'Track Up' or 'North Up'

[Vasco]

On paper charts north up, on a chartplotter track up, it's just like driving down a road, especially when entering anchorages or going down the ICW.

[imagine2frolic]

DUH,

These are the things that keep me somewhat humble. I should've said track up, and voted wrong too.......i2f

[Winter River]

I voted both because I usually split the screen. Track up on the right for all the reasons people like track up. North up on the left, showing me the bigger world. Seems like cheating

Here's a example, from a spot where navigation was pretty simple:


Paper charts, north up.

[capt lar]

Track up for the plotter. Relationship to whats around me on my current heading.

[Strygaldwir]

I prefer Track up when I am moving. When I am doing route planning, I prefer North up. Go figure. Luckily my plotter supports both modes!

[pete33458]

It's funny, I have no problem mentally (or physically) transposing my boat onto a paper chart that is (of course) north up; but if I put north up on my chartplotter I honestly have to think very hard about where I'm going... So, track up!

[bitman]

both, as i somtimes want to north up and sometime track up. it just depends where i am (water wise)

[Ex-Calif]

Both - Depends on scale. Large scale North up. Small scale track up.

Large scale to get the "big" picture. Small scale for detail and "driving."

[rodney_k]

Track up when moving, north up when planning, and of course, north up when using paper charts.

[hanschristian38]

My wife requires track up. I like north up. We switch as needed.

[NDH]

North up as paper charts

[Highlander40]

Yup North up! Look out the window. Does the world jerk around?
The chartplotter shouldnt either. You can get away with track up when on a course line but try it when you are finding your way into an unknown harbor and the damn thing is twisting this way and that.

I'll bet that track uppers can't read a road map either!

OOO this is fun!

[NoTies]

The admiral uses track up when on watch (she even rotates the paper charts to track up when fixing our position. We need a large, circular chart table) I use north up. Different brain patterns I guess.

[David M]

I use both. I used to use only north up but started playing around with the heading up mode when I got my new nav system. Going up the Sacramento River to do some sampling, I put one monitor on North up mode (Nobeltec) and the other on heads up mode (Navnet 3D). I found myself using the north up mode for looking far ahead and the heads up mode for looking at things that are much closer. I do find it a little disorienting sometimes to look at a chart that is upside down in heading up mode. I got pretty much used to that though now.

For radar, I use the heads up mode mostly but sometimes with go to the north up mode depending on the situation. For radar plotting though you have to use the north up mode to generate a good RML...either that or you have to be an excellent helmsman.

I don't think there is a right or wrong setting....just what you're personal preference is.

[Highlander40]

The "roadway" display on most plotters is just a head up display without all that nasty cartography.