N ....IJ) <t: z IIII~"III'III~'IIIII nIl © HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN IN THE RIGHT OF CANADA as reoresented by the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans A REPORT to PACIFIC REGION CANADIAN HYDROGRAPHIC SERVICE CLIENT RESEARCH on SAILING DIRECTIONS CONTENT AND FORMAT A. MORTIMER Master Mariner, B.Sc., C.L.S., M.N.!. Contract F1942-7-0017 31st October 1997 Cascadian Hydrographic Services Brentwood Bay, BC © HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN IN THE RIGHT OF CANADA as represented by the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans 1997 A REPORT to PACIFIC REGION CANADIAN HYDROGRAPHIC SERVICE CLIENT RESEARCH on SAILING DIRECTIONS CONTENT AND FORMAT A. MORTIMER Master Mariner, B.Sc., C.L.S., M.N.!. Contract F1942-7-0017 31 st October 1997 Cascadian Hydrographic Services 6744 Jedora Drive Brentwood Bay, BC Canada V8M 1A5 250-652-5472 , • • ~ CONTENTS ~ • • Page • Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1 ~ Background ........................................ :...................................................................... 7 ,• User Consultation and Other Work .............................................................. 1 7 ~ , Data .......................................................................................................................... 21 • Considerations ..... '" ............................................................................................ , 2 7 • • Conclusions and Recommendations ............................................................ 41 • ~ Bibliography .......................................................................................................... 4 9 • • Appendices ~ 1 Legislation ................................................................................................... 51 • 2 Points from International Hydrographic Office ~ Requirements .............................................................................................. 61 3 Commercial Literature on Cruising Guides .................................... 67 • 4 Extracts from commercial cruising guides and government • Sailing Directions.:................................................................................... 77 ~ 5 Tabulation of responses to interviews ........................................... 8 5 • 6 Correspondence ........................................................................................ 1 03 ~ ,~ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS • I would like. to thank Rikki Farrel, the Sailing Directions • Officer in Pacific Region, CHS, for the help and information that was • generously provided to enable the writing of this report. I would also ~ like to thank David Fisher for his advice and contacts in the sales • and marketing side of the hydrographic business. ~ I would especially like to thank all those mariners, chart ~ dealers and authors who were generous with their time and knowledge in providing the comments and information that are the • basis of this report. • ~ • iii ~ •.. INTRODUCTION ...... 1pulled out the chart and the well worn Coast Pilot to look for shelter - in case of need, in view of the probable wind. The Curve of Time, 7th edition, page 97. In 1993, subsequent to a well-received pilot project in Quebec, the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) decided, at the national level, to work towards changing Sailing Directions format. At present, the coast of British Columbia is covered by two main books and two small craft guides (see BC Coast Map 1). A layout has been designed (see BC Coast Map 2) by CHS staff to provide the coverage in seven booklets, including one general booklet plus one each for six geographic areas. It was proposed that the new booklets would combine both big ship and small-craft information, and would hopefully, be "user-friendly" for the recreational boater. The feasibility of combining information for what had previously been considered two distinct client groups into one series of booklets raised a number of issues. Among these issues were user acceptability, marketing, technical content, and production. Consultation Cascadian Hydrographic Services was contracted by CHS Pacific Region management to consult with mariners, recreational boaters and other users on the British Columbia coast. The issues to be discussed with members of the marine community were defined in conjunction with CHS management and were aimed at assessing the clients' needs in relation to both format and content. Specifically, these categories were identified for user comment: , General acceptability of the proposed changes; 2 Appropriateness of the geograpt* limits of the booklets; 3 Appropriate timing of publication; 4 Preferences for type of binding the publications; 5 Suitability for maintenance; 6 Review of the content, including removal of surplus information; 7 Relationship to other government publications; 8 Relationship to commercial publications; 9 Review of cruising guides; 10 General improvements to CHS Sailing Directions. 