At our Marina there are something like 200 slips ....of the 200 boats at our Marina other than the Shrimpers , There are only 2 other Sailboats besides ours that actually go sailing everyweek. Thats less than 10% of the people really use thier boat.The rest come down every weekend and putter around and Bar B que ....great this is Texas and everyone loves BBQ . My hopes are to get more people to go out and really use thier boats and practice practice practice ...so when the time comes they can really just untie the lines and go .....Sailing improves your relationship ....your attitude... ..and overnighters will definately improve your lovelife ......trust me ......Dont wait for that perfect day ....Nance and I we just go ...if it is 9pm thursday night and we are finished for the week , we look at each other , smile , giggle and say lets go....then we jump up and just go ......
I have attached several links and sites here where you can literally cuts those bonds , shake those fears and get you to go do something ........GO CRUISE >>>>>>LOCALLY IN YOUR AREA
In this picture we left our Dock at 9pm , sailed down around the Island , we were surrounded by Dolphins coming into the harbor , blowing right next to us , we made it to the local Irish Pub before 11pm , had a beer , danced , talked , dreamed , held hands , laughed , giggled , smiled , kissed , and were snuggled in our forward V berth by 1pm ......we woke up to the rising sun , smiles on our faces and that wonderfull feeling of knowing that this is my mate my love my friend my lover my best friend .
Everyone should know and review www.activecaptain.com
Go right now to the site and play around ....don't read anymore ...go to the site and plan a local trip in your area for an overnight stay ......DO IT NOW >>>>>
www.activecaptain.com
The second item is please check with Jake and Jude you will enjoy everything about them and thier adventures from Down Under
Jack is a amazing and Jude is wonderful.........
Also visit them on facebook jackandjude
http://www.jackandjude.com
Here is the best Information I can find on setting out and making your own charts and Plans
Play with this over the weekend and then next week GO and do something ......
This next link is done by real people actual people you can contact on facebook and see
They run a wonderfull site and are very helpfull
Just go out and Cruise ....leave tonight .....
http://svsoggypaws.com/computers/computer_navigation.htm#google_earth
Computer Tips and TricksComputer NavigationLast Updated: 12/03/2012
| Making Charts from Google Earth | Converting Maxsea Tracks and
Waypoints to GPX for Open CPN | |
| Google Earth Cache | How We Navigate |
When we left the U.S. in 2007, the computer navigation systems
were running in the $2,000-$5,000 range. We just couldn't afford that, and
especially not two of them (every long range cruisers needs critical equipment
backups). We also could not afford to keep buying map cartridges everytime we
moved a couple hundred miles--this is both a cost issue and an access issue.
So our primary navigation system consists of the following:
1. A Garmin GPSMap 76Cx on the helm (with maps installed)
2. A laptop down below on the nav station, with a NMEA connection to the Garmin, but also a USB backup GPS if we need it
3. A 15" 12-v (cheapo) LCD monitor on a swing out arm in the companionway.
4. A 'presentation mouse' to manipulate the computer from the helm station.
2. A laptop down below on the nav station, with a NMEA connection to the Garmin, but also a USB backup GPS if we need it
3. A 15" 12-v (cheapo) LCD monitor on a swing out arm in the companionway.
4. A 'presentation mouse' to manipulate the computer from the helm station.
See these on our Amazon Store Page (sold and shipped by Amazon, but we get a
tiny kickback if you buy it from our store)
The laptop is an old (purchased second-hand) Dell laptop. It was
a several thousand dollar laptop when new, but we bought it 'refurbished' for
about $200. It doesn't need to be super-fast, and it doesn't need much more
than a 40-GB hard drive. It is currently running Windows XP.
The first thing we did was strip almost ALL of the software off
the computer. We disabled the wifi, and took off the anti-virus and firewall,
and made sure that NOTHING was being started by Windows at computer startup. We
also removed the 'user sign-in'. So, turn this computer on, and it boots up
immediately.
Then we carefully put ONLY navigation and 'underway' applications
back on it:
-
A primary (Maxsea) and backup (OpenCPN) navigation program
-
GPSGate to help manage the GPS and Serial Ports for several navigation programs
-
Airmail (properly configured for our underway communications functions
-
WXTide32 - Worldwide Tide Program (free)
-
GPSU - For transforming GPS waypoints and downloading to Garmin
-
A simple photo program of your choice (see ours)
This computer NEVER connects to the internet... so it doesn't need
the anti-virus applications, Windows Updates, etc.
