North Up or Heading Up?

[Amapola]

Heading up when cruising, north up when planning.

[FlyingScot]

Do what you are comfortable with. One is not more correct than the other. What keeps you safe is what is best.

Personally prefer N up on the charts.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by team karst

Hmmm, the question is flawed. A GPS fix doesnt give you heading. Unless you have a heading sensor in use, a zero velocity situation will give an unstable picture.
If you move in reverse, do u want the chart to flip?

Actually, GPS does incorporate speed and heading directly (not interpolating between two fixes). I got schooled on that a few years back.

Of course if you are at zero velocity, either presentation will show erratic headings/course as any static in the data can result in wild variations in course.

Where I do agree though is those erratic headings are far less confusing with north up because if I've maintained situational awareness, I know which way is north and can immediately associate that with the north-up chart that I'm viewing.

If the chart is spinning and the channels and markers are moving on the screen, I have to reorient where the chart is and how that relates to north but as soon as I do that the chart spins again and I have to reorient again.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

Actually, GPS does incorporate speed and heading directly (not interpolating between two fixes). I got schooled on that a few years back.

Of course if you are at zero velocity, either presentation will show erratic headings/course as any static in the data can result in wild variations in course.

Where I do agree though is those erratic headings are far less confusing with north up because if I've maintained situational awareness, I know which way is north and can immediately associate that with the north-up chart that I'm viewing.

If the chart is spinning and the channels and markers are moving on the screen, I have to reorient where the chart is and how that relates to north but as soon as I do that the chart spins again and I have to reorient again.

A standard GPS receiver will determine CoG if you're moving. It does not and cannot determine heading unless it's one of the fancier multi-receiver GPS compasses. Those can determine which direction you're facing (whether or not you're moving), while a standard GPS cannot and only knows what direction you're moving.

[argonauta1]

I am a retired military pilot and have circumnavigated under sail.

Course up, not heading up, is the most intuitive option. North up on large scale is good for perspective but for nitty gritty enroute guidance underway: course up.

To clarify, course from A to B is the objective, heading is what one steers to maintain course depending upon leeway, current, and drift. The result is Track Made Good which might not maintain your vessel on course so the skipper will adjust heading to to stay on course and so on. . . .. Often, the skipper will need to regain course to avoid danger zones, obstacles like rocks or islands, thus he will wish to regain course not simply head for destination. That means a heading correction to regain the desired course. There have been many vessels lost as a result of being off course and correcting by simply going from present position to destination. crunch!

With north up selected on a track plotter, perspective clearly displaying all of the above is non existent.

[boatman61]

So much trouble orienting to direction..
If your facing sunrise N is at 9 o clock on your left and 3 o clock to your right is S.. W is behind you..
Reverse when facing sunset.. then E is behind you..
Bet you lot need calculators to work out your bar bill..

[TOM-ROLPH]

Do you have your car sat nav North up?
If so do the same with charts but for the majority of us heads up is easier- just like the sat nav

[CaptMike02]

I have a compass to tell me which way North is if I don't already know. I choose heading up with the vessel on the lower section of the screen... BUT it's really personal choice whatever feels best for you.

[seadago]

Originally Posted by aqfishing

Everything he said! Spot on answer!

Concurr! Only exception is navigating in narrow channels or between shallows and sandbanks where I prefer heading up. It's just a matter of scale and the actual size of your chart plotter screen.

[CyKlop]

For me, the answer is "it depends".

I'm used to looking at, planning on, plotting on paper maritime charts, so I'm very used to seeing a north-up presentation. With the way chart plotters show a course line and such, it's not a big deal to figure out where the boat is going.

However, with a new helmsman on board, or one that doesn't helm very often or doesn't have paper charting experience, I don't want them doing the mental work of correlating what they see with what's on the chart and having to mentally rotate things, so then I'll put heading up onto the display.

I also, and am willing to be told I'm wrong, feel that it takes more computing power to constantly rotate all the objects on the screen as our heading changes. This means that the processor(s) have to run harder and generate more heat and use up more power from my batteries.

[Soundhaven]

Use whatever is least confusing to you.

[nofacey]

Forget the army guy, he’s not on your boat….what will your wife understand easiest when she takes the helm?

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by argonauta1

With north up selected on a track plotter, perspective clearly displaying all of the above is non existent.

This might be right, if the ship's head-marker wasn't clearly displayed on the plotter.

I weary of peeps comparing marine navigation to car travel and air travel - apples and oranges. I bet these military pilots had to fold their aero-charts into a small rectangle to fit on the clipboard strapped to their leg. I wonder how many of these guys flew on planes that had an air navigator aboard? I'm betting that guy had the chart on a table with north up - and he was probably sitting sideways in the cockpit.

[ReynoldsWT]

Practice with both to the point where you are adept at either. Then make a decision as to which you want as default. That said, almost certain you will not remain permanently on the your default, and having the skill to switch over makes you a much better operator.

[KevinE]

I personally see no advantage to north up. Why subject you brain to one additional calculation: The reef is on the port side of the display. To steer away from it turn to port. It's not logical and error prone when you have to make rapid decisions. I also wouldn't mix it up on different displays in the vessel and expect crew to be fully on top of this.