Why I trust official publications?

[jackdale]

With a running aground thread active and a cruise ship aground I am also thinking about a presentation I am doing for the local Blue Water Sailing group. I am calling it "Lessons Learned - By an Instructor."

One lessons I have learned is a preference for official / government publications. I am using these images of Atkins Reef in Trincomali Channel between Saltspring and Galiano Islands just south of Walker Hook to illustrate my point. The PNW folks will know it.

A popular Android charting app shows it as:



The official Canadian Hydrographic Service, chart 3442 show it as



Notice the aid to navigation; it is a port bifurcation standard daybeacon.

This is a photo of a boat (skippered by acquaintance who shall remain anonymous) when they misjudged the reef, even seeing the aid the navigation.



I have sent a notice to the app company indicating the missing aid. On a previous edition it was show as a "red lateral", also wrong.

If you see an aid to navigation that you are not expecting, what do you do?

[marianclaire]

First reaction is to slow down paying attention to traffic and currents. I have even done a 180 and traveled back on my path or anchored until I figure out what is going on. Between paper charts, chart plotter, land marks, movement of other boats and depth sounder it sooner or later makes sense. Dan S/V Marian Claire

[AdamLein]

Jack, doesn't the Navionics app let you add your own annotations that other users will see? Not as good as a real marker, but could temporarily be useful until Navionics updates their database.

[jackdale]

I saw this "aid" in Barkley Sound while looking for a port standard day beacon.




I had never seen a bifurcation on one side and a lateral on the other. We stopped and got our bearings. The aid was damaged and looked like this.



We reported it and the Bamfield Coast Guard was send out to fix it.

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by AdamLein

Jack, doesn't the Navionics app let you add your own annotations that other users will see? Not as good as a real marker, but could temporarily be useful until Navionics updates their database.

Hi Adam

It does. I "corrected" the previous version. The new version has a different registration system that I am having trouble accessing before I submit the another correction.

[jackdale]

You can ignore this thread - it has been fixed in my latest update.

[hellosailor]

jack, does the popular Android app indicate the source of their charts?

I'd guess that because the Canadian charts are more tightly controlled than the US ones, that apps have to find alternate data sources there, or else pay up the license fee. In the US, I haven't seen discrepancies in private-vs-gov charts, since the private ones are usually simply taking the government data, or photographing the actual charts.

A "new" mark or a missing mark isn't unusual though. That's why we have weekly Local Notice to Mariners, something is always sinking or drifting or being changed. I try to have a larger awareness of position, and assume that ANY single mark may be missing or incorrect.

[jackdale]

I now have an updated version with the correct nav aid.

They use CHS charts which are copyrighted. There was some issues between Navionics and CHS which are now resolved. For a time we could not get updates or the charts.