Essential Navigation and Seamanship Course

An introduction to navigation and safety awareness for new, inexperienced or rusty skippers and crew.

This course is for anyone new to sailing, motor boating including RIBs and other small powerboats, sea angling and diving as well as experienced dinghy and keelboat sailors and inshore racers.

BuoyageThis course is the perfect introduction or refresher for anyone going afloat on inshore waters, and a stepping stone to the more in-depth Day Skipper shorebased course.

It also complements our on-the-water training such as the Intermediate Powerboat, Start Yachting, Helmsman or Day Skipper courses.

You will receive a course pack which includes a chart, plotter, course handbook, exercises and an electronic chart plotter CD.

This is a highly practical course with lots of opportunities foryou to put your new found knowledge into practice using the exercises provided.

The course is taught over 16 hours with exercises to complete along the way. It can be covered as 3 evening  sessions or over two full days.



 

 

BASIC NAVIGATION and SAFETY COURSE SYLLABUS

The Basic Navigation and Safety course provides an introduction to the basic skills required before taking a small boat to sea or taking an active part in running a boat. The syllabus content is shown below.

1 Charts, publications and terms

Basic Terms  Chart overview • Introduction to chart datum and depths

2      Buoyage

Lateral buoys  Cardinal buoys Where to find information

3      Navigation

Plotting a position  Measuring distance and bearing  Position fix  Heading

4      Safety

Personal and boat safety equipment  Safety procedures and briefing  Communications  Engines checks

Rescue procedures 

5      Anchoring

Where to anchor How to anchor

6 Tides 

Tidal streams  Tidal heights

7 Electronic navigation

GPS terms  GPS use Using waypoints

8 Rules of the road

Risk of collision  Who gives way

9 Weather forecasts

Sources of forecast  Terms used in forecast  Sea state

10     Pilotage

Harbour information  Transits  Pilotage plan

11 Passage planning

SOLAS V requirements  Pre planning  Chart choice

 

 

 

 

 

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