Website URL for contact info and new versions of GE2KAP:
http://www.gdayii.ca/index.php
Forum where he's answering questions and posting updates:
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f121/google-earth-to-bsb-kap-43680.html
Important: If you like GE2KAP and use it, you should go right now and buy Paul Higgins a beer. He has spent a lot of time on this tool, and it is VERY useful to us yachties in remote places. Just think of how much money you have previously spent on charts and chart chips, and Paypal him $20. (Look for the Paypal link under the picture on the home page. You can pay with credit card, don't need Paypal account).
The primary program I use here is GE2KAP. GE2KAP will interface with YOUR copy of Google Earth, and take what is currently shown on your Google Earth screen, and save it as a geo-referenced KAP file. KAP files are 'raster' files and useable on most navigation programs, including:
Maxsea 10.3.2.1 (but NOT TimeZero)
Coastal Explorer
OpenCPN
Sea Clear
etc.
The benefit of making chart files vs navigating IN Google Earth, which I have already played with, is twofold...
1. You can use the built-for-navigating programs you are already familiar with, and make routes and waypoints, etc without learning yet another new tool.
2. Once you make a chart from Google Earth, it is there, no matter what happens to your Google Earth installation or your GE cache file.
To use GE2KAP, you need to do the following:
1. Have v5 or v6 of Google Earth installed.
2. Either have your installation of Google Earth connected to the internet, or have the area you wish to make a map from (Google Earth content) cached on your computer. (see discussions on cacheing elsewhere)
3. Have the program ooRex installed on your computer. Paul Higgins says to install the 32-bit version even if you are on a 64-bit Windows computer.
4. Have a subdirectory created to put the resulting charts (ie C:\Charts\GECharts or something.
http://www.gdayii.ca/index.php
Forum where he's answering questions and posting updates:
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f121/google-earth-to-bsb-kap-43680.html
Important: If you like GE2KAP and use it, you should go right now and buy Paul Higgins a beer. He has spent a lot of time on this tool, and it is VERY useful to us yachties in remote places. Just think of how much money you have previously spent on charts and chart chips, and Paypal him $20. (Look for the Paypal link under the picture on the home page. You can pay with credit card, don't need Paypal account).
The primary program I use here is GE2KAP. GE2KAP will interface with YOUR copy of Google Earth, and take what is currently shown on your Google Earth screen, and save it as a geo-referenced KAP file. KAP files are 'raster' files and useable on most navigation programs, including:
Maxsea 10.3.2.1 (but NOT TimeZero)
Coastal Explorer
OpenCPN
Sea Clear
etc.
The benefit of making chart files vs navigating IN Google Earth, which I have already played with, is twofold...
1. You can use the built-for-navigating programs you are already familiar with, and make routes and waypoints, etc without learning yet another new tool.
2. Once you make a chart from Google Earth, it is there, no matter what happens to your Google Earth installation or your GE cache file.
To use GE2KAP, you need to do the following:
1. Have v5 or v6 of Google Earth installed.
2. Either have your installation of Google Earth connected to the internet, or have the area you wish to make a map from (Google Earth content) cached on your computer. (see discussions on cacheing elsewhere)
3. Have the program ooRex installed on your computer. Paul Higgins says to install the 32-bit version even if you are on a 64-bit Windows computer.
4. Have a subdirectory created to put the resulting charts (ie C:\Charts\GECharts or something.
Note: On the original instructions (if you read the sailing forum
Q&A, Page 1), there are also two other requirements that are no longer
needed with the latest version. (ImageMagick and libbsb)
Once you have done all this, follow these directions:
1. Start up your Google Earth program (GE) and find the location you want to make a chart of. Whatever is shown on your GE screen will go into the chart. You DO NOT have to be hooked to the internet, if you have previously been on the internet and cached (saved by displaying when connected to the internet). GE will complain that it can't find the internet. Just tell it OK, and NO you don't want it to help diagnose your network problems.
2. Make sure your display in GE has NORTH straight up. For some reason my GE wants North at about 10 degrees (probably the tilt of the earth). You can quickly orient to North straight up by double-clicking on the 'N' in the navigation controls (normally in the upper right corner of the screen).
3. Clear the junk/menu overlayed on the screen (using the View menu). Anything displayed on the screen will go on the chart. So you want to turn off unnecessary GE layers and the Navigation--if possible get to just the GE picture. (You cannot get rid of the GE logo).
4. Start up GE2KAP by double-clicking on GE2KAP.rex file (I put a shortcut on my desktop to this program). If you have installed ooREX properly, it should just run. What you should see are 2 screens, one a black DOS-type screen, and one a somewhat crude user interface screen. It will say 'connecting to Google Earth'. If you have forgotten to start GE first, it will start it for you. Then you can use GE as normal to display the place you want to make a chart of.
5. To make your
first chart you need to do 2 things:
a. Enter or browse to the chart directory where the new chart will be placed, and include the filename. This goes in the Chart/Location name field.
