Maritime Piloting Workbook

About the Book

Basic level Maritime Piloting Workbook with text, illustrations, chartlets, exercises and answers. Designed for both classroom and self-study. Covers the need-to-know elements of latitude and longitude, the magnetic compass, courses and bearings, time/speed/distance calculations and dead reckoning. This coil-bound workbook provides an effective first step to piloting on full-scale maritime charts.

About the Author

James Gram holds a Ph.D. in Education and has had extensive teaching experience at all levels of education including university teaching. He has worked for C.I.D.A. in the Caribbean and as a consultant in Papua New Guinea. He has been a life-long boater and sailor and a long time member of the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary where he was awarded the National Leadership Medal. As a marine Search and Rescue Instructor, he has authored or co-authored several Search and Rescue courses.

Table of Contents and Excerpts

Foreward

Introduction

Chapter One: The Globe

Nautical miles and knots, labeling locations, latitude, longitude, measuring distances, exercises, answers

Chapter Two: Plotting a Location

Plotting tools, finding latitude and longitude, labeling a position, chart scale, exercises, answers

Chapter Three: The Compass Rose

Variation, changes in variation, converting true and magnetic, exercises, answers

Chapter Four: Bearings

Language of bearings, courses on a chart, reciprocal bearings, relative bearings, exercises, answers

Chapter Five: Time/Speed/Distance

Methods for calculating, exercises, answers

Chapter Six: Dead Reckoning

Estimated time of arrival, exercises, answers.

Amongst other things, this book will teach you how to plot positions and courses on a chart.

Why bother? You may already have some very useful electronics: GPS, a chart plotter, radar, or some other electronic marvel. Electronics certainly take the drudgery out of navigation and they are wonderfully accurate.

But all these electronic marvels presuppose a basic knowledge of what the electronic read-outs mean. Electronics without understanding are mere gadgets.

This book is a first step in using electronics with understanding. It will cover basic piloting skills in a simple, need-to-know manner. In the end, you will understand and appreciate what your electronics are doing for you. But you will also, if need be, have the skills to move about on open water when the electronics fail.

The book is designed for both self-study and class instruction. It is also designed to be used and written on. The binding, paper and reproduction are all meant to make this an economical alternative to conventional texts and full-scale charts. Of course, this economical reproduction means that the accuracy and fine detail of the chartlets must suffer. Exercises along with answers are included.

Additional blank chartlets can be found at the end of this workbook. They can be removed for use as needed.

Marine charts are crammed with useful information but the major piece of information is, like the real estate mantra: location, location, location. Location is the "open sesame" to information about: depth of water, navigation aids, land marks, course headings and so on.

This workbook will teach you the basics of maritime piloting. It will give you the confidence and skills to operate on open water. And it will give you a real understanding of what the electronics on your vessel are doing for you.