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Charts for daysailing Great Lakes?

1K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  Catherine McAran 
#1 ·
I'm changing gears from my 24' powerboat to a 22' O'Day. We'll mostly be doing day sails with the occasional overnight around the shores of Michigan. On my powerboat, I had plenty of space for storing and using full size paper charts. This will not be true on the O'Day. I have the usual electronic wizardry, but I trust paper, pencil, and compass more than electrons.

What type of charts are people actually using on small sailboats? Richardson's, Waterway Guide, print on demand, or ???

Thanks!
 
#2 · (Edited)
I use Richardsons. I find them quite adequate for navigation on a small sailboat (slow moving and shallow draft).

What I'll sometimes do is take a look at the charts in the morning before I leave and make mental notes of any hazards and not pull out the charts all day.

Yesterday for example we covered 13 miles with a moving average of 2.6 knots, so pretty easy navigation, almost like navigating a kayak but with more draft (I draw just over 3' with the board down).
 
#3 ·
I use a small Maptech chart book in a plastic case in the cockpit. It's half the size of the large ones so much more convenient in a small boat yet still gives me a much better "big picture" view than the screen of my 5 inch chartplotter. And the chart pages are waterproof so a little rain and spray are no problem. Note Maptech is owned by Richardsons.
 
#6 ·
I used to use books until I realized how out of date they are. Maptech in particular.

Now I make my own charts with a large format printer and downloadable PDFs.

I can only envy the space for full size charts!

Some boats have room on the main salon table, but it's always a compromise.
 
#7 ·
Though I don't know about the Great Lakes, there are 'cruising guides' for pretty much everywhere else these days. I find them much more useful than paper charts with a lot more information. Everything from where the stores are for provisioning, to harbor regulations and rates, if fees are charged. If you happen to be crossing a lake to visit your neighbors to the north (or south, depending on which side of the 48th parallel you live on) they should have the clearance information and hours also. Sights to see, the skinny on anchorages and plenty of detailed charts or drawings to use when piloting your vessel. Most are small enough and sturdy enough to have right there at the helm when you need them. These days nautical charts make wonderful gifts for your non-seafaring friends to hang on the wall, but on a boat only a few are really necessary.
'Cruising guides' are also a lot cheaper and take up much less space, a win/win all the way around.
 
#8 ·
I've cruised all the Great Lakes for many years. Sharon and I got back from an 8 day delivery yesterday from Goderich on Lake Huron to Scarborough on Lake Ontario..... a much trickier and nasty trip than out gulf stream crossing last month. The depth sounder died, the radar died and the plotter frequently blacked out. I think it foolish to travel these waters without charts.
 
#9 ·
#10 ·
We sail Lake Michigan out of Muskegon on our Catalina 28. We rely on the Richardson's book, and a handheld, mono Garmin GPS. A pretty bare-bones setup that seems to suit us pretty well.

I downloaded Open CPN onto my Mac, and I'll probably start using that this summer.
 
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