Ignore the stuff in the lower half of the screen for now.
ie: C:\Charts\GECharts\NeiafuHarbor.kap
I think the folder you point to must already exist
b. Click the Create Chart Button. Voila, GE2KAP shows some progess in the top window.
It is finished when it displays:
Successfully Created:
C:\Charts\GECharts\NeiafuHarbor.kap
To View the output created press "View Chart"
To Calibrate another.. display the area on Google Earth.
Enter the name of the chart to create with its filespec below.
Then press the Create Chart button.
6. You can press the View Chart button, and it uses a simple KAP file viewer to display what just got created. I recommend that instead you load it into your favorite charting program and see how it looks. Be cautious when first trying to navigate with a new chart. TRUST YOUR EYES NOT YOUR COMPUTER!!
More Details:
1. Check out the HELP button. It loads some nicely done HTML help which Paul has thoughtfully included in the zip file. (The button will try to load the help from a directory named Help in the same directory as GE2KAP.rex
2. Read through the Sailing Forums folder. There is EXTENSIVE Q&A there asking every possible question that anyone might ask about GE2KAP, problem solving issues, and what it does and does not run on. Though if you start reading from the beginning of the forum, some of that information may be obsolete.
3. The bigger screen (higher resolution) screen you have to display GE on, the more area one chart will cover at a given zoom level. But I have been making chartlets successfully on a 10" netbook laptop.
4. The overlay stuff on the bottom of the GE2KAP screen I haven't played with, but I think it allows you overlay another KAP file onto the GE screen, so, for example, you can create ONE CHART that has both the original chart (with depths) and the Google Earth view. See Valhalla's Web Page for Instructions.
4. DON'T FORGET to turn off Terrain in Google Earth when using GE2KAP or the Geo-referencing may not be accurate on the chart produced.
5. I have not played with phiggins's GERoute, which is new, but it is a way to force Google Earth to cache the files you will need for a particular route. Once you have GE2KAP working, it might be worth playing with GERoute. There are some similar tools in the Cacheing discussion (see the About file in the root Google Earth folder).-
Loading Raster Charts into Maxsea v10.3.2.1
1. File / Open (not Open Chart)
2. Browse to the directory (ie C:\Charts\GECharts)
3. Select any file (a new one you haven't previously loaded, maybe) and click OK.
It should load ALL the charts.
To show the Raster chart window, use the menu item Window to switch back and forth between the Raster Chart and the CMap (vector) chart. All your routes and waypoints will be there! Unfortunately I haven't found a way to get the Raster and the CMap chart to track together, but you can always use the 'center on my boat' button to center up both screens so you can compare views.
So far, in Tonga, the GE Charts have been a godsend... spot on in Niuatoputapu and Vavau, where the CMap charts are running us over land.
Once you have done all this, follow these directions:
1. Start up your Google Earth program (GE) and find the location you want to make a chart of. Whatever is shown on your GE screen will go into the chart. You DO NOT have to be hooked to the internet, if you have previously been on the internet and cached (saved by displaying when connected to the internet). GE will complain that it can't find the internet. Just tell it OK, and NO you don't want it to help diagnose your network problems.
2. Make sure your display in GE has NORTH straight up. For some reason my GE wants North at about 10 degrees (probably the tilt of the earth). You can quickly orient to North straight up by double-clicking on the 'N' in the navigation controls (normally in the upper right corner of the screen).
3. Clear the junk/menu overlayed on the screen (using the View menu). Anything displayed on the screen will go on the chart. So you want to turn off unnecessary GE layers and the Navigation--if possible get to just the GE picture. (You cannot get rid of the GE logo).
4. Start up GE2KAP by double-clicking on GE2KAP.rex file (I put a shortcut on my desktop to this program). If you have installed ooREX properly, it should just run. What you should see are 2 screens, one a black DOS-type screen, and one a somewhat crude user interface screen. It will say 'connecting to Google Earth'. If you have forgotten to start GE first, it will start it for you. Then you can use GE as normal to display the place you want to make a chart of.
5. To make your
first chart you need to do 2 things:a. Enter or browse to the chart directory where the new chart will be placed, and include the filename. This goes in the Chart/Location name field.
Ignore the stuff in the lower half of the screen for now.
ie: C:\Charts\GECharts\NeiafuHarbor.kap
I think the folder you point to must already exist
b. Click the Create Chart Button. Voila, GE2KAP shows some progess in the top window.
It is finished when it displays:
Successfully Created:
C:\Charts\GECharts\NeiafuHarbor.kap
To View the output created press "View Chart"
To Calibrate another.. display the area on Google Earth.
Enter the name of the chart to create with its filespec below.
