OpenCPN was updated after I posted this article. I have updated it with footnotes to address some of the changes in OpenCPN 5.0. Click here to see details of what’s new in OpenCPN 5.0

When cruising on Questeria, we like to have a route on our chartplotter. This makes for a less stressful day. When cruising for several days, we plan the routes ahead of time and organize them using Google Sheets. We use a number of tools in the process, some of which I created myself. Below is a snapshot of a spreadsheet with our routes. 

This spreadsheet contains seven routes, each on its own sheet. Each sheet contains waypoints, latitudes, longitudes, distances, bearings, durations and times. I will explain how I did this in this series of posts.

In the post titled Planning Multi-Day Cruises—Overview, I gave an overview of the route planning process. In this post I talk about OpenCPN. In future posts, I’ll talk about other route planning tools we use before our cruise:

• HomePort
• ActiveCaptain
• GPX Tools

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Then, I’ll walk through an example using a route that I created as part of a trip from Florida Keys to Moore Haven, FL. Finally, I’ll explain how I put the routes together in a spreadsheet and load them on our Garmin 4208 chartplotter and other devices.

OpenCPN

OpenCPN is a free software project that you can use as a chartplotter or route planning tool. It does not come with charts, but it works with different kinds of charts, that can be downloaded for free.

Here is a screenshot of OpenCPN with some routes, tracks and waypoints.

Setting Up OpenCPN

Start using OpenCPN by downloading it from the OpenCPN download page. Click on the download for your computer type and open the executable file to install OpenCPN on your computer. OpenCPN has very good offline and online help and documentation. But it is intuitive, so you can probably get by without it.

Downloading Charts for OpenCPN

Next, you have to download charts for your cruising area. If your cruise is in the US, you can use free NOAA, and/or Army Corps of Engineers charts. You need to decide on RNC charts², ENC charts, or both.

Large Scale vs. Small Scale

If you pick a particular point near the coast, it will be covered by multiple charts of different scales, from Large Scale to Small Scale. A Large Scale chart has more detail and covers less area, while a Small Scale Chart covers more area with less detail.

RNC Charts²

RNC, or Raster Navigational Charts, look like paper charts. They are organized by chart numbers, which are 2 to 5 digit numbers. The numbers are in no particular order, so you need a catalog or locator to know what RNC chart to use. Some disadvantages of RNC charts are that they take more storage and are not updated as often as ENC charts. You must use the units of measure, for the chart. For example, if the chart is in feet, you can’t view it in meters.

ENC Charts

ENC, or Electronic Navigational Charts, take much less storage than RNC charts. For example, ENC charts for FL are 60M versus 128M for RNC charts. ENC files have alphanumeric names that tell you the state and coast guard district number, such as US4FL10M. ENC charts have more viewing options. There are fewer charts for small and large scale, so you can zoom in and out without changing charts. NOAA updates ENC charts more often than RNC charts. You can specify a unit of measurement preference for ENC charts. For example, you can display depth in feet, meters or fathoms. I prefer the look of RNC charts over ENC charts. That is because I started off with paper charts, but I use both when planning a route.

Charts for Bahamas

If you want charts for the Bahamas, you’ll need to purchase NV Chart Combo Packs. You pay for a paper chart book and also get a CD of electronic RNC charts that are identical to the paper charts.

Chart Downloader

The current version of OpenCPN includes a Chart Downloader. This was not available when I started using OpenCPN, so I still use the manual method. You’ll need to use the manual method for NV Charts for the Bahamas. To get to the Chart Downloader, first click the Options tab (the wrench or cogwheel icon¹). Then, click Charts and Chart Downloader. Next, click Add and select the charts for your cruising area. For example, USA – NOAA and Inland charts, RNC, by States, FL – Florida.

