Seamanship
F
ixing your position at
sea has never been
easier. Early GPS
revolutionised navigation
by giving a read-out of latitude
and longitude, which you
could plot on your paper chart.
Now, that position is displayed
on highly detailed electronic
charts and, providing the
electronics keep working, you
can arrive at your destination
14 ways to get a fi x
The traditional navigator’s toolbox
MUST-HAVES: Dividers • Breton plotter/parallel
rules • Ship’s compass • Hand bearing compass- Log • Echo sounder/lead line • Charts •
Almanac • Pair of compasses • Pencil
NICE-TO-HAVES: Sextant (plastic is fi ne) •
Station pointer • Pelorus • Radarsimply by placing a few waypoints
and following the screen.
This technology has made
the sea both safer and more
accessible, but traditional
navigation and pilotage
techniques still have a place in
modern sailing. A classic example
is our recent cross-Channel
voyage with Hantu Biru, during
which we followed a compass
course, allowing the ebb andfl ood tides to cancel each
other out over the course of
the passage. This is signifi cantly
quicker than following the
GPS track, by which you could
easily sail many miles further
than necessary.
Closer inshore, it’s worth being
aware of the different techniques
available to help you gain and
maintain a fi x of your position
without satellite assistance. Themain reason is that it makes you
independent of the electronics
should they go wrong, but I would
argue that using landmarks for
navigation makes you more aware
of your surroundings – surely a
good thing in a sport that’s all
about enjoying the great
outdoors – and adds an extra level
of challenge which can be fun.Getting a fi x
The key to navigating without
GPS is to be constantly on the
lookout for opportunities to get
a fi x. On passage with GPS, we
become used to being able to
note down our lat and long in the
log once an hour, regardless of
the conditions. Without it, you
may fi nd that there are no suitable
landmarks on the hour, or that the
visibility has reduced. If you see
the opportunity for a good fi x,
take it: knowledge is power.
That vigilance means being
creative. There are a host of
ways to use landmarks to give
you a position, and the technique
you use will vary according to
the circumstances. The simpler
the fi x, the better – if it takes
you an age to work out a
bearing, chances are it’s not
that accurate.Whether it’s to cope with electronics failure or simply to make the
most of your surroundings, David Pugh shares some traditional
pilotage tips to help you obtain and maintain a fi x of your position