Navigation Charts for Chesapeake Bay

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Nash 22

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C Dory Year
2006
C Dory Model
22 Cruiser
Vessel Name
Anyfin possible
Hi -

Any recommendations on what type of paper and/or electronic charts to buy - vendor name.

I am particularly interested in the Chesapeake Bay as my home port is Annapolis, MD.

Thank you all,
 
What chart plotter do you have?

The Navionic charts are available for the I pad and are excellent. I often run those as well as a 7" and 10" Garmin chart plotter.

There are a number of other chart apps for the I pad. and Android devices.

Paper charts--books are probably the best way for the C Dory.

The Chesapeake Bay: Maryland and Virginia Chartbook, 8th Edition is about $45. And is small but adequate, with the chart plotter or tablet charts.

The Navtec chart books are larger and cost almost $80.

Also get the 2017 Guide to Cruising Chesapeake Bay to the Chesapeake ($28) or Gunkholer's ($48) guide. I lived in Richmond for two years and spent almost every weekend on the Chesapeake--also had our 62 footer there for about 4 months--a lot to see and do.
 
Chart books are good for paper charts and let you plan. The USCG will sell you chart books

For electronic charts, if you use a PC or get the correct MFD, the US government will give you free USCG charts. Those are the charts that, which for the US, all the other charts are made.

Obviously to run those charts you need some sort of navigation program. I'm using OpenCpn, a free , full capability program. It uses GPS input. quilts charts, plans routes and ever outputs autopilot commands. Try downloading it to your computer and play with it. There's a Android version but its not free.

I use a GlobalSat WaterProof WAAS Enabled USB GPS Receiver, $27.

Boris
 
Thank you all for your replies.
This group is an amazing source of information and advise.

I have a Garmin plot charter, but I would like to have a back up. Next spring I will start taking longer trips along the bay.

Thank you again!
Nash
 
We navigated the entire Great Loop, including the Chesapeake Bay, with Garmin Blue Chart Mobile on our iPad. Garmin Blue Chart Mobile has Active Captain, which for our Loop was consulted multiple times per day. Chart books are fine for the big picture, but you really need electronic chart plotting of some kind so you know with some certainty where your boat is in relation to hazards. Electronic charting without Active Captain in our book is like having one arm tied behind your back!
 
Pat Anderson":r4grwrzu said:
We navigated the entire Great Loop, including the Chesapeake Bay, with Garmin Blue Chart Mobile on our iPad. Garmin Blue Chart Mobile has Active Captain, which for our Loop was consulted multiple times per day. !
Click to expand...

I agree with Pat on the Blue Chart Mobile---however unfortunately, that app has been discontinued, and sort of replaced by the "ActiveCaptain App". The good news is that Nash 22 says he has a Garmin chart plotter, and the ActiveCaptain App may work with his chart plotter and charts. It depends on what model Garmin you have as to how much interphase there will be, and if it will be expensive to download new charts. Active Captain, is a very worthwhile product. But I would start by reading the guide book to look at destinations, and then get updates from Active Captain. There are so many great places on the upper Chesapeake that you can spent a lifetime exploring the area and having fun. Don't rule out boating in the winter on good days. We even took out a 16 foot runabout in the middle of the winter when living there.
 
I use MxMariner on android tablets. This app lets you download NOAA charts for offline use and can show the ActiveCaptain markers if you download the ActiveCaptain DB.

I found MxMariner much better than the old ActiveCaptain app. I haven't got the hang of the Garmin release of AC.
 
thataway":sj95uilg said:
I agree with Pat on the Blue Chart Mobile---however unfortunately, that app has been discontinued, and sort of replaced by the "ActiveCaptain App". The good news is that Nash 22 says he has a Garmin chart plotter, and the ActiveCaptain App may work with his chart plotter and charts. It depends on what model Garmin you have as to how much interphase there will be, and if it will be expensive to download new charts. Active Captain, is a very worthwhile product. But I would start by reading the guide book to look at destinations, and then get updates from Active Captain. There are so many great places on the upper Chesapeake that you can spent a lifetime exploring the area and having fun. Don't rule out boating in the winter on good days. We even took out a 16 foot runabout in the middle of the winter when living there.
Click to expand...

