Does anyone know of a good source of reasonably detailed sailing distance
tables for New England? The ones in the Coast Pilots, ChartKits and cruising
guides only cover the larger ports whereas I'd like to find a table that
includes smaller ports.

--
Chuck Cox
SynchroSystems - embedded computer design - http://synchro.com

my email is politician-proof, just remove the PORK

Dave wrote:
On Fri, 28 Sep 2007 12:13:20 -0400, Chuck Cox said:

Does anyone know of a good source of reasonably detailed sailing distance
tables for New England? The ones in the Coast Pilots, ChartKits and cruising
guides only cover the larger ports whereas I'd like to find a table that
includes smaller ports.

Did you check Eldridge?

Yeah, same problem.

--
Chuck Cox
SynchroSystems - embedded computer design - http://synchro.com

my email is politician-proof, just remove the PORK

wrote:
On Fri, 28 Sep 2007 12:13:20 -0400, Chuck Cox
wrote:

Does anyone know of a good source of reasonably detailed sailing distance
tables for New England? The ones in the Coast Pilots, ChartKits and cruising
guides only cover the larger ports whereas I'd like to find a table that
includes smaller ports.

A chart and dividers?

That works, as does plotting the routes in Ozi Explorer and putting the
distances into a spreadsheet. It's just tedious and I'd rather be sailing than
bookkeeping. I'm also not a big fan of reinventing the wheel and I'm hoping
there is a resource somewhere that has already done the work.

--
Chuck Cox
SynchroSystems - embedded computer design - http://synchro.com

my email is politician-proof, just remove the PORK

wrote:
The problem with a table from "somewhere" is that it may have computed
distances "as the crow flies" without factoring in points of land
jutting out, islands and other obstacles, not to mention currents,
tides and wind information. Sailing from port to port rarely involves
a straight line, and distance is only one measure anyway. The time
needed to get from point to point is likely more important than simply
knowing the approximate distances.

To my mind, the only places on a "distance table" that might be at all
useful would be ballpark estimates between distant points such as
Newport to Bermuda. Your actual trip will never match any estimate. I
would find looking up distances on a table to be more tedious than
glancing at a chart and making an eyeball estimate. I really can't see
how a table would make anything easier or more accurate, especially
for coastal navigation.

That may be why no one has produced one. :')

In New England, boating & shipping distance tables are common, I just haven't
found one with very many of the smaller ports. These tables are not
line-of-sight, they are calculated using navigable routes. The ones in the
USCG Coast Pilots are for big ships (e.g. they tend to route around Woods
Hole), whereas those in Eldridge and the cruising guides assume a shallower
draft and thus tend to have shorter distances.

I appreciate that you may not find the tables useful, but I do, and I'm just
trying to find a more detailed table than the ones I already have.

--
Chuck Cox
SynchroSystems - embedded computer design - http://synchro.com

my email is politician-proof, just remove the PORK

On Fri, 28 Sep 2007 14:03:20 -0400, wrote:

To my mind, the only places on a "distance table" that might be at all
useful would be ballpark estimates between distant points such as
Newport to Bermuda. Your actual trip will never match any estimate. I
would find looking up distances on a table to be more tedious than
glancing at a chart and making an eyeball estimate. I really can't see
how a table would make anything easier or more accurate, especially
for coastal navigation.

That may be why no one has produced one. :')

If you have a chart, there are likely to be a pencil and a scrap of
paper handy. Put tick marks on the edge of the scrap paper, in a row,
thereby adding the distances mechanically. Then use the scale on the
edge of the chart. Faster than measuring with dividers, and then
converting individual legs to distances and then adding the numbers.
More accurate than an eyeball guess and not much work.

Casady

On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 00:51:59 GMT, wrote:

If you have a chart, there are likely to be a pencil and a scrap of
paper handy. Put tick marks on the edge of the scrap paper, in a row,
thereby adding the distances mechanically. Then use the scale on the
edge of the chart. Faster than measuring with dividers, and then
converting individual legs to distances and then adding the numbers.
More accurate than an eyeball guess and not much work.

Casady

Do you see any need for a table of distances between all possible combinations
of ports? I think it's completely a fool's errand.

Of course not, get the info from a chart as needed.

Casady

"Chuck Cox" wrote in message
...
wrote:
On Fri, 28 Sep 2007 12:13:20 -0400, Chuck Cox
wrote:

Does anyone know of a good source of reasonably detailed sailing
distance tables for New England? The ones in the Coast Pilots,
ChartKits and cruising guides only cover the larger ports whereas I'd
like to find a table that includes smaller ports.

A chart and dividers?


If such a source was available I would not trust it without having
calculated each value myself. I have seen errors in too many charts and
tables.

On Thu, 04 Oct 2007 02:03:43 GMT, "news.verizon.net"
wrote:

If such a source was available I would not trust it without having
calculated each value myself. I have seen errors in too many charts and
tables.

The other big issue is simply stated as: Different routes for
different boats.