Google Earth

[MikeJohns]

Having just installed internet broadband I had a quick peek at Google Earth and got off 4 hours later !
So many clear pictures of potential anchorages and routes that are simply shown as hazard on the charts.

Coves that are shown as dimples in the coast line suddenly become attractive anchorages with shelter sandy bottom and good depth.
If you are fortunate enough to encounter the higher res photos in the area of interest then you can also see the wave/swell patterns very clearly and assess the degree of shelter afforded.

The latest software is better giving a clearer larger image. Australia is well treated to high res images but some other areas I have been such as the Caribbean do not have such good images yet.

Very highly recommended to any boater. I can clearly see my own yacht on her mooring.

[marshmat]

It's a wonderful piece of work, that's for sure. Sometimes on slow days I just check out far-off coves, beaches and passages for 20 years down the road, when I actually have the money to make those trips...
Google Earth uses the same database as http://maps.google.com for those with no HD space left Great photography... they're working towards 1 m resolution over the world's major populated areas.
I checked out a lake near me yesterday, that I had just checked out in the boat... could see more of the many submerged rocks from the sat than from the helm!

[hansp77]

for a bit of fun you should try google earth pro.
They give you a week free trial usage.
There are some pretty cool features on it, of which only a few I have used.
all sorts of information and web links come up, the first I noticed was a live webcam link to St Kilda pier where my boat is moored.
if you have the bandwidth, then it is worth the download.
Don't know about the price though.

[safewalrus]

'Tis a magic bit of kit tho' pity there's only a certain amount of high resolution stuff - funny it's all in Secret Areas and other peoples at that, wonder why that is? (you get visions of men in black logging on to google earth like crazy)

[Frosty]

I though it to be very old information, certainly the ground zero of the twin towers for instance. Here in Malaysia I can see pre Tsunami marinas that arent there any more.

[simon1234]

Those clever chaps at Google have also released google mars. Interesting to look at, although I can't see many of us yachties planning a trip there in the near future!

http://www.google.com/mars/

[hansp77]

Originally Posted by jack frost

I though it to be very old information, certainly the ground zero of the twin towers for instance. Here in Malaysia I can see pre Tsunami marinas that arent there any more.

Sure most of the info is old, but it aint all that old. Besides, it is doomed to be historical because it is picture file, not a live image.
Where I live and have my boat we are lucky to have great resolution and it is pretty recent as there are recognizable boats on their moorings.
I am not sure but I think their focus is more upon improving resolution rather than updating images.
Either way I still love it.

[SeaSpark]

A google earth link to updated (updated every 3 hours) satellite images of cloud coverage of the earth. The images are projected over the google earth globe.

http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/download.php?Number=373671

[SeaSpark]

Less detailed globe but with animated cloud coverage, iceberg and weather buoy tracking.

Demo version offers lots of functionality.

http://www.earthbrowser.com/

[yipster]

downloaded google earth the other day but your saying these clouds are live ?
iff, than i want earthbrowser too

[SeaSpark]

Yup, live sort of, no more than 3 hours old.

[SeaSpark]

Visible shipwrecks in google earth, collection of "placemarks".

http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showflat.php?Number=199760

edit:

Hmm.... somehow the shipwreck collection mostly points to blue water, it worked fine with the previous version of Google earth.

[yipster]

Originally Posted by SeaSpark

Yup, live sort of, no more than 3 hours old.

thanks for the reply Seaspark, i'll check it out. was searching for similar before!
Library of Links & with water temps

[Mychael]

Seems to be most pics are about 2 years old. I see renovations I've done on my house in the last 2 yrs but not my boat which I've just moved from Port Phillip bay over to Westernport Bay.
Be good if updated photos, I could check my boat from home.
Mychael

[SeaSpark]

Collection of maritime related overlays for Google Earth.

Tide predictions, Bathymetry, Weather, World Magnetic Declination and many others.

Warning: The Mediterranean nautical charts overlay seriously crached my laptop, guess it has to do with the limited graphics capabilities of it.

http://www.justmagic.com/GM-GE.html

Mychael,

When you turn on "DG Coverage" in the "Layers" side menu, you can see the exact date when the high resolution pictures were taken.