Saltwater Boat Angling February e newsletter

This year sees the eighth Poole Bay Plaice Chase taking place on Saturday 2nd April at Sandbanks in Poole,Dorset.  It is a kayak fishing meet up with a competition for the longest plaice. It is suitable for novice to professional kayak anglers, with a support boat provided by a PBSBAC member in attendance.  Entry is £10 with proceeds going to a National Coastwatch Charity.

It is supported with a raffle prize and the winner receives the Cam Clearie Trophy for the year.

For full details on Facebook- Poole Kayak Fishing.

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Over the last couple of years there have been various changes to marine electronics and in particular the cartography. Garmin acquired Navionics in 2017 and at the time Navionics charts were not compatible with Garmin plotters. While that is still the case Garmin have announced major changes to their charts which align them much more to Navionics. 

Garmin Blue Charts are being replaced by ther new  “Garmin Navionics” charts which have the same familiar look and feel as Navionics thus standardising the two chart systems, . (The former only works on Garmin products whereas Navionics is available on all major brands including Hummingbird, Lowrance, Raymarine, Simrad and many others). 

Garmin

Firstly Garmin have announced a new range of marine cartography products branded “Garmin Navionics+” and “Garmin Navionics Vision+”.  Secondly, Navionics have announced a new streamlined global catalogue of Navionics+ and premium Platinum+ charts to refresh its lineup of marine cartograpohy products.

 The new products are described as an all-in-one mapping solution, and includes updated colours which should help users to be able to identify features more easily. The charts have daily updates, to make sure of up to date knowledge about any area you’re visiting. It also includes “Auto Guidance+ technology”, which boasts faster route calculations and improved routing details. Auto Guidance+ considers depths, hazards and channels, then creates a route. In addition, this new cartography offers a bunch of fresh features – including new chart presentation and daily chart updates. This will lead anglers to where the fish may be  very quickly. It also features colour-shaded target depth ranges, up to 0.5 m depth contours, shallow water shading and exclusive access to ActiveCaptain community content for valuable insight on marks, recommendations and advice from otherr anglers using these charts.

So, what is new with Garmin cartography:

 New, redesigned chart presentation

They have introduced an improved look and feel – with vivid colour palettes and greater detail of coastal and inland features. This new interface displays charts in striking detail with a crystal-clear look at the depths below the boat, as well surrounding structure and navigational aids above the waterline.

Up to 5,000 daily updates

Garmin’s new cartography products offers 5,000 global updates every day, this includes the latest insights about any body of water for enhanced situational awareness while navigating. These daily chart updates combine millions of contributions from private and public surveyors, crowd-sourced data and more, delivering the freshest, most up-to-date content each time mariners leave shore. A one-year subscription is included with the purchase of Garmin Navionics+ or Garmin Navionics Vision+ and offer a quick-and-easy way to sync a mobile device to Garmin chart-plotters for unlimited daily updates via the ActiveCaptain® smart device app.

Advanced autorouting technology

New Garmin cartography also includes Auto Guidance+ technology with faster route calculations and improved routing detail. After selecting departure and arrival points, Auto Guidance+ considers a variety of factors – overhead clearance, chart data, popular routes and desired depth, it then creates a suggested route. For more advanced features, users can upgrade to premium Garmin Navionics Vision+ to discover more about the area

you fish in. Premium Garmin cartography includes all the standard features found in Garmin Navionics+, with the addition of relief shading, unique 3D views, high-resolution satellite imagery, aerial photography and more.

Compatability

Garmin Navionics+ and Garmin Navionics Vision+ are compatible with current Garmin chartplotters, including the GPSMAP® 8400/8600, GPSMAP 7×3/9×3/12×3, ECHOMAP™ Ultra, ECHOMAP UHD series and more. Previous chartplotter models, such as the GPSMAP 7x2 Series, will continue to have access to updates of Garmin BlueChart g3 charts with Navionics data via download or microSD card purchase. For more information about Garmin cartography and chartplotter compatibility got to  www.garmin.com/en-GB/MarineChart-MapPurchase/

Navionics

In the meantime, Navionics has introduced a new streamlined catalogue of Navionics+ and Platinum+ charts to refresh its lineup of marine cartography products. This delivers combined, all-in-one inland and coastal mapping, daily chart updates, premium content and more to Navionics compatible chart-plotters. For easy transition between areas, Navionics+ and Platinum+ charts now feature aligned coverage of regions as an all-in-one mapping solution that combines detail-rich inland and offshore content, as well as a full suite of advanced features for a wide range of compatible chartplotters.

Navionics director of sales and business development Marcello Albanese says of these changes “For years, Navionics has delivered a complete range of valuable navigation tools and features for boaters, anglers and sailors across the globe. Our simplified catalogue includes newly combined content for all Platinum+ charts, making it easier for mariners to explore. In addition mariners can continue to utilise the same quality content and premium features, such as high-resolution relief shading chart overlays, to support a safer and more enjoyable experience .

Navionics+ and Platinum+ offer a variety of features – like daily chart updates, chart overlays and advanced routing technology – that are designed to smoothly guide anglers to where the fish are. A one-year subscription is included with the purchase of a Navionics+ or Platinum+ chart card, offering a quick-and-easy way to access unlimited daily chart updates via the Navionics Chart Installer, or using the Plotter Sync feature in the  Navionics® Boating smart device app. Navionics+ and Platinum+ also feature up to 0.5 m depth contours, community edits, depth shading and shallow water shading options for insight about inland and coastal waters.

For more advanced features, users can upgrade to premium Platinum+ which includes all the standard features found in Navionics+ cartography, with the addition of relief shading, satellite imagery, SonarChart™ Shading overlays, unique 3D views, aerial photography and more.

Costs and availability

Garmin Navionics charts

Garmin Navionics+ and premium Garmin Navionics Vision+ can be download or accessed on a microSD card for UK and Europe at prices ranging from £149.99 - £319.99 (incl VAT). Chartplotters with built in g3 cartography can convert to Garmin Navionics+ content with the purchase of an update microSD card; Simply install the update card to receive the enhanced content and gain access to daily updates.

Navionics charts

Standard Navionics+ and premium Platinum+ chart cards for UK and Europe are priced at £149.99 - £319.99 (incl VAT). Navionics+ and Platinum+ charts can be activated via Chart Installer or via the Navionics Boating smart device app. Navionics+ and premium Platinum+ cartography is compatible with a wide range of chartplotters available on the market today. For more information on compatible third-party chartplotters for Navionics+ and Platinum+, go to navionics.com 

Distributed in the UK & Ireland by Navimaps Ltd. 

sales@navimaps.co.uk  Tel: 01752 258726.