Tidal Information (not a question this time)

[Keith Hart]

Okay here I go in my relentless drive to become a SENIOR MEMBER. I have decided to contribute some information to the forums. I am a bit nervous about this as I will probably find that this is information that is well known to you all and I will end up feeling a bit of a plonker...well here goes:

TIDES - I came across the following website www.belfieldsoftware.co.uk

This is Peter Belfield's computer tide tables. For just £9.95 you get a CD rom (or the programme can be downloaded for a trial period) with daily tide tables for over 480 UK and chanel ports. It is a great programme and VERY reasonably priced. Simple to use (even I can do it) and well laid out with loads of helpfull features. You can choose from any of the ports and get an hourly tidal graph or a monthly chart. Either can be printed out.

You even get a FREE computer game.

Don't let the cheap price put you off. It is a serious bit of kit.

I set my 'TIDAL watch (Tidemaster) watch by it for the launch site and then for the rest of the day I can see what the tide is doing with a glance at my watch.

With so many ports in the database you can allways get a local tide no matter where you are launching from in the UK.

Thoroughly recommended.

NOTE: Please Mr Asdministrator if this information is really obvious and well known, remove this post asap and save my blushes.

Thanks

Keith Hart

[John Kennett]

This looks like a useful piece of software (especially for working out when you'll be able to get to a pub with limited tidal access!). I think you would have to buy a new copy each year though. The complete McMillan Almanac only costs about £25 -- and you don't need a computer on board!

There are a number of other sources of computerised tide tables:

XTide in its various flavours, including the WWW Tide and Current Predictor is a good one, although due to the money grabbing policies adopted by the UK Hydrographic Office (who somehow managed to copyright information that was previously in the public domain!) UK ports are no longer included!

www.ybw.com has some UK tidal information on line, but it's a bit limited

If you've got a Palm computer, then TideTool is very handy, and free! As it's based on XTide, the latest version suffers from the lack of UK coverage. However, the internet being what it is there are bound to be copies of version 1.2 still knocking around for download . . .

John

[batfalcon]

That's why I want to have satelite web access when I sail.....

Michael

[Keith Hart]

Hi there

Tide Plotter 2002 has just arrived. www.belfieldsoftware.co.uk

New features are a 'Tide Log' and a Pocket PC, Windows CE version, very usefull on a small boat.

Still just £9.95. Great piece of software and a great price. Highly recomended.

Keith Hart

[Alan Mckewan]

What's wrong with the little white free tidetables from your local friendly chandler or boat/engine dealer?
Obviously too low tech!
Anyone know anything about these latest GPS's with built in tide predictions?

[Brian]

I am with Alan Mac. on this one. Don't think I have ever paid for a set of tide tables.
I would be much more interested in getting hold of tidal stream information in PC readable form. The Admiralty tidal stream atlases seem extortionately priced and deliberately published separately. Even if you buy a whole set they are still not manipulatable on a computer.

[Powerboat]

We have tidal curves for the West Coast of Ireland built into the c-map chips in our Simrad CE32 GPS Chart plotter .

Just plave the cursor over the tidal diamond symbol , press the enter button and up comes a window with the tidal curve starting at current time . Absloutely brilliant , easy to read and accurate .

For those of you in Ireland , Check out the weather and tides page on the ISA's website www.sailing.ie . Free Tidal curves for any past , present or future date for all major ports ( Cobh , Dublin and Galway ) in Ireland .

Best wishes ,

Stuart
www.powerboat.org

[Brian]

Stuart,
You are absolutely right on tidal data built into the chips. I personaly use C-Map NT cartridges. These give you excellent tidal data, but my current interest is in tidal and current streams (speed and direction), which as you know, are not the same thing at all. The paper charts give you this data (in very broad and approximate terms i.e. at the tidal diamond itself)-I dont see why the chips dont and would like to find some kind website supplier who would let us download it.