Navigation Workbook for Practice Underway: For Power-driven and Sailing Vessels

Use these practical exercises when underway to master the basic skills of marine navigation and weather observations. They use live situations as you confront them. They are designed to be worked in any waterway, power or sail, underway or at anchor, at various times during one voyage or many. Step by step instructions provided, as well as a suggested layout for work forms that you can make in your logbook or download for use with the ebook.



This exercise book has been used in onboard navigation training courses, power and sail, for many years. It was originally designed for students to carry on with practice when they were not on watch getting direct instructor training during extended training voyages. It can be used for day sails or long coastal passages.



Once you master the skills of these exercises you can be confident you have a practical working knowledge of navigation. These are skills and procedures that every navigator should know.



Owners of the Kindle version of the book can download a printable pdf file of useful plotting sheets, work forms, and personal logbook pages at starpath.com/workbooks. Main reference books cited are available in Kindle format.



CONTENTS



Overview and Instructions 5



Basic Chart Work 7

CW-1. Use of Chart Catalog 7

CW-2. Lat/Lon, Range and Bearings 8

CW-3. Depths and Soundings 9

CW-4. Buoys 10

CW-5. Lighthouses 11

CW-6. Coast Pilots and Sailing Directions 12

CW-7. Local Knowledge 13



Special Communications and AIS 14

COM-1. Securite’, Pan Pan, and Mayday Communications 14

COM-2. Broadcast Notice to Mariners 15

COM-3. Automated Identification System 16

COM-4. AIS Maximum Range 16

COM-5. AIS Communication 17

COM-6. Virtual & Synthetic Navaids 17



Tides and Currents 18

TC-1. Tides at Anchor 18

TC-2. Currents Underway 19



Radar 20

R-1. Basic Radar Controls 20

R-2. Confirm GPS Position Using Radar Range and Bearing 21

R-3. Distinguish Buoys and Moving Vessels 22

R-4. Closest Point of Approach 23

R-5. Relative Motion Diagram (Rapid Radar Plotting) 24

R-6. Radar Piloting 25

R-7. Position Fix with Radar 26



Navigation Rules 27

NR-1. Reading Assignments 27

NR-2. Sound Signals Underway 28

NR-3. Lights Underway 29

NR-4. Right of Way 30

NR-5. Rule 19d 31



Piloting 32

P-1. Bearing Fix 32

P-2. LOP by Natural Ranges 33

P-3. Fix by Soundings 34

P-4. COP from Vertical Sextant Angle 35

P-5. Three-body Fix by Sextant 36



Electronic Charting 37

EC-1. Basic Skills 37

EC-2. Route Monitoring Underway 38



GPS Navigation 39

GPS-1. Basic Skills 39

GPS-2. Route Monitoring Underway 40

GPS-3. Confirm Position Accuracy 41



Dead Reckoning 42

DR-1. Basic Terms 42

DR-2. ETA to Waypoint 43

DR-3. Magnetic Variation 44

DR-4. Compass Check on Range 45



Weather 46

W-1. VHF Weather Sources 46

W-2. VHF Weather Reports 48

W-3. Cloud Spotting 51

W-4. Apparent Wind to True Wind 52

W-5. Barometer Comparisons 53



Celestial Navigation 54

CN-1. Star Spotting 54

CN-2. Twilight Times 55

CN-3. Checking Watch Time 56

CN-4. Compass Checks from the Sun 57

CN-5. Sun line Running Fix 58

CN-6. Sun-Moon Fix 59

CN-7. Star-Planet Fix 60



Navigation Challenges 61

NC-1. Unforeseen Eventualities 61



Starpath Reference List 62

General References 62

Standard References for any Voyage 62

Personal Logbook 63

Plotting Sheets 68