Confession, I love nautical charts. I’m really not sure why but if I walk in to a pub and spy one on the wall I have to have a good look. I think it’s partly because they add unusual layers of detail that don’t exist on normal maps (tidal changes, measured depths, wreaks, etc) and also because every sandbank, channel, island, nook and cranny has a name and more often than not an interesting name giving hints to the history of that particular location. In their own way they take on an artistic form merging cartography and patterns of statistical data related to changes in nature.

Langstone Harbour and Chichester Harbour are both tidal and very large and as such nautical charts of the area are heavy with intriguing detail about a location many of us know so well. The Chichester Harbour Conservancy website has an amazing interactive chart of the harbours that allow you to navigate around and the zoom in to find out more. I spent quite some time exploring the small channels below Thorney Island, the small islands in Langstone Harbour, the different creeks at Bosham and The Winner sandbank at East Head.

As well as being something interesting for the curious, practical for the sailors and also artistically beautiful in it’s own way the chart has given me some good ideas for walks and a bit of exploring. Time to figure out tide times to see if I can explore those Langstone Harbour islands with my camera…

www.conservancy.co.uk/page/Chart/326/

Below are a couple of screen grabs of the chart. Get exploring.