This is just diabolical. Garmin Bluechart Mobile as a standalone app has indeed been discontinued. I have it on my iPad and I suppose can continue to use it, but NOW the "Active Captain app," which supposedly "replaces" Garmin Bluechart Mobile, requires you to own a Garmin chart plotter. I don't own a Garmin chart plotter, and now I am pretty well resolved that I NEVER will. Jeffrey Siegel promised that the Active Captain database will continue to be shared with other app developers, and I wonder now if that promise will be broken. It will be very interesting to see how the user community that provided all the DATA for the Active Captain database responds to this abominable situation!
 
Annapolis, MD has one of the most numerous richest highest quality marine
supply dealers on the East Coast able to advise and assist with navigational
questions and equipment.

West Marine, Fawcett and dozens of others would be more than able to assist
you. All right on Chesapeake Bay in your back yard.

Aye.
 
Pat, I have publicly asked this question of Jeff. He stands firm that other chart apps will continue to work with Active Captain--the product he sold to Garmin. He pointed out that there was a new app being released with charts and Active Captain. I still have Garmin Blue Chart App, and I have not tried the new app with my charts due to health issues (have to take my plotter and put it into the boat, to get the unit ID number (different than serial number),. My 2 year old Garmin 10" plotter will not do all of the functions of the new Garmin ActiveCaptain app--but should do some. I think Greg has done some experimenting, and I know of several who have recently bought the chart plotters which series ends in a "2", where they should be fully compatible.

As I understand it, you can still use the Charts on "Garmin ActiveCaptain App", but would pay for the charts direct. If you have the Garmin Chart plotter then you use the maps which are on the chart plotter--and should be able to update them--there may be a fee?

I don't have time now, but I will look up and check all of the other apps which use Active Captain, their cost and availability.

Navionics, which is now owned by Garmin, will continue to be "independent"--although I suspect that their database will be used to update or improve Garmin--and be available to use on Raymarine, Furuno and Navico product lines.
 
thataway":1ugitlov said:
Pat, I have publicly asked this question of Jeff. He stands firm that other chart apps will continue to work with Active Captain--the product he sold to Garmin. He pointed out that there was a new app being released with charts and Active Captain. I still have Garmin Blue Chart App, and I have not tried the new app with my charts due to health issues (have to take my plotter and put it into the boat, to get the unit ID number (different than serial number),. My 2 year old Garmin 10" plotter will not do all of the functions of the new Garmin ActiveCaptain app--but should do some. I think Greg has done some experimenting, and I know of several who have recently bought the chart plotters which series ends in a "2", where they should be fully compatible.

As I understand it, you can still use the Charts on "Garmin ActiveCaptain App", but would pay for the charts direct. If you have the Garmin Chart plotter then you use the maps which are on the chart plotter--and should be able to update them--there may be a fee?

I don't have time now, but I will look up and check all of the other apps which use Active Captain, their cost and availability.

Navionics, which is now owned by Garmin, will continue to be "independent"--although I suspect that their database will be used to update or improve Garmin--and be available to use on Raymarine, Furuno and Navico product lines.
Click to expand...

There is a very long thread on the AGLCA Forum after I posted my whine there, even though I was late to the party, since we were hustling from Crystal River to Labelle and not checking the Forum much when it all hit the fan the first week in November.

Jeff took exception to my whine apparently, and suggested that the only way to influence what Garmin does is to talk to support or the president at Garmin, and not by complaining to him or on AGLCA. One poster on the AGLCA thread said, probably correctly, that the new Active Captain app IS Garmin Blue Chart Mobile with the addition of the new ability to work with Garmin chart plotters. That may well be true. What I bought for $45 (U.S. and Canada) he says will now cost $80. I have not checked out the other apps that support Active Captain, and I might, especially ones that will work with NOAA and USACE charts AND support Active Captain.

The main concern is that Garmin will just be Garmin, and make Active Captain proprietary like everything else they do. Jeff may or may not have thought about having a contractual commitment that Active Captain DATA is not proprietary to Garmin. Garmin would be shooting themselves in the foot if they did that, since the contributors on AGLCA have indicated that IF Active Captain became proprietary to Garmin, they would not have much interest in continuing to contribute to the database for Garmin's benefit. Only time will tell I guess.
 
I purchased the Garmin Blue Chart Mobile US and Canada, for the iPad in early August for $49.00. Looking for answers on the Garmine page I found this.

"At the Fort Lauderdale Boat show last month, we announced ActiveCaptain, the app that allows you to manage your marine experience from nearly anywhere. Many questions have arisen regarding ActiveCaptain and its compatibility with Garmin chartplotters and BlueChart Mobile. Below we will tackle these common questions. If you are looking for basic information or to download ActiveCaptain, follow this link here.