Then press the Create Chart button.
6. You can press the View Chart button, and it uses a simple KAP file viewer to display what just got created. I recommend that instead you load it into your favorite charting program and see how it looks. Be cautious when first trying to navigate with a new chart. TRUST YOUR EYES NOT YOUR COMPUTER!!
More Details:
1. Check out the HELP button. It loads some nicely done HTML help which Paul has thoughtfully included in the zip file. (The button will try to load the help from a directory named Help in the same directory as GE2KAP.rex
2. Read through the Sailing Forums folder. There is EXTENSIVE Q&A there asking every possible question that anyone might ask about GE2KAP, problem solving issues, and what it does and does not run on. Though if you start reading from the beginning of the forum, some of that information may be obsolete.
3. The bigger screen (higher resolution) screen you have to display GE on, the more area one chart will cover at a given zoom level. But I have been making chartlets successfully on a 10" netbook laptop.
4. The overlay stuff on the bottom of the GE2KAP screen I haven't played with, but I think it allows you overlay another KAP file onto the GE screen, so, for example, you can create ONE CHART that has both the original chart (with depths) and the Google Earth view. See Valhalla's Web Page for Instructions.
4. DON'T FORGET to turn off Terrain in Google Earth when using GE2KAP or the Geo-referencing may not be accurate on the chart produced.
5. I have not played with phiggins's GERoute, which is new, but it is a way to force Google Earth to cache the files you will need for a particular route. Once you have GE2KAP working, it might be worth playing with GERoute. There are some similar tools in the Cacheing discussion (see the About file in the root Google Earth folder).-
Loading Raster Charts into Maxsea v10.3.2.1
1. File / Open (not Open Chart)
2. Browse to the directory (ie C:\Charts\GECharts)
3. Select any file (a new one you haven't previously loaded, maybe) and click OK.
It should load ALL the charts.
To show the Raster chart window, use the menu item Window to switch back and forth between the Raster Chart and the CMap (vector) chart. All your routes and waypoints will be there! Unfortunately I haven't found a way to get the Raster and the CMap chart to track together, but you can always use the 'center on my boat' button to center up both screens so you can compare views.
So far, in Tonga, the GE Charts have been a godsend... spot on in Niuatoputapu and Vavau, where the CMap charts are running us over land.
GoogleEarth has a built-in 2GB 'cache'. What this means is that
it will save up to 2GB worth of images to your computer drive, which are
accessible in GoogleEarth offline, without being attached to the internet. When
you reach ~2GB, then GoogleEarth automatically 'manages' the space for
you--removing older and/or seldom-visited images to make space for new images.
2GB is actually a lot of GoogleEarth images, but you can't guarantee that an
image that was accessible offline yesterday will still be accessible offline
tomorrow.
I use a 'Google Earth Cache Management' program called "Cache for
GoogleEarth" downloadable here. It mostly works for the intended purpose
(but is a little quirky). I have had no problems restoring a saved cache if I
am connected to the internet, but something in GE seems to go wrong if I try to
restore a saved cache while offline. Even with this quirk, this program saves
lots of download time on slow networks if you have the time to pre-download
caches on faster networks. (ie pre-download the South Pacific Islands when in
the U.S., in manageable chunks, then restore them as needed while actually
cruising the South Pacific.
You can also manually manage your cache files, and there are
likely some donation-ware versions of GE Cache managers. Like this one.
Quick Notes:
Do the conversion in GPSU
Do NOT save the PTF file!!
Open the resulting GPX file in Wordpad
Marks/Waypoints
---------------
Search and replace the following:
<sym>265</sym> to <sym>anchorage</sym> (anchor)
<sym>120</sym> to <sym>diamond</sym>> (blue diamond)
or <sym>xmred</sym> (red x)
or <sym>triangle</sym> (black triangle)
or <sym>scuba</sym> (Scuba Flag)
If left untouched, the 120 will translate to a black circle.
For tracks
----------
You need to search and replace:
<trkseg> with <trk><trkseg>
</trkseg> with </trkseg></trk>
Do NOT save the PTF file!!
Open the resulting GPX file in Wordpad
Marks/Waypoints
---------------
Search and replace the following:
<sym>265</sym> to <sym>anchorage</sym> (anchor)
<sym>120</sym> to <sym>diamond</sym>> (blue diamond)
or <sym>xmred</sym> (red x)
or <sym>triangle</sym> (black triangle)
or <sym>scuba</sym> (Scuba Flag)
If left untouched, the 120 will translate to a black circle.
For tracks
----------
You need to search and replace:
<trkseg> with <trk><trkseg>
</trkseg> with </trkseg></trk>
Useful Links:
Have fun thanks Paddy
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