Read what the the U.S. Power Squadron and the U.S. Coast Guard trust as the definitive authority on electronic navigation, now updated with the latest electronic technologies and methods The Weekend Navigator teaches you how to navigate using today's tools and methods, including the latest technologies such as smart phones. While electronic navigation is here to stay, author Bob Sweet recognizes that they are still based on traditional charts and piloting skills, and he combines the two to pass along to you a solid understanding of all the principles of marine navigation. In addition to its continued ground-breaking instruction for the now-digital process of navigation on board power- and sailboats, Sweet helps you understand recent options for chartplotters, less expensive handheld GPS units, smart phones, and the navigation possibilities presented by phone apps. New to this edition is a section entitled "Ooops," which provides an insightful collection of boating accident tales resulting from common GPS and chartplotters no-nos. Using The Weekend Navigator, you can get on the water right away and learn to navigate in an afternoon with GPS; master chart-and-compass piloting while, not before, he or she departs; plot courses and fix positions on paper or electronic charts; and more.

Is this an entertaining book? The Practical Mariner’s Book of Knowledge is either the most useful boating book ever designed to entertain or the most entertaining book ever designed to be useful. In its alphabetical organization that juxtaposes wildly disparate entries, you can read about the derivation of fi gureheads where you turned to for recommended thicknesses of fiberglass hulls. In between the whimsy, however, is the essence of centuries of seafaring experience distilled into a concise reference for sailors and powerboaters. There may be no substitute for a lifetime of experience, but this book is the next best thing. It should be kept at the navigation station and on every boat. Inside you will find information that is otherwise scattered through dozens of volumes. If you can't find what you want quickly from the table of contents, there's an exhaustive subject index. If you need more precise data than a rule of thumb can provide, you may very well find it among the 16 appendix tables, which are also indexed. You'll find rules of thumb for: Changing a boat's name Towing the safest way Burial at sea Preventing wood rot Hull thickness Anchoring rights Jib size Curing mast vibration Time taken for boat tasks Survival rations And a lot more: open it up and get lost in the sage advice and witty wisdom that will make you long for the sea. "The perfect, practical gift to give or receive." -- The Ensign ". . . reads like a lively conversation with a friendly, seasoned pro." -- Lakeland Boating

This new edition includes a discussion of theories about traditional methods of navigation developed during recent decades, the story of the renaissance of star navigation throughout the Pacific, and material about navigation systems in Indonesia, Siberia, and the Indian Ocean.

Can piloting a boat really be this easy? Traditional navigation with its chart plotting, compass errors, and current vectors requires years to master. Serious boaters learn it eventually, but with $100 GPS receivers offering 50-foot position accuracy anywhere in the world, it’s no longer necessary to master the art before enjoying the sport. The Weekend Navigator is the first book to recognize that affordable, simple-to-use electronics demand a radically new approach to teaching navigation. Bob Sweet lets you find your way on the water immediately, learning by rather than before doing. This innovative guide’s quick-reference format shows you how to: Pinpoint locations at all times Determine the precise ranges and bearings of destinations Compensate for wind and current effects Avoid underwater hazards

This book has been used for 30 years, updated periodically as needed. More than 20,000 students have successfully learned ocean navigation from these materials and gone on to cross oceans or circumnavigate the globe. This book covers how to find position at sea from timed sextant sights of the sun, moon, stars, and planets plus other routine and special procedures of safe, efficient offshore navigation. No previous navigation experience is required. The only math involved is arithmetic (adding and subtracting angles and times). This is a practical, how-to-do-it book, which also includes clear explanations of how it works and how to do it well. Plus this book includes other crucial factors of ocean navigation besides just finding out where you are from the stars, such as logbook procedures, dead reckoning, error analysis, route planning, and more. At the end of this book, you will be ready for ocean navigation. The book includes: text, practice problems, tables selections, detailed glossary, and full solutions. Printable work forms, plotting sheets, and other resources are available at no charge from www.starpath.com/celnavbook. Preface to the Second Edition: We are pleased to say that after ten more years of using this text we do not find reason to change the basic approach and methods of the teaching. We still use most of the same examples, which are now quite old, but that is the beauty of celestial navigation. It has not changed, so we do not benefit in any way from making all new examples, which would bring with them more chance of error in a book of many numbers. We have, however, notably improved and expanded the book. Each section has been updated and reformatted for a clearer presentation, often in response to student questions over the years. New graphics have been added and older ones all updated. There is much new content in the text, especially in the In-Depth chapter, including more detailed discussion of the sailings and more background on the principles. New sections were added on general ocean navigation and optimizing the fixes. We have also updated the electronic navigation section, as most ocean navigators will also be using other tools besides celestial.

The operator's manual that should come with every boater's GPS receiver or chart plotter.

Suitable for both classroom use and self-study, this workbook provides over 200 navigational problems and answers dealing with dead reckoning, piloting, and celestial navigation.

A classic reference text for both nautical students and for all who have a professional involvement with marine electronic navigation systems, this second edition has been substantially enlarged to include all of the electronic systems now encountered by navigation / communication personnel.