Do I still have access to the charts I purchased on BlueChart Mobile?
Do I still have access to the weather I purchased on BlueChart Mobile?

Answer: Existing BlueChart Mobile customers can continue to use the application with all the content they have purchased. Customers will still have access to download the charts they own, download weather they have purchased, and continue to send and receive updates to the ActiveCaptain community. Customers will not be able to access previously purchased chart content if the app is removed, then redownloaded or installed to a new device.

Can I use my charts from BlueChart Mobile on the ActiveCaptain application?

Answer: Mobile charts purchased for use with the BlueChart Mobile application are not compatible with the ActiveCaptain application."


It looks like the Blue Chart Mobile will work for now, but if you ever loose it, you can't get it back again.
 
My concern is that Garmin will make it so that ActiveCaptain only works with Garmin products. It doesn't make much sense for them to buy something and then still let others use it freely.
 
Jeff Siegel has specifically said that the Active Captain data base will be available to other developers and chart providers. He pointed out that a new chart App which was compatible with AC was released about 2 weeks ago.

To get the most of the ActiveCaptain App, it appears that you have to currently buy one of the Garmin chart plotters which ends in the number "2" for example a 741 will not work will all the features, but a 742 will...of course you can buy the "last years models" for a fraction of the cost of the new one...

Personally, I am sticking with my old model--and there are going to be some so put off, that they will "never buy Garmin"...or may no longer contribute to the data base--but I suspect that is all "factored in"...to the decisions. Also remember that Garmin is not a US company--and that the Marine division is only a small part of the whole business.
 
thataway":z7ihwk9q said:
Also remember that Garmin is not a US company--and that the Marine division is only a small part of the whole business.
Click to expand...

Navionics is not a U.S. company, but Garmin actually is:


Garmin Ltd. (shortened to Garmin, stylized as GARMIN, and formerly known as ProNav) is an American multinational technology company founded by Gary Burrell and Min Kao in 1989 in Lenexa, Kansas, United States, with headquarters located in Olathe, Kansas.
Garmin - Wikipedia

"Garmin" is a compounding of GARy and MIN!

Tonight I downloaded Aqua Map, and purchase the lifetime downloads of NOAA and CHS charts for $20. It looks very good, better than GBCM charts. I'll give it a real workout in May when we get back from Arizona!

 
One needs to only go to the Garmin Limted web site:

How is Garmin structured?
The global parent company is in Switzerland, but Garmin maintains operational headquarters in Olathe, Kansas.
Click to expand...

Further investigation shows that

Garmin Corporation was formed in Taiwan in January 1990 by two electrical engineers, Gary Burrell and Dr. Min Kao.... 2000 The company goes public,(IPO() and Garmin Ltd. is formed as a Cayman holding company.
Filing with UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION form 8-K
On March 17, 2010, the Company issued a press release announcing a proposal to change the Company's place of incorporation from the Cayman Islands to Switzerland pursuant to a scheme of arrangement ("Scheme of Arrangement") under Cayman Islands law, which, upon effectiveness, would result in a newly formed Swiss company, also called Garmin Ltd., that would replace the existing Cayman Islands company as the ultimate public holding company of the Garmin group. The Scheme of Arrangement requires the approval of the shareholders of the Company and the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands.
Click to expand...

One does not have to ask why the company is incorporated in foreign countries...
 
Very revealing. I think my son gave me a small GPS in 2001.

Now we know the origin of the name ... 8)
 
There is also a thread on TugNuts about Active Captain and Garmin. Some of us have tried the new Garmin Nav app but have not been able to transfer charts from purchased chart plotters. My understanding in order to transfer a chart the chart plotter needs to be a 2012 or newer version. Did not work in my case. Also to take full advantage of the new app one needs a Garmin chart plotter with WiFi capability. Since my boat is currently put away for the winter I will try again in the spring, maybe some of the bugs will be resolved.
 
From what Jeff Siegel posted, some of the features will work with the wiFi enabled chart plotters which were several years old. You should be able to get the charts for the Active Captain part on your i pad I phone or android device, and have the functions of the Blue Charts App, but without WiFi many of the features are not going to work. My 1040sx does some of the things, but an older 546 which I dedicate to AIS does not. The newest models, such as a 1042sxv will do all of the functions...
 
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