Practical small-craft navigation, sail or power, from the basics to everything you need to navigate safely and efficiently on inland and coastal waters in all weather. Learn traditional and electronic methods side by side.
This course teaches practical small-craft navigation, sail or power. It starts from the basics and ends with everything you need to navigate safely and efficiently on inland and coastal waters, in all weather conditions. It suits beginners and experienced mariners alike.
Two methods, one course. You learn traditional and electronic navigation at the same time. You solve each practice problem the traditional way, on a paper chart with standard plotting tools, and then electronically in an echart program using waypoints, bearing lines and range rings.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
• Reading nautical charts and Chart No. 1 symbols
• Compass use, variation and deviation
• Dead reckoning and position fixing: bearings, ranges and running fixes
• Aids to navigation, lights and buoyage
• Tides and tidal currents
• Piloting in restricted waters and route planning
• Electronic chart navigation with waypoints, routes, bearing lines and range rings
• Navigating in limited visibility and adverse weather
COURSE MATERIALS
• Inland and Coastal Navigation textbook, Navigation Workbook and ENC Essentials (print)
• A paper training chart
• Chart No. 1, Navigation Rules, U.S. Coast Pilot, USCG Light Lists (digital)
• OpenCPN software, custom echarts and NOAA echarts
• Online lessons, an instructor-graded quiz for each lesson, and discussion forums
All materials are provided except plotting tools.
Prerequisites: None. The course starts from the basics.
Study your way: Use search engines and online resources while you work through the lessons, assignments and quizzes in the interactive online classroom. Away from the computer, study with the printed texts and the paper chart.
Platform: Mac or Windows. Accessible from any computer with an internet connection.