Joe Engel wrote: >>In addition, I don't know where the Canadians are in all of this free ENC chart business. The NOAA website implies that >>many countries are involved but it is not clear to me how. Can I download a full-blown S-57 CHS chart free? I regret to say that the Canadians are nowhere in the free ENC chart business. Based on a recent discussion with a CHS representative, their position is that the US is out of step with the rest of the world in making the S-57 charts available free of charge and that we are not likely to see Canada going that route. I don't know what other major chart producers, such as the UK are doing, but I suspect that, based on their apparent paranoia about copying of electronic charts and maps, they are also not about to launch a giveaway. In Canada we have something called Crown copyright which I think we inherited from the Brits. This means that the government can control by way of licensing the distribution of its publications, including paper and electronic charts. As I understand it, in the US, there is no limitation on copying and distributing charts (other than the eminently reasonable restrictions memtioned in the NOAA website). Moreover, as a further barrier to free distribution, CHS has granted an exclusive license, which runs at least until 2008 to Nautical Data International, Inc. (www.digitalocean.ca) for distribution of all CHS chart material in electronic form. So far as I am aware, this was done without any consultation with the marine community. S-57 charts have been available for some time, directed towards the commercial shipping market, but at a very fancy price. Just in the last month or so, NDI have announced recreational packages of vector s-57 charts for the recreational market. Again, the price is very high. See the website for details. Having dealt with NDI, I am not optimistic that we will see price reductions any time soon. Vectoriously yours, J.E. Fordyce Entre Deux Mers Marine Trader 36 Sundeck Killbear Marina, Georgian Bay ON