Easy to download, easy to print, check out NOAA's new BookletCharts. Presented on a reduced scale, they cover the 95,000 miles of U.S. coastline and the Great Lakes and contain most of the information found on NOAA's full-scale nautical charts....
"Many boaters don't use nautical charts, trusting local knowledge or their memories. But that can be dangerous, as seafloors constantly shift, shorelines erode, and dangers to navigation are discovered," Jon Swallow chief of NOAA Coast Survey's Navigation Services Branch says. "BookletCharts will tell boaters about these developments and will help ensure a safe voyage, whether it is around the bay or down the coast."
Since the Booklet Charts are easy to access from the web, easy to print, and easy to carry in a pocket, NOAA officials hope that tens of millions of recreational boaters who may not normally use charts will use these. Then even have some to commemorate the War of 1812.
NOAA's Office of Coast Survey, originally formed by President Thomas Jefferson in 1807, updates the nation's nautical charts, surveys the coastal seafloor, responds to maritime emergencies and searches for underwater obstructions and wreckage that pose a danger to navigation. Follow Coast Survey on Twitter @nauticalcharts, and check out the NOAA Coast Survey blog for more in-depth coverage of surveying and charting.
