Coastal - Navigation

Coastal Navigation Equipment & Skills

Coastal navigation involves the set of skills necessary to safely take your boat to a destination you've not been to before. Daysailers return to the port they came from, but coastal sailors must have the skills to understand the conditions that a new harbor will have before they've been there.

There are multiple sources of information for the coastal sailor. First and foremost are the NOAA paper charts. Even if you have advanced chart-plotting electronics on board, you should have paper charts for a backup. It's also easier to read paper charts and get a sense of perspective. Many chart plotters have small screens that don't show enough of the detail surrounding your current position.

This section is a general overview of navigation for coastal cruising.

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Equipping Your Boat for Coastal Navigation

	Item	Link to Detail
Tools for Manual Navigation
	7x50 Binoculars / Optional: high-power stabilized binoculars are very effective
	Calculator for working out time/speed/distance calculations
	Compass - Hand-held and permanently mounted ship's compass
	Cruising guide books for the area(s) you're visiting
	Lead line for taking soundings
	Paper charts for the area you sail in and for the harbors you'll likely stop at	NOAA chart catalogs Online Chart Viewer
	Tide tables (e.g. Eldridge Almanac for East Coast)
	Tools for paper-based navigation - pencils, eraser, dividers, protractor, parallel rules or rolling rule, calculator
Tools for Electronic Navigation
	Depth sounder (electronic)
	Electronic charting tools (optional) - Chart plotter and chart chips (or computer and charting software
	GPS(s) - Primary and handheld backup. Make sure to have plenty of batteries for handheld GPS's. Also carry data cable(s) if you're hooking up a GPS to your computer.
	Inverter (if using a 110v item like a laptop for navigation). Bring a spare inverter as well
	Radar (optional but recommended)
	Speed and distance log (knotmeter)

Coastal Navigation Skills to Master

	Item	Link to Detail
Basic Manual Navigation Skills
	Ability to identify basic symbols on a nautical chart and match up features on the chart with real-world markers and features
	Ability to use a hand-bearing compass to determine the bearing from a marker to your boat
	Ability to plot your position on the chart based on readings from a hand-bearing compass
	Ability to plot a course from where you currently are to your destination.
	Ability to measure the distance between two points on a chart
	Ability to identify hazards such as shoal waters, rocks, breakwaters, etc. from the symbols on a nautical chart
Basic Electronic Navigation Skills
	Ability to use a GPS to find your latitude and longitude
	Ability to plot your position on a paper chart based on a GPS reading
	Ability to set a waypoint on the GPS and navigate to that waypoint

Links to Outside Resources

	Item	Link to Detail
Manual Navigation
	Tutorial on reading nautical charts	Chart #1 - Nautical Chart Symbols Download as PDF
	Tutorial on using a hand-bearing compass and plotting your position
	Links to free navigation courses from the Power Squadron (highly recommended)	US Power Squadron
	Link to online navigation course from www.boatsafe.com (fee applies)	Online course
	Advanced navigation course from www.sailingissues.com (free)	Online course (free)
	Online movie - aids to navigation , from www.boatsafe.com	Online movie
	Online tutorial - aids to navigation, from US Sailing	Link

Electronic Navigation
	Tutorial on basics of GPS usage	Garmin's GPS Guide for Beginners (PDF)
	NOAA article on the accuracy of electronic charts and electronic navigation	Article
	MapTech - view any nautical chart online by city/state/zip	Link

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