If you are willing to take the time or only want to download a handful of charts, use a download calculator to plan your time. An interactive calculator is available on the web at Intel's site (see link below). If downloading chart files seems cumbersome, you can purchase electronic charts in CD or DVD formats. These chart sets are relatively inexpensive, especially compared to the proprietary chips or cartridges used for chartplotters.
Interestingly, the price difference is not in the media-a plastic chip doesn't cost much more than a plastic disc-but in the source of the charts. Chip-stored charts are typically vector charts, which are rendered on screen from a database, rather than an image of a paper chart (those are called raster charts). Vector charts are not available yet for all regions through NOAA. The result is that you are not paying for the chip, but the manufacturer's cost of converting the original paper chart information into their proprietary vector format.
THE GREAT LOOP
Longer passages that cross maritime jurisdictions may require obtaining charts from several different government agencies. The popular "Great Loop" circling through the U.S. inland river system and the U.S. and Canadian canals and Great Lakes is a perfect example.
When downloading charts, it pays to keep track of download times, which can be hours. An online calculator like this can help you manage your download session time more effectively.
Many boaters are confused about electronic charting for the Great Loop-and their confusion is warranted. A Great Loop traveler needs to obtain charts from multiple agencies, both within and outside the U.S. Furthermore, some regions are available only in raster or only in vector format (while NOAA has a full catalog of raster charts, the agency is still creating vector charts for much of the country). An important rule of thumb is that vector charts are only available for "first-phase" areas, including ports and commercial connections. Fortunately, both the Great Lakes and the major inland river systems are considered commercial transit routes, and they were a priority in NOAA's program to create vector charts.
To understand the different sources and formats it's easiest to "armchair sail" the Great Loop circuit. Leaving Mobile, the Gulf of Mexico has free NOAA raster coverage. The Intracoastal Waterway, Chesapeake and Delaware Bays and the Atlantic Seaboard are also covered by NOAA, so free raster charts are available for their entire lengths. However, free vector charts are only available for areas deemed important to commercial traffic, such as major ports and coastal transit areas.
The Hudson River is also charted by NOAA, so the same rule applies: free raster charts for its entire length and free vector charts for the ports of New York and Albany. At Troy and the Waterford Locks, you enter the New York State Canal System and the so-called "Erie Canal." Although technically within the jurisdiction of the New York State Canal System, NOAA produces both paper charts and free raster charts for these waterways. However, future vector conversion, if deemed necessary, would be the responsibility of New York State.
Approaching Oswego, both raster and vector charts are available through NOAA. Beginning at the port of Oswego, the U.S. Great Lakes have complete raster and vector coverage. However, NOAA's charts, whether raster or vector, only cover U.S. waters. The only exceptions are small-scale charts that show a large region and may include portions of Canadian waters. The result is that the transit from Oswego to Chicago requires a mix of Canadian and NOAA charts.
The charts for the Canadian Great Lakes ports or canals are not free, either in raster or vector format. These charts must be purchased through authorized Canadian chart distributors. Recently, the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) and Nautical Data International (NDI) ended their exclusive arrangement in a split similar to the one that took place in the United States between NOAA and Maptech in 2005, leading NOAA to offer its catalog of charts for free. Unfortunately, Canadian charts did not become available for free. Complete details of the CHS plan and a list of resellers are available online (see link below).