Manually Downloading Charts

If you use the manual method, and your cruise is in the US, you can download RNC and ENC charts from the NOAA chart website. I store them in a folder named charts, on a micro SD card that is always plugged into my computer. I do this because my computer is a Windows tablet, with limited drive space. When I first started out, I created a new folder by opening a File Explorer menu, finding my SD card, Secure Storage Device (D:), right-clicking on it, selecting New and Folder. Then, I right-clicked on New Folder, selected Rename and named it charts. I like to keep each state in a separate folder. So, I right-clicked on charts, selected New and Folder. Then, I renamed New Folder to something like FL_RNCs. I made another folder for the ENC charts, like FL_ENCs and then an RNC and ENC folder for every state I was interested in.

I now have a subfolder for ENCs and RNCs for each state we might cruise in. It’s not important how your charts are organized on your computer, because OpenCPN will figure it out. You just need to remember the full path name of the top directory, or directories of your unzipped chart files. In my case this is D:\charts.

Both types of charts are downloaded as ZIP files. You can download them as individual files, or groups organized by coast guard districts, states or regions. I like to download them by state. First, I go to the NOAA chart website and click on RNCs or ENCs. Next, I find ENCs/RNCs by State and click on the desired state. This downloads a zip file to my computer. Then, I extract it by right-clicking on it and selecting Extract All… This brings up a File Explorer menu. I click Browse… and select the desired folder, for example D:\charts\FL_RNCs, and click Extract.

For my Bahamas charts, I have a subfolder in charts named Bahamas. I installed my NV Charts from the CDs there.

When we are starting to plan a cruise, I download updated charts and extract them to the appropriate folder, overwriting everything.

OpenCPN Settings

When you download new charts, you must tell OpenCPN where they are.

Chart Settings

Once all the charts are downloaded and extracted, you need to go into settings and customize OpenCPN. The first thing to set is the charts directory. To get to the Chart Directory, first click the Options tab in the Toolbar (the wrench or cogwheel icon¹), or Tools in the menu tab and Options… Next, click Charts and Chart Files. Then, click Add Directory… and select your charts directory. In my case, D:\charts. You can add multiple directories if needed. Click Apply when all chart directories are added. Next, click to check the Scan Charts and Update Database and Force Full Database Rebuild boxes, and click Apply. You can skip this step if you use the Chart Downloader. As a final step, click Prepare All ENC Charts. This must be done every time you download updated charts. Next, click the Vector Chart Display tab and choose your preferences.

After setting your chart options, you can start using OpenCPN to create routes and waypoints, but there are other preferences you might want to set.

Connections

If you want to use OpenCPN as a chartplotter or for AIS, you have to set up connections. To get to the Connections menu, click on the wrench or cogwheel icon¹ or Tools and Options… And then, Connections. We don’t normally use OpenCPN as a chartplotter because our Garmin 4208 is easier to see in sunlight and it’s weatherproof. But we have OpenCPN setup as a chartplotter in case we need it as a backup. Our Windows tablet doesn’t have a built in GPS, so we use an external GPS that plugs into a USB port. We can also plug in our Garmin AIS 600 transponder. See my post titled AIS, to read about connecting OpenCPN to our Garmin AIS 600.

The connections settings can be challenging because every computer is different, but here are some tips for setting an external GPS and AIS on a Windows computer:

• Open Windows Device Manager on your computer before plugging in your external GPS or AIS.
• Click Ports (COM & LPT) to expand.
• Plug in your external GPS and look for a new device. Mine is named Prolific USB-to-Serial Comm Port (COM3).
• In OpenCPN connections, click Add Connection, check Serial, then click the ∨, in the DataPort field, and select the corresponding item. For example, COM3 Prolific USB-to-Serial Comm Port.
• Set Baudrate to 4800, Priority to 1 and click Apply.
• Do the same thing for your AIS connection, except set Baudrate to 38400 and Priority to 5.

If your GPS is working, you should see one or more green bars in the upper right-hand side of your display. You will also see your Ship Latitude and Longitude in the lower left-hand corner.

