Tips to Avoid Unexpected Landfalls
  • 1. Review your course on the charts before you leave
  • 2. Check the tide, current and the winds to determine the impact
  • 3. Avoid areas with unmarked hazards
  • 4. Slow down! If unsure, stop the boat until sure. Consider:
    • A collision at 1/2 Knot = Haulout and paint repairs to the gel coat
    • 1 Knot = Sand, fill, paint + 1 day in the yard
    • 5-6 Knots = $5,000 - $30,000 in repairs & 3 weeks in the yard
    • Higher speeds can result in passenger injuries
  • 5. Check your attitude! Most groundings happen due to a lack of vigilance.

Consult Your Charts

Okay. Which one? The common rule of thumb is — use the largest scale chart available to show the most detail for a given area. Scale is easily recognized when working with paper charts. But when one quickly selects through multiple electronic raster charts when using electronic charting on a PC, they are already scaled to an area, possibly offering several choices including Canadian Charts if you have them installed. Mosquito Pass is a good example of the variance between different government issued charts. The examples below show the differences between the approach taken by different two cartographers working for the same mapping agency, and then the differences between two different governments. The challenge for the prudent captain is to correctly interpret the chart, note hazards and obstacles, and select a route for safe passage for the vessel and its crew. Add wind, current and distractions from the crew and it is easy to see how mistakes can be made resulting in accidental groundings. Note: Canadian Charts, as an un-stated policy, do not display navigational aids for US "inland waters" such as Mosquito Pass. While many prefer the clear and colorful Canadian Hydrographic Charts, where depth contours are easier to see like Chart 3441 of the San Juan Islands, note that not all navigational aids are shown in Mosquito Pass.

  NOAA Chart 18421
 NOAA Chart 18433


  Canadian CHS Chart 3441
 Canadian CHS Chart 3462
 

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