"Nautical" mapquest???

[Imthebeachgirl]

Hi, I know all of you experienced HOF-ers will be able to help me on this one...

Can anyone tell me if there is such a website similar to mapquest but in nautical miles? Jim and I are starting to "invision" and discuss (as we are still big boatless) our journeys and timing for future cruises. Being teachers and only having about 2 weeks off for this holiday break, we were wondering if we could make the cruise from Tampa Bay to the Keys, stay for a bit, and head back in that time frame. So, I was wondering if there was anywhere I could go to search cruising mileage? I guess I could figure it out with our GPS, but it is locked up on our little boat that is in the storage site 20 minutes away... thanks!


Cheers, Laurie & Jim

[34Hatt]

Well you can go here http://www.sping.com/seaclear/
and download Seaclear free then go to Noaa http://ocsdata.ncd.noaa.gov/ChartSer.../jsp/index.jsp
and get the charts free.
Seaclear is pretty easy just read the manual and you can do routes and measure. Later if you want hook up a GPS to it and you have another chart plotter.

[Maynard Rupp]

Remember, 1 nautical mile = 1 minute of latitude. So every nautical chart has a nautical mile scale on both sides. Said another way 1 degree of latitude = 60 nautical miles.:0

[spartonboat1]

There is limited nautical support within Mapquest. Enter NYC as starting point and London, England at destination. It will provide a form of nautical instructions...this used to be true.

[bobk]

Laurie, I hope you will be bringing paper charts with you as well as the GPS. I've had three GPS crashes and it always seems to be at the most inopportune time.

Also remember on a small boat you neeed to be alert to weather and may be stuck for days waiting for a window. So be sure to have weather as a part of the cruising plan. The most dangerous thing on a boat is a firm cruising schedule.

Bob

[Pascal]

as a planning tool, download the free online charts from NOAA and the free Maptech Chart Navigator.

google earth is also useful for rough planning.

for preliminary planning just take 10% off Stat. Miles...

you should have plenty of time to go down to the keys from tampa in 2 weeks. along the way plan a stop at Everglade City, dock at the Rod and Gun Club (a historic inn), it gives you an idea of what old florida used to be...

the run from Everglade City to the cape and then on to Marathon or islamorada is a long stretch with no facilities, no fuel, etc... so make sure you have the range and allow for possible delays in case of a front. stay near the coast... A stop at Cape Sable beach is a must do, you can anchor off the beach in good weather (and only in good weather...) otherwise go to the park headquarters, around the cape, they have a small marina there.

if you want to see the glades, there are a couple of rivers north of the cape that you can get into and anchor for the night.

From the cape, you can shoot directly for the 7 Mile bridge and Marathon, or you can aim further east to long key/islamorada via the "yacht channel" as it's marked on charts.

[the kuz]

Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but we still prefer paper charts and dividers for cruise planning. You can mark/look at alternatives more or less all at once and discuss pro/cons that way. Seems we always find side trips/alternate routes that turn out to be fun. I get a better feel for distances/scale and the art of the possible (and the cruise as a whole) looking at a big chart(s). Also helps me to spot areas where wind strength/direction come into play both for travel and anchorages. The big picture shows the most sheltered routes for certain wind directions better and also makes it easier to pick/plan daily travel distances and stops, not to mention the situational awareness and chart back up benefits should you have an electronics issue. Follow up on the GPS, etc. but first cut on paper. Just the way we have always done it. Works for us. Best Regards, Bob K

[Imthebeachgirl]

Thanks everybody! We will def. get charts when we do plan to take off. Just trying to put some "rough" plans together...

Cheers, Laurie & Jim