Free Navigational Publications

Things have really changed since we left to go cruising. Now you can download United States Government Publications for free from the internet. We used to have to send off for these things by mail, parting with hard earned cruising money. It is true that there is no real substitute for having the hard copy in front of you. When dealing with charts we feel that you MUST have a good old fashioned paper chart on the chart table in addition to any electronic charting you might have.

When dealing with Pilot Charts, Sailing Directions and the epitome of sailing The American Practical Navigator (a big heavy book), it can helpful to supplement with digital. Ah, I fondly remembered the day when I removed the trusted old hard copy of The American Practical Navigator from Rainbow Chaser and watched the boat go up an inch on her lines! I like to keep a hard copy of the Sailing Directions for the area we are in, when practical, and pass it on when we sail to the next area. The digital database allows me to have the Sailing Directions for the entire globe on board without having to take up an entire bookshelf of valuable space. Having the digital files on board also allows you to help your fellow cruiser. Many a file has been carried from boat to boat in remote anchorages via flash drive and dinghy.

The link is to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency which is part of a U.S. Government system. So, go take a look at all the stuff they have and get ready to start downloading.

…click here for free downloads…