Back on 10/11/12, we brought to the attention of the cruising community BIG news about the updating of our “ARGUS” data layer (on our site’s “Chart View” module). Once again, the strategic partnership between the Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net, Survice Engineering’s ARGUS Project and EarthNC (Earth Nautical Charts), was yielding BIG dividends!

NOW, THERE IS EVEN MORE GOOD NEWS ON THIS FRONT! And, as always, this superb service is being made available to the cruising community at NO CHARGE. You don’t have to buy anything, join any organization, nor even provide a user name or a password! How’s that for an “offer you can’t refuse!”

First, let’s hear directly from ARGUS’s creator, Captain John Hersey, of Survice Engineering:

Claiborne,
The new ARGUS ICW solution set that you posted in the article about on your website (see /argus-solution-sets-updated-just-in-time-for-the-fall-2012-cruising-season/) reflected all new data gathered through September of 2012. Since then, as the two ARGUS research vessels, Altair and Chez Nous, have been moving south, we’ve been updating this ICW solution set daily to reflect their incoming soundings. This test of near-real-time updates provide Chez Nous (the follower in this case) with the benefit of Altair’s observations from the day before, as well as your other readers with the same updated look at current conditions as both vessels travel south.
Thanks,
John

OK, please allow me to translate. Where before, updated ARGUS data was being fed into our EarthNC produced “Chart View” pages on a more or less quarterly basis, now, this data is being updated DAILY as the two research vessels, Alair and Chez Nous, work their way south down the AICW.

As usual, an example is worth another thousand words, so let’s look at a real instance of how this new data has been integrated into the existing ARGUS sounding information.

Please follow this link, which will open a Chart View page centered on the AICW, just south of Fernandina Beach, Florida:

/cruisersnet-marine-map/?ll=30.649836796880713,-81.47873295183024&z=14&argus=1

First, be advised that I have set this link to automatically open the ARGUS layer, but if you were just going to any of our Chart View pages, it would be necessary to find the “ARGUS (MLLW)” check box just above the chart image, in the second (moving left to right) vertical row of check boxes. After clicking the “ARGUS (MLLW)” checkbox, the ARGUS legend will appear, as well as the color coded sounding circles, indicating MLW adjusted depths gathered by the ARGUS research craft.

Take a look at the voluminous sounding data recorded on this section of the Waterway, NOW FRESHLY UPDATED BY THE JUST GATHERED SOUNDINGS SUBMITTED BY ALAIR AND CHEZ NOUS!

THINK THIS MIGHT JUST BE A SIGNIFICANT TOOL IN ANY NAVIGATOR’S ARSENAL! We think so too!

One question we are often asked is how our users can easily get to our Chart View pages. Well, of course, by clicking on ANY of the chartlets in our various marina or anchorage directory listings, you will be taken to a Chart View page automatically centered on and zoomed to the marina or anchorage in question. You can then drag the chart in any direction, and for any distance you need to reveal your waters of interest. HOWEVER THERE IS ANOTHER, VERY USEFUL WAY TO FIND YOUR WAY TO OUR CHART VIEW SERVICE!

Locate the red, vertically stacked stacked menus on the right side of all Cruisers’ Net pages, and then select your coastline of interest, “South Carolina” for example. Click on “South Carolina” and a drop down menu will appear. Now, locate “SC Chartview” and click on this menu item. A sub-sub drop down menu will appear, with a list of South Carolina’s ports of a call. To continue this example, click on “Georgetown, SC.” A Chart View page will open, centered on Georgetown. Activate the “ARGUS” layer by clicking the ARGUS checkbox, and look at all the good, just updated sounding data on the Sampit River, bordering the downtown Georgetown waterfront. Again, you can then drag the chart in any direction, and for any distance you need to reveal other waters of interest.

This feature works in exactly the same fashion for all our coastlines. not just South Carolina. Take a few moments to give it a try.

We know the cruising community will find this updated ARGUS data to be very useful. Please join with me in thanking Survice Engineering as well as EarthNC for making this service possible, partnered with the Salty Southeast Cruiser’ Net. OK, go to our site and check those latest soundings. Good luck and good cruising to all!

Cruising News:
Just wanted to say that we just used the argus readings from Fernandina to Cocoa and they were extremely accurate and very helpful..Thanks for the good work..it took some of the stress of the ICW away..We have a 61/2 four draft and the ICW can be very interesting..
Roberta