Atlas of Pilot Charts

Pilot Charts rank near the top as one of the most valuable assets for the long distance cruiser or passagemaker. As an aid to the navigator, it provides an additional tool for voyage planning by allowing a route to be selected that is favorable as to winds, weather, and ocean conditions.

Pilot Charts depict in some detail the prevailing weather patterns including: wind directions and speeds, wave heights, ocean currents, visibility, barometric pressures, sea surface temperatures, percentage possibilities for winds of Force 8 or greater, and ice limits to be found in the areas covered for each month of the year.

Pilot Charts

Pilot charts are issued in 5 volumes:

The "Pilot Chart of the North Atlantic Ocean" (Pub. #106) covering an area from 68° N southward to 5° N and from 100° W eastward to 33° E. Approximately from the East Coast of North America, Central America, and the northern portions of South America eastward to the West Coast of Europe and Africa including the Mediterranean and North Seas.
The "Pilot Chart of the South Atlantic Ocean" (Pub. #105) covering an area from 5° N southward to 60° S and from 78° W eastward to 34° E. Approximately from the East Coast of South America eastward to the West Coast of Africa.
The "Pilot Chart of the North Pacific Ocean" (Pub. #108) covering an area from 73° N southward to 5° S and from 127° E eastward to 75° W. Approximately from the East Coast of Russia, China, and the islands of Indonesia eastward to the West Coast of North America, Central America, and the northern portions of South America.
The "Pilot Chart of the South Pacific Ocean" (Pub. #107) covering an area from 10° N southward to 60° S and from 140° E eastward to 67° W. Approximately from the East Coast of Australia eastward to the West Coast of South America.
The "Pilot Chart of the Indian Ocean" (Pub. #109) covering an area from 31° N southward to 50° S and from 10° E eastward to 160° E. Approximately from the SW coast of Africa east to the East Coast of Australia.

All information is presented graphically for each 5° section of the chart and describes the averages from meteorological and oceanographic observations made over hundreds of years for each month of the year.