About overview charts
Our popular overview charts at a scale of 1:100,000 are intended as planning charts and “companion charts” for those navigating on electronic platforms. The overview charts are a generalization of the Swedish Maritime Administration’s charts as well as our own, with an approximate depth contour of 6 meters, and include all major floating and fixed navigational marks.
We currently have five different overview charts: Stockholm archipelago, lake Mälaren, the east coast, Bohuslän, and lake Vänern.
All our overview charts are printed on Polyart and are available both plano (unfolded) and folded to A4 format. Most of the overview charts are also available as wall maps in various formats and scales. The wall maps are printed on paper.
Contents of overview charts
The overview charts are a generalization and compilation of the Swedish Maritime Administration’s charts and our own charts, intended as planning tools. They are not the result of new hydrographic surveys but are based on the most recently updated official charts and Hydrographica’s own detailed small craft charts.
Land areas are shown in yellow, and waters shallower than about 6 meters are shaded light blue. As long as you remain in the “white water” areas, you can navigate with confidence. Above-water rocks, rocks awash, and underwater rocks are highly generalized, and detailed navigation requires larger-scale charts.
All major fixed and floating navigational marks are included, but in areas with a high density of marks, not all can be shown at the 1:100,000 scale—in such cases, reference should be made to larger-scale charts. Lighthouses are shown with symbols and names, but their light characteristics and sectors are not included.
Official tracks are shown with a solid grey line, while other common routes between archipelago areas are indicated with a dashed blue line.
Speed limits, protected wildlife areas, bridge clearances, and other important information are also included on the overview charts.
Different formats
The overview charts are available in several different formats for different uses.
Onboard versions
The primary intended use of the overview and planning charts is onboard the boat, for voyage planning. They are an unparalleled complement to the navigator/plotter: you plan your route on the overview chart but use the navigator/plotter for detailed navigation. Most people purchase the overview charts in folded A4 format, but for those who prefer to fold them themselves or use them unfolded, they are also available in plano (unfolded).
Wall maps
All overview charts, except for Lake Mälaren, are available as wall charts. These are designed as decorative wall pieces rather than for navigation. The wall charts have been slightly edited to make them visually appealing and are printed on regular paper. They come in several formats suitable for framing, either DIY or through a frame shop. Wall charts are not updated as frequently as the onboard versions, but are reprinted with updates when a new edition is produced.