Dave Steckler and Jay Phillips, two former Microsoft engineers, founded a company in 1993 to pursue their dream: Creating a PC-based software program that could display a vessel's position on electronic navigation charts.

That company was Nobeltec and the two software products it developed remain at the forefront of today's market, despite increasing competition from more than a dozen companies.

In the late 1990s Nobeltec made two important strategic moves, positioning the company as a leader in both navigation software and vector cartography. On the software front, it released a major new revision called Visual Navigation Suite. On the cartographic front, it inked a deal with the Russian company Transas, giving Nobeltec an exclusive license to the firm's coveted trove of world vector data. This deal made Nobeltec the first company to offer worldwide vector cartography in a mainstream recreational software product.

In 1999, Nobeltec was purchased by Jeppesen Marine, a subsidiary of Boeing and a major producer of paper and digital aviation charts. However, the marine products retain the recognized Nobeltec name. Continuing the strong connection between software and cartography, Jeppesen recently purchased C-Map, a leading provider of digital maritime data.

Two products comprise the Nobeltec software line: Nobeltec Visual Navigation Suite ($490) and Nobeltec Admiral ($1,200). We'll focus here on Visual Navigation Suite, often called VNS, and offer a detailed review of Nobeltec Admiral later in the series.

Probably no other charting and navigation software has the market presence of Nobeltec. Most marine retailers carry Nobeltec software and cartography. You can also order all Nobeltec products-- including software, hardware and charts -- directly from Jeppesen through its extensive online store (see link below).

What you get is a one-stop shopping system of software and cartography that grows with the needs of a long-distance cruiser. But the decision to use VNS represents a commitment. Nobeltec software is designed to work with Nobeltec charts and hardware, and is not always compatible with other charting systems. Furthermore, VNS software starts on the higher end of the price spectrum and the cost of a complete system-with additional chart coverage, subscriptions, and add-ons, will likely climb into the thousands of dollars.

GETTING STARTED

VNS is professionally packaged in a sturdy boxed set matching its Passport Deluxe and Passport World Charts. The software package contains four discs, a four-page Quick Start Guide, a registration page, and in our case, a rebate offer that expired six months earlier. This slip was an unfortunate snub to the consumer, who eagerly opens the box only to discover that while others paid $100 less, they just paid full price. Because our copy shipped directly from Jeppesen, there was no store shelf-life issue to blame for this faux-pas.

These four discs contain an incredible amount of data, accessed when you purchase permits that unlock regional charts and data or additional capabilities such as weather or sail optimization "Plus Packs." The first disc contains the VNS application and planning charts. These planning charts are small-scale (large region) charts of the world and are not suitable for navigation. Disc two contains Passport vector charts of the world, called Nobeltec's "World Folio"-a collection of over 14,000 global digital vector nautical charts divided into regions. This disc can be thought of as a "master disc" of encrypted charts. When ordering charts, the Setup Wizard asks if you have the latest version (currently WF 34) of the World Folio disc. If not, a new DVD is mailed free of charge and the unlock key works for both older and new World Folio discs. The third and fourth discs contain supplemental data, such as International Tidal Data and Street and Road Data for the U.S.