This page will give you handy navigation tips as I acquire them and some links to get free (or very low cost) marine charts, navigation software  as well as other information. 

  TO GET A FREE TIDE AND CURRENT CALCULATOR FOR SAN FRANCISCO BAY AND DELTA 

AND

 A HALF TIDE/CHANGE PER MINUTE CALCULATOR FOR USE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD  

  Click on the links below [blue print] to get these great offers:>

FREE CHARTS --This link will take you to the N. O. A. A. site where you can download as many charts as you want for any place in the U. S. A.

for the NOAA ONLINE CHART VIEWER.  You can use it to see what a chart looks like before you go through the process of downloading it.

for step-by-step instructions on downloading and using the charts below.  Some visitors to The Sailors Place have found the process of downloading the charts below and then installing them in the free chart plotter software, somewhat confusing.  I know I did, at first.  I hope these instructions will help.

Each of the two links above give you access to a DVD that has all 2,160 NOAA charts on it for $30.00 plus shipping.  That is a real bargain and the charts can all be used with SeaClear II and Maptech Chart Navigator Viewer (see below).

 FREE Chart Plotter & Route Planning Software

to go to a web site where you can download the SeaClear II software that you can use for route planning as well as a simple Chart Plotter (when you attach a GPS unit). 

to go to the web site where you can download the Maptech Chart Navigator Viewer.  Select (under Top Downloads) "Chart Navigator Viewer 5.08 - With Demo Charts". This is only useable as a route planner.

I have both pieces of the above software (SeaClearII and Maptech Chart Navigator Viewer) and some of the  NOAA charts installed on my notebook and desktop computers.  I use the software and charts for trip planning as I cruise around San Francisco Bay and the Northern California Delta area. 

Both programs are easy to use and best of all -- FREE!  SeaClear is pretty simple and not very sophisticated.  Maptech has more planning features and what you see on your screen is very nicely done and resembles a Windows program that would cost some significant bucks.

SeaClear allows you to hook up a GPS to your computer and it will function as a Chart Plotter and track your boat.  In my case I have not hooked up my GPS as it takes a special cable to connect between the RS232 outlet on the GPS computer cable and my computer which only has USB connections.  Since I only cruise the Bay and Delta area in Northern California, I do not really need Chart Plotter capability.  The GPS I use in the boat (a Garmin GPS 76) gives me time, speed and distance information and my eyes or chart give me the boat's position. 

Chart Navigator Viewer (the Maptech program) is for planning only.  It will cost you from $295 up to about $500 to get Maptech software that fully implement their Chart Plotter programs - Chart Navigator and Chart Navigator Pro.

SeaClear II and the Chart Navigator Viewer allow you to put your cursor on a spot (a buoy, a harbor entrance, etc.) and it shows the Latitude and Longitude.  You can use that information for manual entry into a GPS which eliminates the error prone task of taking the information off a chart with dividers.  You can, also, set up routes and determine the distances and times between waypoints that are involved.

The Maptech Chart Navigator Viewer has a feature the SeaClear does not have and I found to be really great.  There is a Route Planning Screen that allows you to lock in your departure time and arrival time for the route you have planned and you will get the average speed it will take to travel the route.  You can, also, set a speed and it will tell you your arrival time based on your departure time. There are some additional features, as well, and I will let you investigate them yourself.

AMERICAN PRACTICAL NAVIGATOR  "The American Practical Navigator", first published in 1802, was billed as the "epitome of navigation" by its original author, Nathaniel Bowditch. The text has evolved with the advances in navigation practices since that first issue and continues to serve as a valuable reference for marine navigation in the modern day." Quote from NGA web site.  For navigators this free download may be the most valuable thing on this page as it is an 882 page book in ".pdf" format.

 NAUTICAL CALCULATORS Here are a lot of "calculators" that come in handy for a navigator or just for sailing, in general.  This link takes you to the page on the NGA web site where you can download all of them in a .zip format.  You will need a program like WinZip to extract the individual programs.  You can also access the calculators on the page you go to by using the "Menu Options" box at the top of the page and select the category of calculators you want to use.  For instance:  The category "Distance" takes you to a series of calculators, one of which is -- "Speed for Measured Mile and Speed, Time and Distance".

Definitions and Mnemonics For Sailors Lots of great info here - for instance - How to determine the depth you are sailing into:  Brown brown, run aground, White white, you might, Green green, nice and clean, Blue blue, run right through.

  Online Navigation Course  You might find this site interesting as it has lots of useful information. 

I have sailed San Francisco Bay a couple of times just to see the Full Moon rise above the Berkeley Hills or the City Front.  To do that I had to find resources to tell me when there was a Full Moon and when Moonrise occurred.  The Google Gadget below will help you, if you are interested in doing that.  Click on the moon picture to get more information and access to a web site with a low cost moon phase program that you might like. 

Here are some links to give you more information about

rise and set times for the moon and sun.

 to get Moon and Sun rise and set times for a specific day  

for a site that provides a "SKY ALMANAC".  The Almanac has Moon phases for a month along with positions of major Stars and Planets relative to the Moon and other information like eclipses.

to acquire a Custom Calendar of a full month of Moon phases and Moon and Sun rise/set times. If you want to see an example of what a former month looks like, full size, left click on the Thumbnail image of the calendar below.

To do that you enter the Latitude and Longitude of the compass rose center point into your GPS as a Waypoint.  Then - as you travel down your course you can periodically read the Bearing and Distance off your GPS, plot them from the compass rose center point and that will give you your position.  You will need to plot the reciprocal of the bearing that you read off the GPS.

That is a lot quicker than reading Latitudes and Longitudes off your GPS and plotting them on the chart for a position.  Also, and very important, it reduces plotting error that happens easily when you have to take the Latitude and Longitude information off the side of the chart.

This site was last updated 01/18/10