Apostle Island Charts

[DannyS]

Sounds like a plan! In the photo, my son is pointing to the spot where we'll meet, everybody in? Kidding, but we'll make a point to get together before Princess sails over the horizon.

 

[WayneH]

Placemats?!?!? Cool. The one thing I really HATE about charts is they are made for SHIPS! I don't have any flat surface in my boat big enough to use a chart.

But I run down to Academy Sports (not a plug, just where I get them) and pick up those $6 fishing maps. They show greater detail in the shallow water. (I can ghost into 4 feet) They're smaller. They are already folded up. And they're waterproof!!

Yes, I have a chart plotter. But the maps make planning easier. And just in case the worst happens, I have a handheld in the ditch bag. So I can be lost with great precision.

 

[Jackdaw]

Sounds like a plan! In the photo, my son is pointing to the spot where we'll meet, everybody in? Kidding, but we'll make a point to get together before Princess sails over the horizon.

The NW corner of Basswood is pretty, but no good anchorage for a quality rendezvous! I was thinking my favorite spot.... Here. Anyone recognize it?

 

[DannyS]

Long Island?

 

[Jackdaw]

Long Island?

Close.. Right idea. I think its the longest sand pit in the Apostles. On the south end of it's host island, like they all are...

 

[DannyS]

This is Danny's wife and I know it's CAT. All I need to say is "FLIES!"

 

[PrincessoftheLake]

Well, if we are going to hijack this thread with places to anchor I am going to jump in with this one. One of my favorite spots and I'll give you a hint. It's a great place when the wind is out of the south.

 

[Squidd]

That looks nice...

I don't mind you guys hijacking... Now I have visual reference..

I'll just add these spots to my placemat ( I mean chart) of places to see when I get out to the AI...

 

[DannyS]

Too easy Princess...Oak Island - north side.

 

[Jackdaw]

This is no hijack... SBO in general is WAY to leery the concept anyway. See the 36.7 thread if you want an interesting read. Here, actual AI sailors talking about charting and anchorages? I think we are right on topic.

And I agree with Danny, under the cliff at Oak is awesome when the wind veers back to S.

 

[PrincessoftheLake]

This is no hijack... SBO in general is WAY to leery the concept anyway. See the 36.7 thread if you want an interesting read. Here, actual AI sailors talking about charting and anchorages? I think we are right on topic.

And I agree with Danny, under the cliff at Oak is awesome when the wind veers back to S.

Thanks JD! Well, with that said here is another one for you to guess. The last was was too easy and this one may be too but what the heck. Let me know when you figure it out!

 

[DannyS]

I'm thinking Rocky looking toward the south-southeast?
Here's one for you...
Great thread for us hard water sailors!

 

[Jackdaw]

Thanks JD! Well, with that said here is another one for you to guess. The last was was too easy and this one may be too but what the heck. Let me know when you figure it out!

That's gotta be Oak (so high) in the background... if that right, I'm going with Otter?

Here's an easy one, not many places I could have taken this....

 

[DannyS]

Princess, my wife says Presque Isle Bay with Madeline in the background.
Jackdaw, if it wasn't for the different hull color, I'd swear that was my photo!

 

[PrincessoftheLake]

My photo was taken in Quarry Bay on Stockton Island looking to the southwest I think. That is Oak faintly in the background.
Danny- your fist picture with the cute kids looks like the sandy spit on the south side of Raspberry Island.
The pictures you and Jackdaw posted (very cool, both of them) look like they were taken from Oak and the shore in the background is the Bayfield Peninsula.

 

[DannyS]

I think the cold weather has gone to your head Princess, you can't see Oak from Quarry Bay. That would be Madeline across from Quarry.
It could be Raspberry in my photo with the kids, but it's not and it could be from the overlook on Oak, but it's not. Try again?

 

[Jackdaw]

I'm never quite sure why folks make a distinction between chartplotters and handhelds. HH are simply smaller chartplotters. If your eyes can stand the smaller screens, which are not that much smaller, then save a lot of $$ and have flexibility with a HH. Garmin's quite good GPS Map76Cx and Csx are on sale for more half off what I bought mine for a few years ago. Of course, you still have to get the charts, but the ones they are offering now have a lot more coverage for the same amount of money they were charging for just a few years ago. You're sailing where there aren't a whole lot of buoy changes. Go into a West Marine (there's usually one somewhere near you or use your Xmas drive to visit family and find one) and check them out. The tremendous cost difference for chartplotter, in my view, is wasteful. Another thing to consider is that as computers and all those iThingies get more popular, the "marinized" chartplotter, which only does one thing, may be going the way of the dodo bird.

Stu,

While I agree with you on the iThingie thought, I do feel there's big difference between plotters and HH units. Maybe I over-think this because I'm in the GPS/nav business, but:

1) Most HH have very limited marine nav capability. Even simple things, like a 5-minute plot line are missing from hand-helds. More advanced things, like auto (or smart) marine routing over digital cartography are impossible to find in handhelds. Two reasons for this, 1) they spend more time/money adding things like geocaching to the HH units, and 2) that do not want to compete with their plotter business.

2) Lack of interfacing. A plotter will share its location data over NMEA, and pull AIS and DSC requests from the network. HH cannot do this. (unless you add a cable and bracket... then see point 5)

3) Designed for hardwired power. The reliance on small AA batteries makes for dim screens (measured in NITS) and lower power processors that redraw maps slowly on HH units. They will always be down the curve from plotters.

4) Typically lacking a speaker (or its small). Making alarms hard to hear.

5) Price. A good HH might run you minimum of $250, but add 50 for base and cable. $300 into it and you still have the small screen. For $350 you can get something like the Garmin GPSmap 421.

http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-GPSMAP...6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1324313213&sr=1-6

HH units have their place for sure. And they will draw an X at your location over a map with the best of them. So small boats sure. and I'd advocate always having one on-board for backup on bigger boats. But plotters they are not.

 

[PrincessoftheLake]

I think the cold weather has gone to your head Princess, you can't see Oak from Quarry Bay. That would be Madeline across from Quarry.
It could be Raspberry in my photo with the kids, but it's not and it could be from the overlook on Oak, but it's not. Try again?

Not the cold weather Danny, its the blond hair is all. I had Oak on the brain from looking at jackdaws pic. Funny, I typed it and previewed it and still didn't catch it.

Mmm, well I am stumped then although I wondered if the kid pic was Rocky? The overlook pic I think maybe Rocky or Raspberry?

 

[Jackdaw]

Not the cold weather Danny, its the blond hair is all. I had Oak on the brain from looking at jackdaws pic. Funny, I typed it and previewed it and still didn't catch it.

Ever anchor on the S shore of Otter? I think Oak would look like that from near the old dock.

PS - My picture of Kestrel is from the lighthouse on Michigan Island!

PPS - I've of the mind that we should start an Apostle Islands picture thread! Get us thru the winter.... ;^)

 

[DannyS]

Yup, Michigan Island lighthouse. It's a long way down from up there. The kiddos picture is on the south sandspit at Oak.
Princess, I'm glad you said "it's the blond hair", I can't say that because my wife is blond too.
I like the idea of a picture thread but maybe we should open it up to all the places we've been to on Lake Superior by boat.