18427 ChartTitle: Anacortes to Skagit Bay
24th Ed. 01-MAY-13 Last LNM: 15/13 NAD 83
Main Panel 1680 ANACORTES TO SKAGIT BAY. Page/Side: N/A
NEW EDITION
Scale 1: 25,000; New Edition (24 ed, 05/01/13) due to numerous Notice
to Mariner changes This NOAA chart is now available in both the Print-on
Demand and digital raster formats. See
http://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/dole.htm for details. The
corresponding traditional paper chart will be available in two to eight
weeks.
On Thursday May 23, 2013 Navionics had an update for iOS featuring Automatic Routing. There were caveats as listed above. I payed for the upgrade and an not happy with the results. Perhaps the program is not happy with the mess of islands to avoid.
I went into settings and adjusted for Diligence’s 3.5′ draft and 6.5 kt speed. To make it easier, I placed all of my starting and ending points in open water off the harbors intended to use. Additionally I took a look at the help screen:
Automatic Route:
The first time you access Autorouting you are asked to adjust your boat settings; then start creating a route following the same procedure indicated for “Nav Module”. If your starting waypoint is placed on land, or the destination waypoint can not be reached for any reason, the waypoint and the connected route leg will be shown in red, indicating that the leg of your route is not possible with a boat from that location. While placing a new waypoint you will see a dashed pattern connecting the waypoints and a progress bar at the top of the screen indicating your route is being calculated. If you place a route leg over land, the system will automatically recalculate the corrected course from the current waypoint to the selected destination. Autorouting also offers the ability to set a route manually (Manual Route).
Here’s a route from Friday Harbor to Bellingham ,
The starting point is in open water
The ending point is in open water
Here’s a route I was able to create from Port Townsend to Friday Harbor.
The route crosses the VTS lane at an oblique angle, a clear violation of ColRegs Rule 10 (c.)
Automatice Routing would not allow me to create a route from the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Los Angeles.
I shot off an eamil to Navionics and will share the results. Am wonderning if I’ll get a refund? Stand by for news
Bellingham WA
Dilignece, 34′ Seahorse “John Henry” 2002
Diligence was hauled last week for bottom paint and zincs (13 in all, as she’s steel.) My experience with the front end of the operation was less than pleasant.
The total including paint at $300 a gallon was going to cost about $1,500. I agreed to have them do the work, as my back isn’t as strong as it used to be.
I was to pick up the boat on Monday. Arriving a earlier than planned, I went to polish the wheel and smear some goop on it.
After finishing I went to the office to settle up, only to find a bill for $2,080. Politely I asked for an explanation. I was told that it took two gallons of paint instead of the one.
When I asked, “Why didn’t you call?” the manager said give me a minute. When he returned he offered to adjust the bill as they had only used 1.5 gallons of paint.
So the question is: Do they always round up? How many others have their jobs rounded up and is this profit center common practice at Seaview North unless the question is called? Either way, I have problems with their ethics.
SEATTLE — In recognition of the start of National Safe Boating Week, May 18-24, 2013, the Thirteenth Coast Guard District is emphasizing boating safety for all Pacific Northwest boaters.
In conjunction with the North American Safe Boating “Wear it! Always wear your life jacket!” campaign, the Coast Guard reinforces the following boating safety messages:
- Take a paddler education course. Paddlesports are the fastest growing segment of recreational boating, with more than 300,000 paddlecraft (primarily kayaks) now being sold annually. Paddlecraft are an extremely affordable entry point to recreational boating. Like any other watercraft, paddlers should seek out paddler education before heading out on the water. CLICK HERE to obtain more information on paddlesport safety.
- Wear a personal floatation device/life jacket at all times. The law states you must have a PFD for every person on board, but the Coast Guard suggests you go one step further and wear your PFD at all times when boating. It is much more difficult to locate, access, or don a PFD at the moment the accident occurs. CLICK HERE for more information on personal floatation devices/PFDs.
- File a float plan and leave it with someone who is not recreating on the water. A float plan is a lifesaving device on paper and can assist emergency responders with locating a distressed mariner. To learn more about a float planCLICK HERE. For a blank float plan CLICK HERE.
- Have a marine band radio and visual distress signals. All of these devices will greatly assist you if you are in distress. CLICK HERE for more information on visual distress signals.
- Have a registered 406MHz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon. CLICK HERE to learn more about EPIRBs and registering your EPIRB.
- DO NOT boat under the influence of alcohol. Alcohol affects judgment, vision, balance and coordination. Factor in boat motion, vibration, engine noise, sun, wind and spray and a drinker’s impairment is accelerated. CLICK HERE for more information on boating under the influence.
- Start the season off right with a thorough boat inspection, including the hull and propulsion equipment. Pay particular attention to through-hull fittings and hoses that may have cracked or become brittle over the winter.
- Obtain a free boat inspection from the Coast Guard Auxiliary. Boating safety courses are also available.
For additional boating safety tips, go to http://www.uscgboating.org/default.aspx. Click on the “REGULATIONS” tab to get additional information on federal laws, federal regulations, state boating laws and navigation rules.
Folks on Western Explorer
Visitors aboard Sea Lion
The past few weeks I’ve been doing some trips with the Whale and wildlife folks in Friday Harbor. I’ve actually known most of them for years. Some of the captains are former students.
What I have found is that these operators is that they are truly interested in sharing and preserving the very unique resource represented here in the Salish Sea.
A lot of the employees ride along on days off when there is space. The cooperation between companies on and off the water is truly amazing. They work hard to balance the customer experience by sharing info, not getting in each other’s way and giving the animals space so as not to impeed.
Once you’ve seen whales in the wild, you’ll never go to a park.
(I’ll be able to balance the occasional delivery, my grand daughter and the whale wacthing business. Diligence will be in in Friday Harbor for the summer. I’ll still hang out at The Doctor’s Office. Look me up if you’re in town.)
Memorial day weekend will is the first big boating weekend of the season. I’m going to be helping the new owners of this 1991, 55′ Californian Cockpit Motoryacht take their boat through the locks in Seattle to a yacht club outing in Port Ludlow, WA. We’re meeting tomorrow for an orientation.
While underway on Wednesday, both chart plotters in use puked twice. The I found the following:
The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) issued a Marine Information Note advising the maritime community that availability of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSSs) may be adversely affected during the current increase in sunspot activity. The predicted peak in such activity is occurring now, but may last through 2015.
Yachting is reporting:
And the Hits Just Keep on Coming
More than a million Navionics marine apps have been downloaded from the Apple store.
Navionics reports that more than a million copies of its apps for boaters and outdoor enthusiasts have been downloaded from the Apple store.
The Navionics apps include features for planning and real-time routing, access to community data and updates, geo-referenced articles, social media links, weather, optional overlays, and more.
The complete Yachting post is here.
(Ed. note: now if Navionics would just add a decent night screen, they would have a run away number one on their hands)
US News is reporting:
WASHINGTON – The National Transportation Safety Board voted to recommend to states that they lower the blood-alcohol content that constitutes drunken driving.
Currently, all 50 states have set a BAC level of .08, reflecting the percentage of alcohol, by volume, in the blood. If a driver is found to have a BAC level of .08 or above, he or she is subject to arrest and prosecution.
The NTSB recommends dropping that to a BAC level of .05.
The complete US News post by Tom Costello is here.
(Commercial operation of vessels has traditionally been 1/2 of the driving limit)
