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I made made a variety of "ownship" icons for OpenCPN navigation software - in 4 different sizes, 5 styles and in a range of colours. OpenCPN is sophisticated opensource marine navigation software and is free to download and use. These icons are in ".png" format - previously OpenCPN only allowed ownship icons in .xpm format which was cumbersome to create. Now OpenCPN v3.xx allows user icons to be in .png format and this is a whole lot easier to make. These icons were designed and calibrated in CorelDraw, exported to Corel PhotoPaint where it was edited and then exported as PNG image files with a transparent background. These Ownship icons are compatible with OpenCPN v3.xx and onwards. You can download these icons for free and use them for whatever purpose you want.

To use them in OpenCPN;

1. Create a directory called "UserIcons" in the same place that holds your "opencpn.ini" (config) file. (In Windows 7: C:\ProgramData\opencpn)
2. Download the Ownship icons and unzip/unrar somewhere on your computer.
3. Each icon is in it's own unique folder - sorted in Size --> Type --> Style/Colour.
4. Select and copy the "ownship.png" icon you would like to use.
5. Paste this icon in the "Usericons" folder as above.
6. To see your new ownship, attached your GPS and start OpenCPN.
7. The Ownship icon is rendered as grey if there is no valid gps position fix available.
   

Download - WinRAR
Download - WinZip

We are packing like crazy, so there is not much time to visit here. I thought we would be onboard Revelations by now! But it is damn hard work this packing story. We have to sort things out in 3 distinct groups - stuff we will store, stuff to give or throw away and then the stuff we want to take to Revelations. This means that every single item and every paper needs to be checked, discussed and decided upon. I never realized it would be this amount of work. Sue has been sorting and packing for the past month already. Anyway, I decided to take a break from all this work. So back to the computer I went and created this 176 piece interactive jigsaw puzzle. Once we get going and sail the world, I hope to create many more of these puzzles.

Download FREE 176 Piece Interactive Jigsaw Puzzle The .exe file is clear of any viruses - promise.

Talking about national flags of the countries we will be visiting; One is expected to fly the correct flag or ensign of national origin/documentation so that, in a foreign port, local Customs and Immigration Authorities know what they are dealing with before they come aboard.

One flies the yellow Q (”Quarantine”) flag upon arrival in a foreign port to indicate to others that the yacht/ship has not been cleared in and that vendors, etc. may not approach the yacht/ship. It also indicates to Customs/Immigration that one is seeking “Free Pratique” or clearance and admission to the country. Once “cleared in”, one then flies the “Courtesy Flag” of the host country to indicate that the yacht has cleared in. Called “courtesy flag”, but is ain’t just a courtesy.

Many countries have a relaxed view about the size and position of their national flag displayed on the yacht/ship, but some countries are steeped in tradition and etiquette. Some officials feel highly offended if their national flag is smaller in size than your home port flag or if their flag flies at a lower position on the mast as your home port flag. Show the adequate respect and make sure that your home port flag is not larger that the national flag of the country you are visiting. That their flag is flown at a higher elevation than your home port flag. You certainly do not want evoke the wrath of the officialdom, so make sure that their national flag is in good condition and not torn or tattered.

Download FREE Arrival Flag Protocol - in Acrobat Reader format.

Our minds are now shifting to planning our world cruise and we realise it is impossible to do all the planning right now. Things happens, one learns of new adventures and destinations, weather and polictics keep changing, prices and currencies change unabated - so at best one can only plan for the first couple of months. Cruising information is available in abundance - in cruising guides, sailing blogs, nautical maps, sailing forums, magazines, etc. In fact there is so much information available, it is actually confusing. To make matters worse, information is not always accurate and needs to be verified. Strange places are mentioned and sometimes one have no damn clue of its location.

We decided that we need a large printed map of the world and laminated so that we can visually see all the information, what is going on, add notes and marks to hearts desire. Once we have done our planning, some of this information will then be carried over to our chartplotter and navigation software. Once all said and done, simply wipe the lamination clean and your world map is ready for the next planning session. So I created a world map with longitude and latitude Lines (10 degree increments) on A1 paper size, showing all countries, times of tropical storms, etc. It is available for FREE to anybody who desire a world cruise planning map.

1. Download the map in Acrobat Reader format.
2. Take to a professional printer and print on A1 paper size.
3. Then have the printed map plastic encapsulated (laminated).

Download FREE World Cruise Planning Map - A1 Paper size in Acrobat Reader format.

I required some user icons for OpenCPN which are slightly larger and more colourful than the standard ones - so I created my own in .PNG format. Previously OpenCPN only allowed user icons in .xpm format which was cumbersome to create. Now OpenCPN v3.xx allows user icons to be in .png format and this is a whole lot easier to make. These icons were designed in CorelDraw, exported to Corel PhotoPaint where it was edited and then exported as PNG image files with a transparent background. These User Icons are compatible with OpenCPN v3.xx and onwards. You can download these icons for free and use them for whatever purpose you want.

To use them in OpenCPN;

1. Create a directory called "UserIcons" in the same place that holds your opencpn.ini (config) file. (In Windows 7: C:\ProgramData\opencpn)
2. Download the UserIcons and unzip/unrar in your new "UserIcons" folder.
3. The name of the icon file becomes the name of the new waypoint icon. These new icons will appear on the Waypoint Properties dialog, and can be assigned to any waypoint. They can also be assigned in GPX Import files.

Download - WinRAR
Download - WinZip