Updating charts, using "Notice to Mariners"

[jephotog]

I am studying in preparation for a navigation class. Living inland I have been away from real chart for a while. I do have a chart of the Puget Sound area I bought last year in a quest to charter there someday and to have a study tool.

I have taken a look around to Notice to Mariners. From the brief studying of the Notices it seems most issues are temporary work, or closures or lights out or temporary buoy, basically temporary changes to the ATONs which are put back to the configuration listed on the chart later.

In order to get my chart accurate can I just look to the current Notices and apply the changes. Or do I need to go back to the date the chart was printed and update all changes since then? Is there a way to find all the cumulative permanent changes made in the last year or so?

When I am looking at Notices to Mariners i can find local one specific to Region #13 which covers all the PNW, is there a way to filter it further to limit the ones pertinent to a specific area covered by my chart?

[jephotog]

Originally Posted by jephotog

When I am looking at Notices to Mariners i can find local one specific to Region #13 which covers all the PNW, is there a way to filter it further to limit the ones pertinent to a specific area covered by my chart?

I actually figured this one out. I found a chart # listed on the LNM (local notice to mariners). My chart doesn't have a chart # as it is a commercial chart that has many charts included into one big one. I have figured out which charts are in there so I can use the chart no. listed in the LNMs to filter which notices I need to record.

Studying the LNMs I learned bit more:
I am guessing the that the LNM St column and LNM End, refers to the initial LNM the discrepeacy began and when it ended, which may help in figuring out which notices to alter a chart for or not. Will items repaired be listed in the LNM End column when fixed?

Can anyone tell me what the following columns represent?

LLNR
BNF Ref.

I would still appreciate a suggestion for a way to update my charts which were printed in 03/09 to currency.

[Boasun]

To correct a chart; you start with the earliest LNM and work forward to the latest...
This is why we keep chart cards on all of the charts carried on board. As the LNMs come aboard, You registared each LNM on the CD and you only need to correct the charts you are using. But when you adventure out into other areas, all you need to do is break out the chart cards and see which LNMs you need to correct that particular chart.

[hellosailor]

"To correct a chart; you start with the earliest LNM and work forward to the latest..."
Or, perhaps, buy the current-to-the-day chart from one of the many vendors who will print it out on the spot for you, complete with all LNTM updates. And then just keep updating it from today forward.