Ask 10 cruisers how they use laptop-based charting and navigation and you'll get 12 different answers. Here are a handful of practical thoughts on how to get the most from your electronic chart system with the least amount of effort and expense.

Rather than choose between raster or vector charts, we've found it's best to use both. Many charting applications support both formats, allowing you to harness the strength of each. With both formats available you can choose the chart that works for your current task, whether overview planning or setting depth contour alarms. To be even more efficient, set up a keystroke shortcut that toggles between these two formats.

We're more comfortable viewing a raster chart, so we use these for a broader view and for planning. Vector charts are more informative while we're underway, since you can view them course-up, zoom in to see more detail and can set multiple alarms. We always use vector charts to read information about a navigation aid or a bridge, because detailed information is difficult to read on a small-scale raster chart, particularly in crowded charting regions.

"˜PORTHOLE DRIVING'

To minimize the pitfall of "porthole driving"–navigating with only the tiny view of the world you see on your screen–we always keep paper charts handy in a plastic chart cover for the larger bird's-eye-view.

Navigating with electronic charts can slip into driving the computer, screen by screen, rather than viewing ahead with a big picture of where you are going. This problem is exacerbated by the computer's redraw time: if your laptop is bogged down and takes a while to redraw a chart section, your eyes and brain have trouble assimilating the total navigational picture.

Paper charts solve that problem. Since you should never trust your ability to navigate to your hard drive or laptop battery, back-up paper charts should always be on board anyway.

As cruising guide authors, we are admitted waypoint junkies, entering literally hundreds of waypoints for a region while underway. And, with a laptop-based system, many data points can be roughly entered ahead of time and then verified when back on the water. We typically pre-enter waypoints for all marinas, bridges and "suspect anchorages" and build routes for the major legs of our journey.

While traveling, we liberally sprinkle additional waypoints and bread crumb trails. We use a hand-held GPS to create tracks from our dinghy–investigating anchorages for future cruising guides–before bringing in the mother ship. As we enter an unfamiliar anchorage or marine facility, we turn on tracking so we can follow the trail of waypoints out in the morning if it is dark or foggy.

GOOD HABITS

Another tip is to load and unload chart regions habitually. Think of chart management as a process, not an event. As an example, southbound, we load Intracoastal Waterway charts as we clear the Potomac. Undoubtedly we've begun planning for life beyond Norfolk. And as soon as we approach Coinjock, we unload the Chesapeake charts. You'll be surprised how sprightly your laptop behaves with only 200–versus 2,000–charts loaded!

We've also extended the digital metaphor beyond simple charts. In the past, mildewed Light Lists, Coast Pilots, Chart No. 1 and other bulky publications came along as onboard reference materials. Who could predict a first night-entry into the St. Mary's River, or what some arcane chart symbol meant? Now, we have a folder of searchable government publications in PDF format, which are only a mouse-click away.

Finally, don't forget the print function on your laptop. Using the application's print command, or by taking a "screen shot," you can print snapshots of your annotated charts. Use these chart excerpts for planning, note-taking, to clip into your log or even as a scrapbook. You can have lots of fun printing color snapshots of your travels, something you could never do with paper charts–at least, not without scissors.