Publisher: £ 29.95
Imray are in direct and healthy competition with the Hydrographic Office (HO) whose very similar A3 format chart folio is SC5607. Both cover the Essex rivers north to Aldeburgh. Plus points for Imray are the use of waterproof paper (although both folios come in tough plastic wallets, plotting exposes charts to wet hands), coloured representation of the light sectors of lighthouses (as with most continental charts), more detail on nature reserves and launching places, and price (SC are £35). Individual charts are also available for £5.95. Corrections for the Imray folio are available on their web site. Symbols are identical. Both have reference points for use with GPS-coupled chart plotters. An interesting difference is that the tables associated with tidal diamonds have a horizontal time scale, while the HO always used a vertical time scale.
A plus point for the SC folio is the addition of grid lines at one minute intervals to allow accurate plotting of GPS positions by eye. All charts are 1:35,000 scale and specially drawn for the folio, whereas HO charts are portions of the full-size charts at scales felt appropriate to the sea area in question, mostly a larger 1:25,000.
Both folios are equally useful and choice will be mainly a matter of personal preference; those brought up with Imray charts are likely to prefer the Imray folio, and likewise HO users the SC series.-RMG
Page prepared 13 October 2000