanks Frank!), which proved to be extremely useful. I quickly fell into my normal routine of plotting the next day's planned route on my laptop in the cabin (using OpenCPN with the NGA charts that I had calibrated for digital use), then using MapSource to transfer the routes to my Oregon for use in the cockpit. I installed the Oregon handlebar mount at the starboard wheel so I had the route available in the cockpit at all times.

I need to say that I consider the availability of pre-plotted routes to be a critical safety item when navigating unfamiliar waters. No matter how good your ded recking skills may be, when you look out along the hazy horizon in a place like BVI, it is impossible to tell whether a certain feature in the distance is a cove, a bay, or a cut between islands. There were numerous times when I would have missed a critical turn if I did not have the little purple line telling me it was time to turn. For example, when I left Marina Cay toward Guana Bay, the Camanoe passage came up much faster than I expected, and I just know that I would have wandered into the rocks between Beef Island airport and Little Camanoe (which were on Sunsail's prohibited list, and we had been explicitly warned to stay away from). Things just don't look the same as you expect them to from the chart, and that little purple line is what saved me there.


The Garmin iPad app may find some eventual use in my normal route planning, but for now OpenCPN is much more powerful. I prefer the precision of clicking a mouse on a screen, and not sure I will get to like tapping on a screen with my finger. Also, the more robust sailing in BVI caused more water in the cockpit than I was comfortable with the iPad. On my own boat on our protected river, my cockpit stays much drier, so I have a bracket to mount a netbook, which allows display of AIS targets onscreen using OpenCPN. Until there is an iPad app that displays real-time AIS targets from my boat's NMEA data, the iPad will be of secondary use.
 
#40 ·
Prior to leaving, I also borrowed a Bluechart SD card for the area and loaded into my Oregon 400c (thanks Frank!), which proved to be extremely useful. I quickly fell into my normal routine of plotting the next day's planned route on my laptop in the cabin (using OpenCPN with the NGA charts that I had calibrated for digital use), then using MapSource to transfer the routes to my Oregon for use in the cockpit. I installed the Oregon handlebar mount at the starboard wheel so I had the route available in the cockpit at all times.

I need to say that I consider the availability of pre-plotted routes to be a critical safety item when navigating unfamiliar waters. No matter how good your ded recking skills may be, when you look out along the hazy horizon in a place like BVI, it is impossible to tell whether a certain feature in the distance is a cove, a bay, or a cut between islands.

Also, the more robust sailing in BVI caused more water in the cockpit than I was comfortable with the iPad.
The last statement of the quote (which I've condensed) is why I would not consider a non-marinized chartplotter for my helm. Anything will work when the seas are calm and it's not raining. But when that squall comes along while you are in tight quarters, you want something in the cockpit that is rugged and waterproof.

When you are going on a charter, you don't necessarily end up with the installed equipment you'd like to have. Bringing your own portable equipment with preplanned routes will surely add to your peace of mind when you are away from home waters, but you want something that can stay with you at the helm when the going gets tough.

I also have a Garmin Oregon and have used it in the Virgins as my primary piece of navigation gear. However, I programmed the routes (primary and alternates) directly on the Oregon before leaving home, after consulting the guides and my own waterproof charts. Programming your routes on the device you'll have at the helm will minimize confusion when it matters. The only other electronics I bring on a charter is a cell phone.

BTW, I bring my own waterproof charts--typically Imray-Iolare--on Caribbean charters and rely on them to keep the small Garmin screen in context. They are also a familiar backup for dead reckoning, should the batteries run out or the electronics fail. I also bring detailed chartlets for certain areas, like the approach to Anegada or Christiansted (St. Croix) to augment the larger charts when necessary.
 
#41 ·
For those worried about getting their Ipad wet, these are very inexpensive and you retain fully capabilities of the Ipad touch screen. It doesn't even seem to know it is inside the thing.

There is even a lanyard, if you want to hang it around your neck, but I think its better for securing it to the cockpit table. I have one of these:

Amazon.com: New Version TrendyDigital WaterGuard Waterproof Case, Waterproof Cover for Apple iPad, iPad 2 and New iPad (iPad 3), Blue: Computers & Accessories@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41r8XXcDLcL.@@AMEPARAM@@41r8XXcDLcL
 
#44 ·
Thanks for the reply TakeFive-

Well, I'm not too sure what to do here. I'm new to the GPS and all the electronic nav software/hardware & accessories. I have only used paper charts to date in the Chesapeake Bay. It's mind blowing all the devises, software etc to try and sift through it all. I thought I had come to the best decision, the 78SC until I learned the preloaded maps for the BVI are not to par with the remaining chart.

I plan to buy a boat in the next couple years and want something that can be used as backup on that, hate to make a poor choice here. Also, my wife has the new iPad but I don't use it (she lives in it!), I don't see it as being a fitting devise to use in the cockpit, I did look into some aspects of it but always seem to think the 78 series is a safer better choice for now....

Anyway, I don't know enough about all this let alone test the Amazon Caribbean SD card myself, I would have to leave that to someone else. I reviewed the sellers feedback and can't honestly find a single comment not praising the cards. Although, I assume they can't be updated if they are indeed copies, then again they say they are the most current version.

What is your opinion:
I go with the preloaded 78SC map, I also have the Imray-IoIaire A23 chart for USVI & St. Croix "Eastern Caribbean" includes BVI & Anagada. I also have the BVIPirate.com Anagada Approach chart which is excellent from what I read & hear. I have passage granted to Anagada by Conch Charters.

I'm tempted to think I have enough nav aids, need to use the eyes and brain too. Yet, I'm very tempted to buy the Amazon SE Caribbean card for the price but maybe safest to use the preloaded coastal charts for now?.....

Thanks again for any comments suggestions
Robes
 
#45 ·
Before I give you a recommendation, do you have a smartphone? There may be some other smartphone options that could get you going for very little money, especially on an Android phone.
 
#46 ·
Yes, my wife & I each have an iPhone 5. But, from what I've read it seems the problem there is the expense of using the phone in that location as well as area of connectivity. I read at least 1 horror story of a person coming back from BVI to find an astronomical phone bill which at the time he had no idea how he was being charged. ?
 
#48 ·
Thanks TakeFive-

I will try those downloads for the iPhone & iPad, but don't I need a gps devise? Can I set waypoints and chart courses without some handheld marine gps?

It seems you do what I thought I'd do, plot things out ahead of time on my iMac and load to the gps(78). So, does the gps system in the iPhone (guess there is one in the iPad too) do what a handheld will do? sensitive enough, WAAS?

Guess I'm under the impression that the phone/iPad can't work alone or you can make changes en route. Time to do those downloads and see what it's all about, thanks- :D
Robes
 
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