1 .... .,.. Production review .. If changes to content or format were to be made at this time, they would have a considerable impact on the production and marketing of any new format booklets. .,.. Considering that staff working in Sailing Directions production in Pacific Region has been cut from three people to one, it is surprising that CHS books have been so well maintained and this obviously reflects well on the abilities of the incumbent Sailing .. Directions officer. It is somewhat more surprising that a major format change should be .. considered at this time. It is essential resource needs and sources and work scheduling be considered if any new format is to be introduced to the public successfully. .. tIS The following points affecting production were required to be considered: til geographic layout and the number of publications; • binding; .. grouping booklets for publication; fill scheduling production; OJ demands on people and resources; fIB inter-linkage in the above factors. e­ O om .­... •e- O! fjI 4i/III •iii ...&I • ...,. ..~ till 2 .. ...Qfl Be MAP 1 BRITISH COLUt1BIA COAST SAILING DIRECTIONS NOW IN PRINT VOLUME 1, SOUTHERN PORT I ON VOLUr1E 2, NORTHERN PORT I ON SMALL CRAFT GU I DE 1 From Port Al berni to Campbell River, i ncludi ng Barkley Sound and the Gulf Islands. St"lALL CRAFT GU I DE 2 From Boundary Bay to Cortes Island, including the Fraser River, Ho\.... e Sound and Jervis Inlet. 3 &1... ..­W.J .­ .­". .­ .­ ~ ~ ~ f!I' ..fI" ..~ .­~ ...- • .-.... ~ ~ @Ii ~ fjIi ~ ~ 81 4 ..81 , ,• • •~ Be MAP 2 ~ ,~ ~ ~ -~ ~ ~ -~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ BRITISH COLUMBIA COAST SAl LI NG DI RECTIONS BOOKLETS AS PROPOSED PAC 200 - General Information PAC 203 - Strait of Georgia to Queen - Paci fi c Coast Charlotte Sound PAC 201 - Juan de Fuca Strait and Gulf PAC 204 - Vancouver Island, West Coast Islands (i ncl udi ng Haro Strait and Coastal Inlets and Boundary Pass) PAC 205 - I nner Passage - Queen Charlotte PAC 202 - Strait of Georgia and Adjacent Sound to Chatham Sound Waters (i ncl udi ng Fraser River, Vancouver Harbour, PAC 206 - Hecate Strait, Dixon Entrance, HO'w'e Sound, Jervis Inlet, Portland I nlet and Queen Baynes Sound) Charlotte Islands 5 ..· I ..@all .....-­ ."...... tIP ."..­ 6 ..~ BACKGROUND I opened up the Pilot book to look it up ..... British Columbia Coast ..... Queen Charlotte Sound ..... Fog Island ..... Dusky Cove - Ah! Sunday Harbour. Pilot book says, "Small but sheltered anchorage on the south side of Crib Island. Affords refuge for small boats". I didn't altogether like the word "refuge", it sounded like the last extremity. The Curve of Time, 7th edition, page 98. H isto ry Books of sailing directions have a long history, their importance having peaked in the Middle Ages. Greek and Phoenician records exist from two thousand five hundred years ago giving sailing directions for some areas of the Mediterranean Sea. Chinese and northwest European records date back to the early middle ages. These sailing directions preceded the development of the nautical chart and of the introduction of the compass to Europe. One of the popular local cruising guides uses the name" Waggoner" for its annual publication. Waggoners, which included charts, navigation tables and sailing directions, were originally published in Holland in 1584 but were rapidly translated into other northwest European languages. During the age of European exploration the growing volume of surveys, charts and written information for navigation led eventually to the 'nationalization' of the nautical publications business. The European and US hydrographic offices were established at the end of the 18th century to provide charts and sailing directions to their navies and later to their merchant fleets. Use The nautical textbooks listed in the bibliography don't have much to say about the use of sailing directions or pilot books. The "Mariner's Handbook", is succinct in it's description II .... intended for all classes of vesselJ to be used in conjunction with chartsJl. Bowditch gives a little more - "A descriptive book for the use of marinersJ containing detailed information of coastal watersJ ... Jete. of an areaJ particularly along coasts other than those of the United States." As Bowditch redundantly points out, pilot books are most useful to those mariners least familiar with an area. Both Bowditch and Dutton emphasize the use of sailing directions and pilot books in voyage planning. The US National Imagery and Mapping Administration (ex-DMA) structures it's world wide coverage on the need to plan voyages. Bowditch (and the US Navy) espouses