"UPDATED" NAVIONICS AND C-MAP CHARTS ARE OFTEN NOT "UP-TO-DATE" (Canada)

UPDATES (Sept 25, 2021): I have reached the conclusion that you cannot depend upon Navionics (or CMAP) charts to be "up-to-date" within a reasonable time. I find too many incidences of CHS chart updates (for new rocks, shallows, etc) that are not shown on Navionics, even several months later.  

In my view, relying solely/primarily on Navionics charts is not safe.

June 3, 2023: (i) There is new (May, 2023) CHS detailed charting for Tasu Sound (Haida Gwaii) on vector charts. Navionics does not yet include this new charting. Stay tuned! (ii) The new rock and sunken wreck in Thetis Island's North Cove charted by CHS in the Fall of 2021 are still not indicated on Navionics, 1.5 years later! 

December 2023: More than TWO YEARS LATER, Navionics finally includes Thetis Island North Cove updates  ALSO: Navionics now includes new Haida Gwaii charts (5 mos later...). 

February 2024: C-MAP finally includes the new (May/June 2023) Haida Gwaii Charts.

 

You may think (hope) that your just "updated" Navionics or C-MAP charts  are now "up-to-date". This is not necessarily the case (applies to both app and card-based updates).

Recently, checking "Notices to Mariners" (NOTMAR: https://www.notmar.gc.ca/monthly-mensuel-en.php) by Canadian Hydrographic Services (CHS), I noticed the February version indicated newly discovered rocks/shallows in the general area near Discovery Islands and Desolation Sound.

Below are images from official CHS Raster charts from May 2020 and June 2021:

The updated CHS charts (June, 2021) show the two new drying rocks in Manson Passage (top, right) and the 0.3m shallows in Plunger Pass (bottom, right). Both are dangerous to most boats (especially the shallow area in Plunger Pass, which we passed through last summer).

 

What about Navionics and C-MAP? As of June 7, 2021, neither show these updates. This includes the C-MAP App and C-Map SD card (card purchased in May, 2021) as well as the Navionics App (as well as the online viewer).

Manson Passage: Navionics (June, 2021, not accurate)

 

Plunger Passage: Navionics (June, 2021, not accurate)

Manson Passage: C-MAP (June, 2021, not accurate)

Plunger Passage: C-MAP (June, 2021, not accurate)

At least 3 months after CHS issued a NOTMAR about these rocks/shallows, yet they are still not shown on "updated" Navionics or C-MAP charts.

 

Update (August, 2021): Navionics finally updated the above locations by August 14th, 2021. By December 2021, C-MAP updated these locations.

 

HOWEVER:

The September CHS NOTMAR had new shallows, rocks and wrecks. For example: Here's another  "new" rock and a wreck (North Cove, Thetis Island) shown on the up-to-date CHS raster chart, but not (yet, as of November 20)) on the just-updated Navionics or CMAP:

Keep an eye out to see how long it takes Navionics (or CMAP) to include these updates! 

November 20, 2021: neither Navionics or CMAP have included this September update.)

January 2022: Navionics still doesn't include this update, whereas CMAP does. 

June 2023: Navionics STILL DOES NOT INCLUDE THESE HAZARDS (1.5 years after they were updated by CHS!)

 

IN CONTRAST, O-CHARTS SEEM TO QUICKLY UPDATE:

O-Charts (https://www.o-charts.org/) makes CHS ENC Vector charts available for OpenCPN  at a very reasonable annual price (20 Euros for Pacific Coast of Canada). These charts can be updated monthly, and are supposed to be the same as CHS ENC charts. 

(OpenCPN is an excellent free/near-free chartplotter software for Windows, Mac, Linux and Android.)

 

By March, 2021, the O-Charts for Manson and Plunger Passages included the February update:

Manson Passage: O-Charts (March, 2021 -- accurate!)

Plunger Passage: O-Charts (March, 2021 -- accurate!)

Update: just checked earlier NOTMAR editions: current Navionics and C-MAP missing more rocks/shallows in other areas of BC! (O-charts, however, are correctly updated.)

CONCLUSION: Commercial charts such as Navionics or C-MAP may NOT be up-to-date (even though you just "updated" them). "New" rocks and shallows shown on up-to-date official charts may be missing on Navionics and/or C-MAP!

 

On Pelagia, we ensure our CHS charts are up-to-date. Though we also have Navionics and C-MAP, we but put much greater trust on the CHS raster charts (we are still getting used to the O-charts -- so far, so good.)