- "Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another."
A discussion of the techniques and tools used to navigate a boat including the use of charts, compasses, GPS, and other navigational aids.
Nautical Charts: Navigational maps that provide information about the coastlines, water depths, and the location of navigational aids and hazards.
Charts Scales: How to read and interpret the different scales used on nautical charts.
Compass Navigation: How to use a compass to determine the direction and heading of the boat.
Dead Reckoning: The process of estimating the position of a boat by using its last known position, direction, and speed.
Electronic Navigation: The use of electronic devices such as GPS, radar, and sonar to navigate a boat.
Tidal Theory: Understanding the tidal patterns and how they affect boating.
Navigation Aids: Understanding the different types of buoys, beacons, and lights used as navigational aids.
GPS Navigation: Understanding how to use a GPS to determine the boat’s position and to navigate to a specific destination.
Celestial Navigation: The use of the sun, stars, and other celestial bodies to determine the boat’s position.
Weather and Navigation: Understanding how weather patterns can affect navigation and how to prepare for weather changes.
Pilotage: Understanding the process of navigating a boat through a harbor or other confined area.
Navigation Rules: Understanding the international rules of navigation to ensure safety on the water.
Magnetic Variation: Understanding how the earth’s magnetic field affects compass readings and how to adjust for it.
Navigational Tools: Understanding the different tools and equipment used in navigation, such as dividers, protractors, and charts.
Navigational Terminology: Understanding the common terms used in navigation, such as course, heading, bearing, and distance.
Nautical Charts: These are traditional paper charts that show coastlines, depth contours, and other features of the sea floor. They are used for route planning and navigation.
Electronic Charts: These are digital versions of nautical charts that can be used with electronic navigation systems like GPS. They are available from different providers and can be customized according to individual needs.
Topographical Charts: These charts depict the nature and shape of the land surface, including elevation contours, vegetation cover, and cultural features such as buildings, landmarks, and roads.
Tides and Currents Charts: These charts show the direction, speed, and timing of tides and currents for specific areas. They are essential for planning safe and efficient voyages.
Pilot Charts: These are long-range weather and oceanographic forecasts that help mariners plan their journeys. They include information on winds, waves, currents, and temperatures for different seasons and regions of the world.
Passage Planning Charts: These are specialized charts that help with route planning and hazard avoidance. They typically show the locations of navigational aids, hazards to navigation, and restricted areas.
Port Approach Guides: These are detailed guides that show the approach to different ports and harbours, including information on navigation hazards, water depths, currents, and other important features.
Coastal Guides: These are books or digital resources that provide detailed information on the coastline of a particular region, including harbours, anchorages, and navigational hazards.
Light Lists: These are official publications that list all the lighthouses and lightships in a certain region, along with their characteristics, positions, and operating schedules.
Sailing Directions: Like coastal guides, these are books or digital resources that provide detailed information on the coastlines of different regions. Sailing directions also include information on the best routes to take in different sea and weather conditions.
- "The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navigation, marine navigation, aeronautic navigation, and space navigation."
- "It is also the term of art used for the specialized knowledge used by navigators to perform navigation tasks."
- "All navigational techniques involve locating the navigator's position compared to known locations or patterns."
- "Navigation, in a broader sense, can refer to any skill or study that involves the determination of position and direction."
- "In this sense, navigation includes orienteering and pedestrian navigation."