Updated 20-Mar-2026

This is a collection of Track files and Waypoint files that I have collected over the last few years.  We have not been up the Red Sea yet, so these are not my tracks and waypoints.  Some of the track files were converted from Maxsea and might possibly have a shift built into the tracks and waypoints (this is not common, however).  They should ALL be taken with a grain of salt and used as "advice" and not "gospel".

These are (mostly) set up to work best with OpenCPN v5.  However, they will work OK with OpenCPN v4, and will import into SAS.Planet with minor issues (the Sas and OpenCPN waypoint symbols don't match up).  It's also possible to import into other apps (Garmin GPS using Garmin HomePort), Navionics App, etc.

You have several options how to use them.  

1.  The cautious people will use the OpenCPN Temporary Layer feature to import each file one by one to see what it looks like and whether you like what it looks like.

2.  An incautious person would just "Import GPX" in the Routes Manager in OpenCPN and delete what they don't like.  But merging others' waypoints of uncertain accuracy with yours is an incautious thing to do.

3.  Someone who knows how to find the OpenCPN Layers folder (inside the OpenCPN data folder) can take this whole lot and copy it to the layers folder as-is (there is a reason some files are out in the open and some are in folders).  And you know how to hide or get rid of layers you don't want, right?  Each folder of multiple files will appear as one layer, so you can hide and show all the files with one click.

4. With OpenCPN v5.0 and up, you can use the Routes Manager to import a layer as a permanent layer, which the people in #1 might want to do after they've looked over a layer to make sure it meets their approval.

5. With OpenCPN v5.0 and up, most of the waypoints will not show on the chart until you zoom in to 1:1,000,000 or closer.  If you wish to see them all while zoomed out, go to Settings / Ships page, and look for the New Waypoints section, and check the checkbox that says "Override the Settings for chartscale based visibility and show always".

6.  With OpenCPN v5.0 and up, if you wish to permanently hide the layer, go to Routes and Waypoints Manager / Layers, and click the eyeball next to the layer name.  You can also leave the waypoints visible but hide the names (to declutter the chart).  Double-clicking on a waypoint will still bring up a box with the name in it.

Once you have the waypoints and/or routes and tracks imported as permanent layers, it is easy to hide them and make them visible again (Routes Manager, see the eyeball to the left of the layer name, click on the eyeball to hide it, click again to make it visible again).

The Red Sea Waypoints are set up to be hidden automatically from view until you are zoomed in to 1:1,000,000.  The Major Ports will be visible all the time.  The major ports are good for getting an overview of where things are, when people talk about "Hurghada", etc, you can find it easily.

Complexity is a monohull with a 1.9m draft.  Ganesh is a monohull with a 1.2m draft.  En Dian is 2.0m 
The others I do not know.

Sherry McCampbell  sherry@svsoggypaws.com
s/v Soggy Paws
January 2021