ENC - Ocean Navigator

03 May

Story and photos by Craig SmithMarine TechnologyCoast and Geodetic Survey, Electronic Navigational Chart, ENC, Lake Tahoe, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, paper charts

An obscure press release from NOAA on February 26, 2021, made an announcement about the availability of a chart in its catalog. Though the chart in question might never be used by ocean sailors, this release from NOAA was a big deal both for the history of US nautical charts and for their future. The announcement stated that as of August 2021, chart no. 18665 — the NOAA chart for land-locked Lake Tahoe, Calif. — would no longer be available in paper form from NOAA chart dealers. This first phase-out of a paper chart is part of a program that…

22 Apr

Ocean NavigatorOcean Voyaging, UncategorizedAIS data, David Burch, electronic chart, ENC, Ever Given, grounding, shiphandling, Starpath Navigation, Suez Canal, vessel handling, video reenactment

David Burch of Starpath Navigation examines the March 23, 2021 grounding of the 1,300-foot container ship Ever Given at 0700 local time at kilometer-marker 151 in the Suez Canal. Burch performs this reenactment with AIS data and an ENC chart of the canal using the free, donation-supported navigation and weather routing program from France called qtVlm, available at www.meltemus.com/index.php/en. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQzomgjdtI0