Imray is the leading publisher of nautical information for leisure sailors.
Marine charts, pilot books and cruising guides, and digital apps.
We publish award-winning electronic and paper nautical charts, high quality pilot books and cruising guides by prominent sailing authors and clubs, and nautical information via our apps.
Imray, Laurie, Norie and Wilson Ltd was formed in 1904 when three chart publishing firms merged. It is still owned and run by descendants of the original founders, and operates with an independent, family run ethos.
Our small expert team
Cartographers, editors, product designers and operations staff work closely with the sailing community to commission, publish and distribute our comprehensive range of charts and cruising guides for popular sailing areas worldwide. We are the only independent nautical chart producer with approval from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. This is for the use of Imray charts on coded and fishing vessels under 24m.
A long and prestigious history
Each of the founding companies of Imray had a long and prestigious history going back to the mid-1700s, when the hubbub of merchant ships filled the London docklands and these early cartographers, nautical instrument makers and pilot book publishers worked alongside ships’ captains and crew. Our charts were supplied to mariners around the world.
Blueback charts
For over a century, Imray Blueback charts were the first choice of many shipping companies. Norie's Nautical Tables, a book of calculations for astronavigation, was first published in 1803 and remains one of our bestsellers today. Blueback charts were so-called because of the sturdy blue manila backing paper that made the charts more durable. Nowadays, we use special custom-milled Pretex paper to serve the same purpose.
The Little Wooden Midshipman
In the mid-1800s, Charles Dickens regularly walked past Norie’s shop in Leadenhall Street, London. He took a particular liking to the Little Wooden Midshipman – the shop sign that stood outside. He wrote him into his book Dombey and Son. The Midshipman now lives in the Dickens Museum in London. Today, he proudly looks through his sextant on our company logo. 'My day’s no-business beckoning me to the east-end of London, I had turned my face to that point of the Metropolitan compass on leaving Covent Garden, and had got past my Little Wooden Midshipman, after affectionately patting him on one leg of his knee-shorts, for old acquaintance sake.’ Charles Dickens, 'Dombey and Son', 1848
In 1904, the founding companies merged as a result of the government making it mandatory for ships to carry official Admiralty charts. Our focus turned to yachting as it became an increasingly popular pastime. We began to tailor our charts and books to small craft, and cemented our reputation internationally as the leading publisher of high-quality information for the leisure sailor. During the early part of the 20th century, our charts, sailing directions and pilot books began to evolve for the yachting market. The 1930s saw us expand to run a yacht delivery business. One of the skippers was Frank Worsley, the navigator of Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic expedition ship the Endurance. In the 1960s, we launched our Kingfisher series of charts for fishing vessels. As the world continued to open to international travel, Imray's catalogue of books and charts expanded to popular sailing areas including the Mediterranean and Caribbean.
Ever-evolving technology
Our earliest charts were drawn by hand from surveys by explorers including Captain James Cook. During the 18th century, these were printed using copper plate etchings. Around 1900, we began using litho-press technology but coloured light flashes were still added by hand. In 1995, we moved to desktop computer publishing and, in 1999, introduced geographic information system (GIS) technology for the production of charts. The late 2000s saw the launch of our first apps for iPad and iPhone, and today we publish digital products on a range of platforms. We print paper charts on demand at our headquarters on customised wide-format digital printing presses.
Buy our products online or from one of our retailers in more than 40 countries
We partner with the most prestigious sailing clubs worldwide, and we're members of The British Cartographic Society, International Map Industries Association, Royal Institute of Navigation, the Cruising Association and the Inland Waterways Association.
Imray's home at Wych House
Our headquarters is at Wych House in St Ives, Cambridgeshire. We moved here from the City of London in 1939.
Imray Laurie Norie & Wilson Ltd is ISO9001:2015 certified for the publication, production and distribution of nautical charts and books. BSI certificate number FS612740.