Bearings & Lines of Position
How angles become location — and why one bearing is never “just one bearing” Contents Use the links below to jump to any section: 1. What a Bearing Actually Represents A bearing is an angle, but operationally it is much more than that. When you take a bearing to a charted object, you are not […]
Visual Fixes
Finding where you are using what you can see — the foundation of coastal navigation Contents Use the links below to jump to any section: 1. What a Visual Fix Really Is A visual fix is a confirmed position on the chart, determined by observing real, physical objects outside the ship and relating them to […]
Managing Compass Errors on the Bridge
How real ships grounded and collided — not because compasses failed, but because bridges stopped questioning them Contents Use the links below to jump to any section: 1. Why Compass Errors Are a Bridge Management Problem Compass-related accidents rarely involve a compass that has physically failed.They involve a bridge team that stopped managing uncertainty. In […]
Compass Swinging and Calibration
What it really proves, what it does not, and why “in date” does not mean “correct” Contents Use the links below to jump to any section: 1. What Compass Swinging Actually Is Compass swinging is the controlled process of determining a ship’s magnetic deviation on a range of known headings. It does not correct the […]
Variation and Deviation
Why Earth and ship magnetism are never neutral — and how small errors quietly grow into big ones Contents Use the links below to jump to any section: 1. Why Variation and Deviation Still Matter Variation and deviation are often treated as academic topics, something learned for exams and then forgotten. On a working bridge, […]
Magnetic and Gyro Compasses
How they work, when they lie, and why professional bridges never trust only one Contents Use the links below to jump to any section: 1. Why Compasses Still Matter on Modern Bridges Despite ECDIS, GNSS, AIS, and integrated bridge systems, compasses remain the legal and practical foundation of navigation. Every electronic position, vector, and track […]
COLREGs – Sound Signals
Intent, warning, and why ignoring sound signals still causes collisions Contents Use the links below to jump to any section: 1. Why Sound Signals Still Matter Sound signals are often treated as obsolete on modern bridges. This is a serious error. Sound signals exist because there are times when: Sound cuts through uncertainty. When sound […]
COLREGs – Shapes
What vessels are telling you in daylight — and why daylight collisions still happen Contents Use the links below to jump to any section: 1. Why Shapes Still Matter in Modern Navigation A persistent myth on modern bridges is: “Shapes are obsolete — we have AIS and radar.” This belief has contributed directly to daylight […]
COLREGs – Lights
What vessels are telling you at night — and how misreading lights causes collisions Contents Use the links below to jump to any section: 1. Why Navigation Lights Exist Navigation lights exist to answer three operational questions at night: They are not decorative, and they are not optional. At night, lights are primary information, not […]
COLREGs – Principles & Conduct of Vessels
How collision avoidance actually works on a real bridge Contents Use the links below to jump to any section: 1. What COLREGs Really Is (and What It Is Not) COLREGs is not a checklist.It is not a decision tree.It is not something you “apply after identifying lights.” COLREGs is a behavioural framework governing how vessels […]