Navigation

Most of day sailors (or even weekend sailors) will never really need navigational skills in order to be able to sail where they want. They will probably see the place right over the bow. People who sail further in the oceans, seas, and even on the Great Lakes of North America will - in turn - not get far without even the most elementary knowledge of how to find themselves on the charts, and where to sail next. As a matter of fact, they will sail far, very far - but from the course leading them to their port of destination.

Okay, okay, so there is also the GPS (or loran)... But don't you love the feeling that there are still things that you can do by yourself, not relying on electronics? I do believe, that GPS is a very useful tool, allowing a much lesser margin of error than traditional navigation, and I also believe that you should not leave your port for longer sailing trips without the GPS. But once your batteries are gone - you are on your own. Without knowledge of navigation you are basically stranded...

Here we will present the basics of navigation. If we see that you are interested more in this subject, however, we will add more complex material. The catch is - you have to let us know what you want to see here.

Equipment

Aid-to-Navigation Systems

Chart symbols

Dead Reckoning