Don’t surf the Web: Sail it

Ahoy.

It’s the day after Thanksgiving, the biggest shopping day of year, but I know where you can get some free stuff without leaving your home. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is providing a great new service online: free nautical charts and publications updates.

I regularly use paper charts, in addition to Maptech’s Navigator software with its digital charts, for planning my voyages. I have found that using computer-based electronic charting software has made trip planning much easier, and you can immediately plot what-if scenarios.

Plus, the electronic versions allow you to print out sections and photos. I have taught countless skippers how to plot trips on their notebook computers at home and then transfer the data to their onboard GPS system or simply plug in their notebook to the boat’s navigation system. You can plan your voyage, and the software will allow you to store multiple voyages or course corrections. This takes the headache out of having to re-plot your course manually if you want to divert to a harbor that is not on your plan.

The good news is you can download from the administration’s site chart updates for your electronic charts at nauticalcharts.noaa.gov.

Charting is becoming more accurate and up-to-date in real time via the Internet, allowing you to update your charts directly from the administration, which produces them. This service will increase the accuracy of your charts with the most recent information and corrections.

It is common knowledge that with the advent of GPS, many charts were found to have critical errors, primarily due to the years of compiling manual survey data. We will only see vast improvements with electronic charting. And just think about viewing charts with weather and photo overlay in real time.

In addition, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has an Internet viewer for charts. I zoomed in on Newport Harbor and I was surprised by the charting information that is available online. I would not suggest that you use the online viewer for plotting your actual course or waypoints, as the latitude and longitude displayed the degree and minutes but not the seconds.

However, the viewer will give you an overview of an area for which you might not have the charts for yet.

Also, the administration has available the coast pilot updates, notice to mariners chart updates, hydrographic surveys and a library.

TIP OF THE WEEK

Since we’re still in the countdown to the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade, this is a reminder that you will have to have your boat decorated to be in the parade. Now is the time for you sign up for the parade and receive your official number from the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce (www.newportbeach.com), even if you go out only one night. The information helps the parade organizers know how many boats are in the parade, and also helps with next year’s planning.

This year, for the first time in the parade’s history, I have been selected the voice of the Christmas Boat Parade. Every night, I will be announcing the boats that are in the parade. So I need your boat information, plus I would like to know an interesting or funny occurrence you’ve experienced from a prior parade.

The announcing area with a public address system will be set up by the Balboa Pavilion and in the Fun Zone area where there is lots of viewing room and parking at the Balboa Pier. Balboa is an excellent focal point for spectators who want to watch the boat parade from shore and listen to professional commentary about the boats and parade happenings.

Any bets on who will be my sidekick?

Tune in to the No. 1 boating talk radio show in the nation, “Capt. Mike Whitehead’s Boathouse Radio Show.” It airs every Saturday from noon to 1 p.m. on KCBQ-AM (1170). You can join me, Chandler Bell and Eric Hovland by calling the listener line at (888) 344-1170.

Safe voyages.

* MIKE WHITEHEAD is the Pilot’s boating and harbor columnist. Send him your harbor and marine-related thoughts and story suggestions by e-mail to mike@boathousetv.com or visit www.boathousetv.com.

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