Other Settings and Options

There are other settings and options you can choose based on your personal preferences or your computer. To get to these settings, click the Options tab in the Toolbar (the wrench or cogwheel icon¹), or Tools menu bar tab and Options… You get a menu with six icons along the top. I’ve already discussed Chart and Connections. Here are the other option categories:

• Display — Select the General tab to set some general options, like Navigation Mode and Default Boat Speed. Select the Units tab to choose distance, speed and depth units and Lat/Long display preferences.
• Ships — Own ship tab lets you set options for your vessel. AIS Targets tab lets you set options for other vessels. MMSI Properties lets you set options for other vessels based on their MMSI, Maritime Mobile Service Identity, number.
• User Interface is for setting languages and other UI options, such as Show Menu Bar. If Show Menu Bar is checked you get a traditional menu bar at the top of the display. The menu bar is mostly redundant because you can perform the functions using the Toolbar. There is also a Show Chart Bar box. If checked, there will be a row of rectangles at the bottom of the display. Each rectangle lets you select a chart, going from left to right, large scale to small scale. I like to have that checked.
• Plugins lets you install other products that work with OpenCPN. Refer to opencpn.org/OpenCPN/info/downloadplugins.html about available plugins.

A few words about Lat/Long settings… When I took piloting classes, we used Degrees, Minutes and Seconds (dd° mm’ ss”) for latitudes and longitudes. Now, with more sophisticated electronics, I often see them expressed as Degrees and Decimal minutes (dd° mm.mmm’) or Decimal Degrees (dd.ddddd°). The OpenCPN lat/long format setting is for display only — you can enter them in any valid format. Use a space to separate degrees, minutes and seconds. You can enter the direction as “N”, “S”, “E”, “W”, “+” or “-” (“+” for north and east, “-” for south and west). You can even copy or paste a latitude and longitude pair into OpenCPN in a single step. You can change Lat/Long display preferences to easily convert between formats.

Navigating OpenCPN

Here are some tips for navigating OpenCPN. (No pun intended.) On OpenCPN there are usually multiple ways to do the same thing. For example, to zoom in and out you can:

1. Click Zoom In and Zoom Out on the Navigate menu bar ³
2. Press plus (+) and minus (-) keys on your keyboard
3. Click plus (+) and minus (-) icons on the Toolbar
4. Roll the scroll wheel on your mouse
5. If you have a touch screen, you can pinch and spread the screen

Since there are multiple ways to do things, I normally don’t show the menu bar, I use the Toolbar. I have a touchscreen, but I usually use my two-button mouse, with a scroll wheel, to do everything I want.

Zooming in to a Particular Point on a Chart

If enabled, there is a row of rectangles along the bottom of the display. Each rectangle corresponds to a chart for the area displayed. They are arranged from left to right, Large Scale (more detail, less area) to Small Scale (less detail, more area). You can click on rectangles in the chart bar to switch to different charts. If you right-click on a rectangle, it gives you information about the chart, and a preview. The blue rectangles are RNC charts, the green are ENC charts. The blue rectangles with a red line through it are RNC charts for a waterway.

You can also switch between Large Scale charts and Small Scale charts by clicking on the Down Arrow (larger) or Up Arrow (smaller) icons on the Toolbar, or you can also use F7 (larger) and F8 (smaller) keys on your keyboard ⁴.

To find a particular spot on a chart, zoom-out to a wide view and select a scale chart that covers the area. Find the approximate point and hold the mouse button and drag it to the center of the display. Then, right-click on an area without a route, track, waypoint, etc., and select Max Detail Here ⁵ or click on the left-most rectangle in the chart bar. If you don’t see Max Detail Here, you are selecting an item, so right-click on a nearby spot until you see Max Detail Here, and click on it. OpenCPN will switch to the largest scale chart for that location in your chart directory. You can then zoom in to see your spot. If your spot is not there, recenter and repeat. If you zoom in too much for the chart, you will see OverZoom in top-left of your display. You can switch to a larger scale chart, or zoom out in that case.

