BOOKS / CHARTS

Bluewater Books and Charts

Once again this very reliable worldwide supplier of nautical charts and publications received great reviews from many Captains. Bluewater Books and Charts in Ft Lauderdale, and their ‘sister store’ the Armchair Sailor in Newport, RI, have been providing an ever widening range of products and services over the 22 years that they have been in business. Today many Captains use Bluewater’s Large Yacht Service as their sole supplier for all paper charts and publications, software and electronic charts, flags and navigational instruments.

In addition to their growing list of products, the Bluewater and Armchair crewmembers average 25 years or more of boating and industry experience per person. The crew includes licensed Captains, solo circumnavigators and those who have logged thousands of miles aboard their own vessels or in a professional capacity. They have at their fingertips one of the largest collections of paper charts in the world. They are dealers for UKHO, NGA, NOS, print on demand POD charts for US waters from Oceangrafix, CHS, SHOM, Imray and many other government and private chart sources. Having all these charts on hand allows the experienced crew to advise customers on the best choices for their intended voyages.

Bluewater also provides navigational software and electronic charts for any part of the world. Software from Transas, Nobeltec, Maxsea, Maptech and others is available along with installation service and support. Electronic charts from UKHO, Transas, Nobeltec Passport, Navionics, C-Map and Garmin are all available. You can purchase new electronic charts or have your existing charts updated. Increasingly, publications are also available in electronic format reducing the need for onboard storage.

You can count on getting the right advice from Bluewater’s Large Yacht Service team to ensure compliance for MCA and ISM certification and flag state requirements. The charts, publications, log books and signage needed on board for compliance purposes are always instock. If you are in a distant port facing inspection, one phone call or email to Bluewater and you can have the necessary products shipped to you the same day.

A new service of late, is their Large Yacht Managed Service for professionally crewed yachts. Bluewater will then keep track of your vessel’s navigational product inventory, conduct monthly reviews to determine if any items are out of date, and make recommendations for products. Ask to speak to a member of the Large Yacht Team about these expanded services (via the contact info below).

Many large yachts that are MCA certified and MCA compliant already use the Bluewater Inventory and Chart Compliance Service (BICCS) which provides software onboard to receive corrections for UKHO charts and publications which can then be applied on the vessel. Paper charts may also be brought or shipped to Bluewater for periodic correction. Paper charts can also be stored and returned corrected whenever and wherever needed.

Last but not least the two stores are fun places to browse for nautical fiction, travel guides, cook books and a great selection of the ‘all important(!)’ Jimmy Buffett CDs and nautically inclined DVDs, not to mention gifts and antique charts. Call them for a catalogue or to speak with any crewmember in person.

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Contacts:
Bluewater Large Yacht Service
Tel - Ft. Lauderdale: + 1 954 880 9800
Tel - Ft. Lauderdale: + 1 866 609 8951
Fax - Ft. Lauderdale: + 1 954 522 2278
Tel - Newport: + 1 401 847 4252
Tel - Newport: + 1 800 292 4278
Fax - Newport: + 1 401 847 1219

LIVE LINKS
Email: largeyacht@bluewaterweb.com
Website: www.bluewaterweb.com

REED'S Nauical Almanac

REED'S Nautical Almanac came recommended as a very useful navigational resource for voyage planning and as a reference whilst underway. The Almanacs contain a huge amount of information that includes tides / currents; a full range of navigational information (including waypoints); weather, communications and navigation resources. REED'S publish three editions annually, covering the East and West Coast of America, and the Caribbean.

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Contacts:
Tel: + 1 800 995 4995
Fax: + 1 617 232 0119

LIVE LINKS
Email: subscriptions@reedsalmanac.com
Website: www.reedsalmanac.com

 

American Nautical Services Inc.

Both Ed Hays and his father were Merchant Mariners before they established American Nautical Services in Miami in 1977. With his father concentrating on commercial surveying, Ed started a training school for entry level certification of budding Mariners. Naturally, he needed nautical charts for the school’s students, and with 5 Instructors covering the East Coast of the USA, he needed quite a few charts! Thus the distribution of charts began, and now the commercial division of the company operates under the trade name ‘The Navigation Center’. The Navigation Center exists as both an internet and walk-in vendor of navigation materials and related items, operating as a nautical chart distributor and clearinghouse of marine technical information. They are chart agents for BA, NGA, NOAA and Oceangrafix, with world coverage of U.S. and British paper charts. They also operate as a Remote Printing Location for POD / Oceangrafix charts.

ANS updates all BA (British Admiralty) charts they sell as well as offering an updating service to mariners who bring in their own BA charts. Their range of technical books is quite amazing, and they are distributors for every major maritime organisation one can think of (and others too!) And if that wasn’t enough, ANS also sells nautical flags, day shapes, IMO signs, prohibition signs, posters and mandatory placards, sextants, clocks and barometers and a host of other practical items.

ANS built and supports two websites. The main site - www.amnautical.com <http://www.amnautical.com> - was built primarily to display the full range of all inventory held on hand, and to facilitate both retail and commercial (“business-to-business”) customers through direct internet sales. It is a veritable mine of information and well worth browsing through. Give yourself plenty of time because the amount of information available is quite amazing, including such topics as travel and transport, legal matters, marine environment protection, marine technology, maritime safety and navigation, as well as an amazing catalogue of available publications.

A second specialty site was launched in January of 2007 which focuses on both domestic U.S. and International maritime compliance matters. Thus you should also take a look at their ‘Maritime Compliance’ website - www.maritimecompliance.com <http://www.maritimecompliance.com> - the source for IMO, International and U.S. Compliance. There is a lot of free compliance information on this site including CFRs on-line, Navigation & Vessel Inspection Circulars (NVICs) and direct access to MCA downloads.

The business is now located at 3311 South Andrews Ave, Unit 11, Ft. Lauderdale FL 33316. So, if you are in the area, a visit to ANS, which Ed correctly describes as “a salty place,” is a must. Their services came highly recommended to us last season, and their staff, led by the delightful Corali, came rated as being “extremely helpful and knowledgeable.”

Contacts:
Corali Marquez or Brittany Gossett
Tel: (954) 522 3321
Fax: (954) 522 3395

LIVE LINKS
Email: sales@amnautical.com or Brittany@maritimecompliance.com
Websites: www.amnautical.com and www.maritimecompliance.com