How to Read a Marine Chart [Works for Chartplotters, Too!] | BoatUS

BoatUS Magazine's contributing editor Lenny Rudow shows you the basics of reading a nautical chart for navigation. While he demonstrates using a paper chart, the same principles can be applied to reading digital charts on a chartplotter. Lenny explains what the different colors on a nautical chart mean as well as water depth, buoys and channel markers, latitude and longitude, reading nautical charts symbols, prominent features on land, compass rose, nautical chart scales, and more.

There are so many things you can learn from looking at a nautical chart, like the names of bodies of water and locations, bridge heights, and more. Remember, though, that things can -- and do -- change, so using common sense and watching what's around you is important as well.

Learn more in our Chart Reading 101 article: boatus.com/expert-advice/expert-advice-archive/…

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