Does Navionics charting become dangerous [Update] ?

Since the start of the navigation season, many boaters have found an increasing number of errors on Navionics charts, following recent updates, all media. All over Europe, Germany, Baltic States, French coasts of the Channel and until Spain, appeared non-existent channels and erroneous soundings, missing soundings, Missing information, Conflicting bathymetric information depending on zoom levels, and so on. Most importantly, these findings are made by long-time regular users of Navionics charting, experienced sailors.

[Corrective update 26 August 2015]
[October Corrigendum Update 2 2015] See end of entry. Read more …

AIS for dummies

With the progressive generalization of the AIS (transceivers) aboard our pleasure boats (¹), and their obligatory presence on board a large proportion of commercial ships, capacities for display and processing of targets (surrounding vessels equipped with a transceiver) have significantly improved our security. Still need to know how to interpret this information that, in high-traffic areas, can quickly become a real headache.

In such a situation, better have a quick diagnosis of the risk of collision ! (Weather4D 2.0)

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iNavX undergoes a change of ownership

New developers, new logo, new splash page, and new website.

The version 4.7.0 has just been delivered by NavX Studios LLC, the company that bought all of Richard Ray's computer creations : GPSNavX, MacENC and iNavX.

The handover took place during the summer. New developers (there are two of them) were first focused on iNavX, for a first debugging update, performance optimization and acceleration of charts downloading with X-Traverse. We can bet that this transfer will bring a new dynamic to these excellent applications, whose creation and development have rested since 2002 on the unique Rich Ray's keyboard.

I continue to test and produce the French version of these applications on behalf of the new team.

 

Météo-France GRIB files finally for free

A year after my advocacy for free European data (¹) Météo-France finally offers free access to its two famous ARPEGE and AROME models. A welcome development, started in 2014 by the success of MyOcean, since then integrated into Mercator Ocean (²), but a notable change of attitude for a public establishment which has always been asked to self-finance a significant part of its budget. Forecasts from these two models are made available on Météo-France portal in the GRIB version 2 format. Since the 21 July 2015.

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The American GPS in full evolution

As the number of GPS receiver devices increases significantly, so does our dependency on the GPS, but satellites are subject to wear out and age.

THE U.S. Air Force has since launched 2010 the second constellation of GPS satellites, named GPS Block IIF, or GPS IIF, built by Boeing. These satellites will replace the GPS IIA satellites of the first constellation, launched between 1990 and 1997, with lifespan design about 7,5 years.

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Recharge mobiles on board

This summer, It's decided, We rent a large catamaran with our family ! Finally, It would be better to say "in extended family" : four adults, Two grown teenagers + their respective boyfriend + a child of 11 years old. We thought of everything : ride, Victualling, clothing, sunscreens, spectacles, Caps, Masks and snorkels, fishing lines… all ! A week before our departure, The skipper sushered us :

— You've thought about phone charging ?
There, a silence, then the answer :
— Uh,, isn't it, What for ?
"You will be nine on board, That's as many smartphones and certainly half of tablets… and there are only two cigarette lighter sockets on the boat !
— Diantre…

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Satellite phones : prices increase in France

If satellite phone rates, mainly Iridium and Inmarsat, have not evolved in the United States., this is not the case in France. After storage removal of products remained on the shelves, new supplies from distributors saw a sharp increase. Indeed, the combined action of Euro decline and French VAT rise obligated to a significant prices increase, both the material as communication SIM vouchers, prepaid or postpaid. Read more …

Reading : 'Electronic charting' HS48 Voiles et Voiliers

Since end 2012 I found no more of maritime books causing me the overwhelming desire to share, Like the few novels described in this section " Reading ”. Today this feeling comes back to me, in a completely different vein, on reading the excellent Special issue n° 48 of Voiles et Voiliers : " Understand and use electronic charting ”. Read more …