{"id":119,"date":"2015-02-26T15:36:04","date_gmt":"2015-02-26T20:36:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.boatsmartexam.com\/?post_type=article&#038;p=119"},"modified":"2020-04-02T16:37:21","modified_gmt":"2020-04-02T16:37:21","slug":"marine-charts","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.boatsmartexam.com\/knowledge-base\/article\/marine-charts\/","title":{"rendered":"Using Marine Charts"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Marine Charts and Nautical Publications<\/h2>\n<p>Safe boating is more than just a matter of operating your boat in a responsible way. Before heading out on the water, you should familiarize yourself with local water hazards or dangerous conditions that may effect the safe operation of your boat.<\/p>\n<p>One way to do this is to refer to a marine&nbsp;chart&nbsp;or nautical publication to determine the location of hazards on the lake, river or ocean you\u2019re boating on as well as the location of safe harbours or shelter. You can also talk to local operators and marinas that are familiar with the waters to ask about specific hazards that you may come across or dangers you should avoid.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/fast.wistia.net\/embed\/iframe\/iigsldm7ix?dnt=1&#038;popover=true\" class=\"wistia-popover[height=393,playerColor=7b796a,width=699]\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-original=\"https:\/\/embed-ssl.wistia.com\/deliveries\/9ffb37cb24cb76aa4071fe02c641e95af762543e.jpg?image_play_button=true&#038;image_play_button_color=7b796ae0&#038;image_crop_resized=600x338\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><script charset=\"ISO-8859-1\" src=\"\/\/fast.wistia.com\/assets\/external\/popover-v1.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Marine charts are like a map of Canada\u2019s waterways. They show safe navigation routes and the location of markers, buoys and local water hazards. To navigate safely on Canada\u2019s waterways, every boater should know:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>How to use a&nbsp;<a title=\"BOATsmart! Marine\" href=\"http:\/\/www.boatsmartmarine.com\/collections\/retail\/products\/marine-blast\">compass<\/a>&nbsp;along with marine charts<\/li>\n<li>How to plot a&nbsp;course&nbsp;using a marine chart<\/li>\n<li>Positioning methods<\/li>\n<li>How to locate and reference navigation aids on a marine chart<\/li>\n<li>How to properly use electronic navigation equipment<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Boat operators should check navigational references and publications (including tide tables) for water levels, times of low, slack and high tides and the direction of water flow. Marine charts and tide tables are published by the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.charts.gc.ca\/index-eng.asp\">Canadian Hydrographic Services<\/a> (CHS).<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re carrying nautical charts onboard they must be updated with information from Notices to Mariners available from CHS, to be sure they contain the latest changes to routes, buoys and water depth.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Nautical Charts and Publications\" href=\"http:\/\/www.charts.gc.ca\/charts-cartes\/index-eng.asp\">Marine charts<\/a> depict:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Depth<\/li>\n<li>Underwater hazards<\/li>\n<li>Location and character of charted shipping routes<\/li>\n<li>Aids to Navigation&nbsp;including lights, buoys and markers<\/li>\n<li>Traffic routes<\/li>\n<li>Adjacent coastal areas and landmarks around a body of water<\/li>\n<li>Navigational hazards<\/li>\n<li>Places to take shelter in the event of foul weather<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The&nbsp;Charts and Nautical Publications Regulations&nbsp;require that boat operators carry the latest and largest scale versions of the following onboard with them:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Local Marine&nbsp;Charts<\/li>\n<li>The required publications and documents&nbsp;(such as \u2018Current Atlases\u2019 and \u2018Tide Tables\u2019). You may be exempt from these requirements if your vessel is under 100 tons and powered by oars or if you have substantial knowledge of the local waterway.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Topographic Maps<\/h2>\n<p>Topographic maps can be useful to boat operators. Topographic maps depict natural and artificial features on land and include illustrations of shoreline contours, rocks, elevations and land features or hazards near or above the waterline.<\/p>\n<p>In some instances, such as when a nautical&nbsp;chart&nbsp;or publication is unavailable for a body of water, topographic maps may aid in the navigation of local waterways. However, topographic maps are intended primarily for use on land, they do not depict underwater hazards, navigation aids, channels or&nbsp;Anchorage&nbsp;areas.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/02\/TopographicalMap.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-162 size-large\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/02\/TopographicalMap-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Topographic Map\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Using a Compass<\/h2>\n<p>You can use a magnetic&nbsp;compass&nbsp;to determine your direction and your position on a marine chart. However, be wary when using a&nbsp;compass, a magnetic compass can be affected&nbsp;when in the proximity of&nbsp;metallic and electrical devices and may provide false information.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/02\/UsingACompass.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-161 size-large\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/02\/UsingACompass-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Using a Compass when Boating\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.boatsmartexam.com\/knowledge-base\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/02\/UsingACompass-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.boatsmartexam.com\/knowledge-base\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/02\/UsingACompass-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.boatsmartexam.com\/knowledge-base\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/02\/UsingACompass.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Using a Marine GPS Device<\/h2>\n<p>Marine GPS (Global Positioning System) devices can be used to identify your location. Some of today\u2019s systems are able to pinpoint your position to within several feet. Marine GPS devices are becoming a popular tool with boating enthusiasts.<\/p>\n<p>Marine charts and nautical publications are now available in electronic format can be used in conjunction with Marine GPS to offer boaters an extremely high degree of navigation certainty. Keep in mind that Marine GPS may only be accurate to within 30 m and automotive GPS will not provide the information you need on the water.<\/p>\n<h2>Local&nbsp;Hazards<\/h2>\n<p>Local water dangers to be aware of include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Low head dams<\/li>\n<li>Currents<\/li>\n<li>White water<\/li>\n<li>Tides<\/li>\n<li>Sudden winds<\/li>\n<li>Overhead cables<\/li>\n<li>Underwater cables<\/li>\n<li>Bridges<\/li>\n<li>Quickly building high wave conditions<\/li>\n<li>Rapids<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","article-category":[9],"article-tag":[91,212],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v14.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Using Marine Charts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Everything you need to know about navigating your boat including using marine charts, topographic maps, GPS Devices and water hazards to be aware of.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"googlebot\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"bingbot\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.boatsmartexam.com\/knowledge-base\/article\/marine-charts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Using Marine Charts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Everything you need to know about navigating your boat including using marine charts, topographic maps, GPS Devices and water hazards to be aware of.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.boatsmartexam.com\/knowledge-base\/article\/marine-charts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"BOATsmart! 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