The RYA Book of Navigation Exercises

Publisher: Adlard Coles Nautical – 2nd Ed., 2000 £ 14.99

In this day of GPS, autopilots, radar and chart plotters, it is easy to pass by the essential skills to negotiate successfully the many and various waters of this globe. A reasonable electronic dexterity will often suffice. We ignore the basic skills at our peril! Even the long toothed mariner will perhaps by now have pushed into the background the navigational expertise gleaned from evening classes or careful perusal of textbooks. But what happens when the batteries go down? We then have to drag out all the basics and resort to the compass to calculate distances off, the chart for buoys and lights and navigable depths.

How fortunate that we have publications such as this to remind us what we should always be considering. This excellent 2nd Edition takes us through all the things we should know to qualify as a Yachtmaster or Coastal Skipper. Whether you choose to obtain these qualifications or not there is no doubt in the reviewer’s mind that anyone sailing even a moderate distance offshore should be aware of all the things contained within the volume. Even if you cannot remember the procedures in your head the answers serve to point you in the right direction (!) when the going gets tough.

Commended to all who are new to navigation and also to those who may have forgotten how they used to do it. Mea culpa! - GBT

Page prepared 4 May 2000