NEWS Small Chart Folios to cease
Proposals to withdraw the supply and maintenance of Admiralty Small Craft Folios have been described as a ‘retrograde step’ by some sailors.
The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) has just concluded a consultation into its plans, which it argues will allow it to improve data provision and increase the frequency of updates.
It said established paper and digital chart providers in the small craft market, such as Imray, would continue to be able to use licensed UKHO data making it available to sailors, and that providers were ‘better-enabled’ to develop future products.
Both the RYA and the Royal Institute of Navigation (RIN) have raised concerns.
The RYA’S cruising manager, Stuart Carruthers, said standard charts were ‘not particularly useful on small vessels due to their size and lack of suitable chart table space and commercial suppliers do not supply Small Craft Folios for considerable parts of the UK coastline.’
He also stated that under the UN International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, the UK Government had an obligation to provide hydrographic information, products and services ‘in a range of formats and media (including paper) that is suitable for and easily usable by all maritime sectors.’
Carruthers cautioned sailors against relying solely on digital sources, adding that there ‘is no existing international (or UK) standard for electronic navigation equipment within the leisure sector’. He stressed traditional navigation was an ‘essential skill’ as electronics can fail, a view shared by RIN.
The chairman of RIN’S Small Craft Group, Paul Bryans FRIN, said it didn’t want the withdrawal of Small Chart Folios ‘to be the final nail in the coffin for charts on small craft.’
Around 1,000 RIN members have raised concerns about the UKHO’S plans. These range from the cost and size of using full size Admiralty charts to views that commercial alternatives, while ‘very good’ do not ‘have the same detail and clarity’ as Admiralty charts.
Bryans believes the UKHO should consider printing Small Craft Folios on demand, as other Admiralty charts are via UK chart agents.
YM contributor and Sabre 27 owner, Ken Endean, regularly uses Small Craft Folios because of their coverage.
‘If safety at sea requires good charts and the UKHO folios are still superior for intricate pilotage, withdrawing them would be a retrograde step,’ he said.
Former RYA chief examiner James Stevens said withdrawing folios was ‘a pretty dumb idea.’
‘In British coastal waters I always use an Admiralty Small Craft Folio. A paper chart is a really quick and easy way of getting an overview of the passage and I like the detail it gives for creeks and inlets. Combined with the electronic chart plotter the folios give the coastal navigator all the chart information they need,’ he explained.
But managing director of Halcyon Yachts, Pete Green, welcomed UKHO’S move ‘towards better digital solutions to aid planning and navigation.’
‘One of the main benefits with digital charts is the ease and simplicity of keeping them up to date. However, paper charts should not be phased out completely, as the digital solution will not suit everyone,’ he stressed.
The UKHO said it would listen to feedback and consider all options before making a final decision.
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