Coastal Navigation (ASA 105)

This course is designed to help you navigate within sight of land in coastal waters.  This is one of the most important courses you can take.  If it takes an additional 10 minutes to get from point A to point B, nobody cares, hit a rock - everyone is going to get excited.

The course is taught in two ways, 1) using traditional instrumentation, but not GPS and 2) as if you have lost all electricity on the boat, so there is no GPS and for that matter no knotmeter, no depthsounder - only a compass!  We even teach how to create an emergency sun compass!!

Topics covered are:

  1. Definitions of navigational terms (Domestic & International).
  2. Pro and Cons of different types of necessary navigation equipment.
  3. Symbols, abbreviations and conventions for U.S. Hydrographic Charts.
  4. Symbols, abbreviations and conventions for International Hydrographic Charts - they are different.
  5. What to look for (navigation wise) when approaching a foreign harbor.
  6. Usage of all the government publications - light list, coastal pilot.
  7. Applicable Rules of the Road, both U.S. and foreign.
  8. Thorough coverage of the use of Tide and Current Tables.
  9. Understanding of compass errors.
  10. Creation of a deviation card for a compass.
  11. Plotting a dead reckoning position.
  12. How to use a danger bearing.
  13. Quick calculations for Speed Of Boat (no knotmeter) and distance away from a light.
  14. Five different methods of determining your position (3 bearing fix, doubling the angle on the bow, Bowditch table 17, advancing a line of position, depth sounder navigation).
  15. Calculating and adjusting for drift (non tidal).
  16. Calculating and adjusting for tidal set and drift.

Course runs for 9 consecutive weeks. The course costs include the following items (which will be shipped to you prior to the start of the class):

  1. Notes and Power Point presentation slides.
  2. The following is a list of charts we use - notice these are current (within a month of you taking the class) - not training charts that are 25 years out of date: 
      U.S. 13218 Martha's Vineyard to Block Island, B&W copy of U.S. 18521 Columbia River, B&W copy of NZ 5322 Approaches to Auckland Harbour, B&W copy of AUS 200 Port Jackson (Sidney, Australia) Harbour, B&W copy of Brazil 24161 Rio de Janeiro Harbour, B&W copy of Canadian 3463 - Strait of Georgia.
  3. Relevant photocopies of government publications - List of Lights (U.S. and New Zealand), Coastal Pilot (U.S. and New Zealand), Table 18 from Bowditch, Tide and current tables (U.S.).
  4. Questions and answers for each section.
  5. 4 month of class review time.

Supplies needed:

  1. Rolling Ruler (or parallel rulers)
  2. Dividers
  3. Several pencils and a large eraser

Cost for the 9 week course which begins Tuesday, February 12, 2013 is $369.00

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