Since Fugawi Marine ENC includes all available NOAA raster and vector charts, you're all set if you are only cruising in U.S. coastal or inland waters. For Canadian or international boaters, you must purchase supplemental digital charts. No other country provides their nautical chart files for free.
However, there is another bonus: The Navionics Multi Card Reader, a small USB device, lets you read Navionics chart cards within Marine ENC. If you already own Navionics digital charts on Compact Flash, Secure Digital, or MultiMedia cards such as Gold, Gold+, or Silver charts, you're in luck. You'll also want the card reader to transfer routes between your PC and a Navionics-compatible chartplotter such as the Raymarine C- or E-Series.
It will be easier to navigate through your data if you have a copy of NOAA's Catalog of Charts & Publications. These brochures, which display the chart numbers and their boundaries, are available for free at any marine store that sells NOAA paper charts. Alternatively, you can download state-by-state chart catalogs in PDF format directly from NOAA (see link below).
GETTING STARTED
We had no trouble installing the software or reading in our Navionics Gold+ charts using the Navionics card reader. The software took over with window prompts and the installation was very straightforward. If you do have problems getting your card reader to work, you may need a software update. Instructions on how to obtain one are on the Fugawi website (see link below).
However, be prepared for some frustration and delay when you first load your own charts or the data on the Bonus Data Pack. Installing the data from the Data Pack ran up several hours of calls to Canada until we collectively figured out workarounds to install one data set at a time. Through all these tech support calls, Fugawi remained extremely responsive and friendly. But don't say we didn't warn you. We had heard Fugawi Marine ENC could be a bit difficult to get up and running–and it was.
Fugawi; Northpoint SystemsThe Map Library allows flexible organization of charts and maps. Note the separate folders for Maptech BSB4s, Navionics charts and street maps.
The quirky Canada-centric registration process is your first warning that this may be a bit bumpy. Prompting you for a province and then erasing all of your U.S. entered data will definitely have you shaking your head. In the end, if the bonus data will not install, there are excellent instructions on the Fugawi website (see link below). If those do not help, contact tech support.
Before loading additional charts, you should develop an organizational strategy to manage your chart files and folders. Loading newer versions of charts you already have will likely create duplicate charts in the Chart Library. You must isolate or remove potential duplicates manually, checking for the most current edition. The program does not automatically identify and display the most recent addition to your chart collection. For example, if your chart folder contains three charts of Miami Harbor, the software simply takes the first one in the folder, regardless of whether it is the most recent chart. If you are a folder slob, mend your ways or be very careful using this program.
A set of Navionics charts, stored on a cartridge and accessed through the card reader, are a worthwhile extra. For example, a single $179 16XG Gold+ card gives you a lot of charts and additional data, including coverage of the entire U.S. East Coast, Florida Keys, Bahamas and Bermuda, and much of the West Coast of Florida. In addition, they include street name overlay data, tides and currents, and marina locations–all with a trouble-free data installation.
When it came to hardware, Marine ENC worked well with our external USB GPS sensor and the setup was straightforward. The software also integrates with AIS information if you connect an AIS receiver to your PC, and Marine ENC added extensive AIS features as part of the version 4.5 update. Vessels that are transmitting an AIS signal are color-coded to indicate whether they are underway or stationary. The outline of the vessel is drawn to scale and shows its name, type, track, and current heading.
It is also worth noting that Marine ENC can be run on a Pocket PC or Palm device, though we did not test the software on anything more portable than a laptop.