Creating a Waypoint

To create a waypoint right-click on the spot and select Drop Mark. Double-click on the waypoint to bring up its properties menu. There, you can name it, select an icon, or change its location, etc. Click on it to select it. When it’s highlighted you can hold the mouse button and drag it around on the chart. To delete it, right-click on it and select Delete.

Creating a Route

A route is essentially a series of ordered waypoints. To create a new route, you click the Create Route icon (the first zigzag line icon in the Toolbar, or a pen and lines in version 5.0+). The cursor will change to a pen. Click on the starting point and then on the next point. Continue clicking until the end point is reached, or you get to the edge of the display. End the route by right-clicking and selecting End Route, or click on the Create Route icon (the first zigzag line), or Show Tool Bar (three horizontal lines) in version 5.0+ ⁶. Finally, right-click on the route and select Properties…, to name and document the route.

Editing a Route

For me, creating a route is an iterative process. When I first create a route, I use a small scale chart, zoom-out to a high-level and create a few waypoints. Then I zoom-in, switch to a larger scale chart, and edit it to a finer detail. I spend most of my route planning time editing. Here are tools available for editing a route:

• Inserting a Waypoint — Right-click where you want to insert the waypoint and select Insert Waypoint.
• Appending a Waypoint — Right-click anywhere on the route and select Append Waypoint. The cursor will change to a pen. Click on the next location on the chart. Continue clicking to keep appending waypoints. When finished, right-click and select End Route, or click the first zigzag line icon or Show Toolbar icon.
• Moving a Waypoint — Click on the waypoint you want to move — it will be highlighted when selected. With the cursor over the highlighted waypoint, hold the mouse button down and drag the waypoint to where you want it. If you move a waypoint by mistake, right-click and select Undo Move Waypoint. If you want to move the waypoint to a specific latitude and longitude, double-click on the waypoint and edit the latitude and longitude fields.
• Deleting a Waypoint — Right-click on the waypoint you want to delete and select Delete. This removes the waypoint from the route and deletes it.
• Removing a Waypoint from Route — Right-click on the waypoint you want to remove and select Remove from Route. This removes the waypoint from the route but does not delete it.
• Reversing the Route — Right-click on the route and select Reverse… You will get a pop-up asking if you want to rename the waypoints, select Yes, No or Cancel.
• Splitting the Route — Right-click on the route and select Properties… You will get a Route Properties menu. Click on the waypoint where you want to split the route into two routes. Then click Split Route. You will now have two routes, one with a “_A” on the name and the other with a “_B” on the name.

Route and Mark Manager

The two rectangles icon, or the second zigzag line icon, in older versions is the Route and Mark Manager. Clicking this icon brings up a menu that shows all routes, tracks or waypoints. You can do things like modify properties or delete items. You can also import and export routes, tracks and waypoints to/from your computer.

Managing Routes

Select the Routes tab in the Routes and Marks Manager to manage your routes. You will see a list of your routes, the names and their Depart From and Destination fields. To the left of the route name is an eyeball. Clicking on the eyeball will toggle between showing and not showing the route on the chart. There is a line of buttons along the right side of the display. These are actions to perform on a selected route, and are grayed-out if no route is selected. Along the bottom of the display are buttons not associated with a selected route, Import GPX…, Export All Visible… and OK. Select a route by clicking on it. You can perform actions on the selected route:

• Properties… — This is the same as double-clicking on the route.
• Activate — Navigate to this route when using OpenCPN as a chartplotter.
• Center View — Center the display on this route.
• Reverse — Swap Depart From with Destination.
• Delete — Delete this route.
• Export Selected… — This action exports the selected route to your computer as a GPX file. It brings up a File Explorer menu to specify where the GPX file is stored.
• Send to GPS — Sends selected route to chartplotter, over serial port, if your chartplotter supports this function and is connected.
• Delete All — I don’t use this button.

