Navicarte Nautical Chart (Folio): Precision Expertise for Recreational Sailing

In the demanding world of coastal and offshore navigation, the Navicarte nautical chart (folio) plays an essential role in ensuring a reliable and safe sailing experience. Specifically designed for recreational sailors, these charts provide excellent coverage of the French coastline and selected areas of Spain. They are intended for rigorous voyage planning, offering the comprehensive overview needed to understand the sailing environment and optimise routes at sea.

Nautic Way Maritime Bookshop, a recognised specialist in navigation publications, offers these folios as part of its range designed to support sailors and enhance safety at sea. Choosing a Navicarte folio means opting for a clear, precise and easy-to-read navigation medium, ideal for sailing many nautical miles with confidence.

What is a Navicarte nautical chart (folio) used for?

The value of a Navicarte folio lies in its ability to synthesise complex hydrographic data in a practical and intuitive format. Unlike large-format charts, the folio is presented as an A2-format booklet containing several charts at different scales.

Practical uses and real-life situations

• Cruise planning: Combining several scales makes it easy to move from an overall view of the area to a more detailed view for approaches.

• Discovering anchorages: These charts are ideal for identifying attractive anchorages and anticipating sheltered areas.

• Coastal and offshore navigation: The folio format is particularly well suited to following your progress along the coast while maintaining an overview of isolated hazards and navigation marks.

• Decision-making support: In the event of a sudden change in weather, the folio makes it possible to quickly identify nearby natural or artificial shelter.

Added value compared with digital navigation alone

Although GPS chartplotters are now commonplace, the folio paper chart provides an essential overall view for strategic planning. It is the ultimate backup navigation system, reliable without dependence on electrical power, and allows more detailed analysis when combined with digital navigation through dynamic layering of information.

What type of sailor is this chart recommended for?

Nautic Way provides these solutions for a wide range of maritime users for whom precision is essential.

• Recreational sailors and families: Clear information and contrasting colours make these charts ideal for summer sailing and relaxed family outings.

• Recreational fishermen: An essential tool for identifying authorised fishing areas, wrecks, isolated rocks and currents affecting fish.

• Professionals and maritime schools: Merchant navy officers, shipowners and training centres use these charts for their readability and simplified symbols.

• Regular sailors: Their robust, water-resistant paper and practical format make them an ideal companion for those who sail frequently in coastal areas.

Reading and understanding the Navicarte folio

The success of the folio format lies in its ergonomic graphic design, developed for immediate interpretation and allowing key features of coastal areas to be identified at a glance.

Visible strategic information

Each folio brings together critical information for safe navigation:

• Precise bathymetry: Soundings, depth contours and seabed characteristics to help adjust courses.

• Buoyage and lights: Clear identification of channels, navigation marks and hazards for both day and night navigation.

• Practical information: Locations of ports, nautical facilities and regulated areas.

• Appropriate scales: Each page covers a relevant geographical area, helping sailors anticipate manoeuvres and routes.

References available in the catalogue

Nautic Way currently offers 7 products in this category, covering strategic areas:

• ATL1: Morgat to Le Croisic.

• ATL2: Lorient to Île d'Yeu.

• ATL3: Île d'Yeu to Bordeaux.

• ATL4: Arcachon to Santander (Spain).

• MED3: French Riviera – Toulon to San Remo.

• MED4: Cerbère to La Ciotat.

• MED5: Cerbère to Barcelona (Spain).

Reliability, updates and safety

At sea, safety is the absolute priority. The quality of updated hydrographic data, combined with Navicarte's ergonomic presentation, supports every decision made on board.

Price and obsolescence: points to consider

The retail price of Navicarte charts is regulated under France's Lang Law of 10 August 1981, which limits the maximum discount to 5%. Prices at Nautic Way generally range from €18.44 to €19.45 per folio. Be cautious about discounts of more than 5% advertised elsewhere: they may indicate the sale of obsolete charts, representing a significant safety risk because buoyage and seabed information can change.

Nautic Way's historic expertise serving sailors

Choosing Nautic Way Maritime Bookshop means relying on recognised specialist expertise:

• Reference specialist: Nautic Way is a leading retailer of nautical charts and navigation publications, providing expert advice to help optimise your sailing.

• Heritage and expertise: Building on centuries of specialist knowledge, including the acquisition of Librairie Maritime Outremer, founded in 1838, we serve professionals and recreational sailors with one of the widest selections available online.

• Personalised advice: Our in-depth knowledge of more than 20,000 references enables us to guide you towards the ideal format — folio, folded or digital — for your vessel.

• Safety commitment: We distribute only documentation that complies with the latest updates to support safe and reliable navigation.

FAQ

Which Navicarte folio nautical chart should I choose for sailing in the Atlantic? The choice depends on your sailing area: folio ATL1 covers southern Brittany, from Morgat to Le Croisic, while ATL4 extends as far as Santander in Spain.

Is this folio chart sufficient on its own for my safety? Although it combines rigorous cartography with the practicality of a cruising guide, it should be used together with complementary documents such as tide tables and Lists of Lights for comprehensive risk management.

How often should I replace my Navicarte chart? To ensure safe navigation, it is essential to use up-to-date editions. Underwater hazards and buoyage can change; an obsolete chart represents a safety risk.

Can folio charts be used with a GPS? Absolutely. The paper chart provides a reliable reference for validating the information displayed by your electronic navigation equipment and serves as an essential backup in the event of battery failure or lightning-related damage.

What is the difference between a Navicarte folio chart and a folded chart? A folded chart is a single large-format A0 chart. A folio is an A2-format collection containing several charts at different scales, making it more practical for step-by-step consultation in the cockpit.