Route Planning

Our trips normally start on paper charts for an overall plan. I then insert a general fuel plan. While on the water the electronics are used on the actual day trip. I do not recall a trip that stayed with the original plan. This is where the adventure takes over.

Just Bob said:

I've learned so much from the collective experience on this forum, so I'd like to ask another question. When you are heading out for a specific destination, how do you all do your route planning?
1. Do you use an app like Garmin Blue Chart or Navionics on a tablet or computer the day or night before?
2. If you use a tablet do you actually build a route and then transfer it to your chart plotter?
4. Do you do the planning right on your chart plotter?
5. Do you use cruising guides or Coast Pilots for information along the route?
6. Does anyone still route on paper charts?

Lastly, how strong do you think the connection is between the thoroughness of your planning and the safety of your trip?

Thank you for any thoughts you're willing to share.

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1. I use OpenCPN. It's free and uses both raster and vector charts. I have it on my home laptop and my boat laptop.

2. Yes

4. No, just on the laptop.

5. I would if I was going out the Golden Gate, but I'm having too much fun in the Bay and Delta for now. I gave my copy of Charlie's Charts to fellow TFer Dswizzler for his trip out the Gate to points south. He's has found it useful. He gave me his old Garmin 176 plotter that operates like my 276C. It makes a good dinghy GPS. (Thanks, Delta Swizzler!)

6. I carry and refer to the paper charts, but don't plot on them.

I plot for general info, distance and ETA. If I wasn't familiar with the area, it would improve safety by allowing me to study the area and hazards. Knowing the area as I do, it's just helpful with time/distance planning in our serpentine CA Delta rivers and sloughs.

I didn't see anyone say they look up the USCG Notice to Mariners. I'm guilty of failing to check them sometimes in prep for a trip. I try to check in with the USCG Vessel Traffic Service to see if there are restrictions or notices in effect for my route early on in the trip. One area we often traverse is a munitions loading dock at Port Chicago (CA) that often has restrictions.

My first year I did everything, planning, chart plotter using Polar View with GPS puck ($28) on Samsung laptop.

It was inexpensive and easier to use than Coastal Explorer or my stupid MFD.

I like planning the day before, so I have sense of what is coming up.
Also, in US look at Active Captain which also integrates very well into Polar View