Importing a GPX File

If you want to import a route into OpenCPN that is saved on your computer as a GPX file, click Import GPX… This brings up a File Explorer menu so you can select the GPX file to be imported. Select the file and click Open. If the GPX is a valid route file, you will see at least one new route in your list. It will be named for the route name, not necessarily the same as the file name. If you already have a route of the same name, they will both be shown. If there are more than one route in the GPX file, they will all be shown. If the imported route does not show up in the route list, it could be a waypoint or track GPX file, in which case it will be in one of those lists, or the GPX file could be corrupted. OpenCPN will not tell you if you try to import a corrupted GPX file.

Exporting GPX Files

I talked about exporting a single, selected route above. Here I talk about exporting multiple routes. Export All Visible… will export all route in the list to your computer. Clicking it will bring up a File Explorer menu to specify where the GPX file is stored on your computer. Only routes that are shown will be exported. Routes with a red “X” through the eyeball will not be exported. This is a good method of backing-up all your routes. Another way to export multiple routes is to select the routes by clicking on the routes you want to export while holding down the ctrl key, and then clicking Export Selected.

Managing Tracks

A track is similar to a route, except that it is based on actual travel. When you click on the Tracks tab in the Route and Mark Manager you see a list of tracks listed by name and length. You can click on the eyeball icon to the left of the track name to toggle showing and not showing the track.

On Questeria, we save our tracks from our Garmin 4208 chartplotter to an SD card. Then, we import them into HomePort. Next, we rename the tracks to show the date and export them to the computer, as a GPX file. We don’t import every track into OpenCPN, but sometimes we want to look at one and use it to refine our route. Importing a track into OpenCPN is just like importing a route. Click Import GPX… and select the GPX file of the track.

If you use OpenCPN as a chartplotter, you can start a new track by clicking Start Track. You can perform many of the same actions as routes, like Properties, Delete, Export, etc.

Another action available is to create a route from a track. Just click Route from Track and OpenCPN will create a route. I don’t use this feature because, in my opinion, the route has too many waypoints. I think it is easier to create a new route, using the track as a guideline.

Managing Waypoints

Select the Waypoints tab in the Routes and Marks Manager to manage your waypoints. You will see a list of your waypoints, their names and their distance from your location. To the left of the route name is the icon for the waypoint, such as an anchor or a diamond. The actions you can perform on a selected waypoint are the same as a route.

We like to have the same waypoints on OpenCPN and HomePort. We import and export to keep the two programs in sync. Importing and exporting waypoints works the same as importing and exporting routes and tracks

Summary

There is a lot more to OpenCPN than what I have described here. It’s pretty easy to use once you start. The documentation is excellent, if you are the kind of person who likes to read manuals, but if you aren’t, it’s pretty easy to figure out. If you make a mistake, you can undo it or delete, and start over. Export your routes, tracks and waypoints periodically to save your work.

Next

In the next post of this series, I will talk in detail about HomePort. Then, in future posts, I’ll talk about ActiveCaptain, GPX tools and putting it all together with an example.

Footnotes Addressing OpenCPN 5.0+

¹ OpenCPN version 5.0 replaced the wrench icon with a cogwheel icon.

² NOAA Raster Nautical Charts (RNC) are being discontinued. Click here for more details.

³ Zoom-in/out buttons are gone in OpenCPN version 5.0.

⁴ Scale up/down buttons are gone in OpenCPN version 5.0. Instead, use the rectangles in the chart bar, or right-click and select Scale In or Scale Out.

⁵ In OpenCPN 5.0, Max Detail Here will take you to your boat location. Instead, click on the desired location and then on the left-most rectangle in the chart bar at the bottom of the display.

⁶ In OpenCPN version 5.0 the tool bar is hidden when creating a route. You can click the Show Toolbar icon (three horizontal lines) to end the route.