Long gone are the days when mariners all carried paper charts and kept them updated with penciled corrections based on personal observations and the Coast Guard's Notices to Mariners. Now most boaters are using electronic charts, which (in the US) can more easily be updated with reissued NOAA charts - but this still requires some attention and occasional action. While preparing for an upcoming voyage, I recently set about ensuring I had the latest chart versions on my devices and laptop. I use Polar View on my laptop and MX Mariner on my Android tablet, with Pocket Nav as backup on my iPhone. Each has a different updating method. I reloaded the entire chart region on MX Mariner in one update, but Polar View showed me which charts on my laptop had become updated, and I selected those to download afresh. Given that some of the ports into which I plan to sail have shifting sandbars and other changing conditions, I can feel safer now knowing I have the most current information. In addition, the hazard reports in ActiveCaptain, available online and integrated within Polar View and other navigation software and apps, are a good source of information about shoaling and other hazards that may not yet have appeared on charts. More stuff to add to your checklist!
