Boating and Sailing Navigation

Boating navigation is something many consider but never fully prepare for when outfitting their vessel. Proper respect for the waterways and a sound understanding of boating navigation techniques is vital to ensure that you never end up being lost and in a potentially life threatening situation. Boating navigation equipment comes in all shapes and sizes from the simple, tried and tested devices and techniques through to more modern, sophisticated solutions to the age old problem of getting your vessel from one point to another as quickly and as safely as possible. Despite this you can own all of the best boating navigation kit under the sun, however if you are not skilled enough to make proper use of it then it is all for naught. Make sure you understand and fully comprehend the use of any equipment that you purchase, and practise, practise, practise! If you learn how to use your boating navigation equipment properly on calm days then you will not be taken by surprise when nasty weather rears its ugly head and forces you off course.

Most boat owners will head straight for the GPS solution when considering boating navigation kit. This is a sensible thing to do; modern GPS systems are accurate and very easy to use, however be sure to purchase one that comes with redundant backups or ensure that you have a smaller, portable backup unit to hand when at sea. There are many specialist nautical boating navigation GPS systems that can be overlaid with maps of various waterways (as opposed to roads or geographical relief) making getting from one place to another easy. Be wary though when using GPS as your boating navigation solution, if you are making way under sail you will have to tack and vary your direction depending on the winds and you may find yourself being pulled off course. For this reason it is vital to learn how to plot a proper course that is not simply a direct line between A and B but that takes into account currents, tides and prevailing weather conditions.

Modern radar systems are also vital components of any boating navigation suite on larger vessels. Radar can warn you of any approaching vessels or land masses that may not be shown on your charts. You should never rely on radar though, it is a useful boating navigation device but it is also secondary to the naked eye or “Mk I Eyeball” as it is sometimes jokingly termed. Boat radar can never see over the horizon and it can be confused by rough seas and high waves creating false returns. This can result in you making further course corrections and ending up very far from where you wanted to be. There are also weather radar devices that can warn of coming storms and weather fronts, essential if you are going to be spending a long time on the open ocean and vital for properly plotting any course across the sea.

Despite the plethora of modern radar, GPS and various other electronic boating navigation devices you can never beat traditional methods; maps and charts coupled with a compass, a good grasp of using natural features to navigate and other tools such as a sextant can plot just as accurate a course as any GPS ever can. Ever sailor or boating enthusiast who spends time away from the coast should make sure they are well versed in the use of boating navigation tools such as sextants and compasses, they will allow you to end up precisely where you need to be and will continue to work when all other systems break down or fail you.