Passage Planning – A→P→E→M Explained
Why plans fail without thinking — and why compliance alone is not safety Contents Use the links below to jump to any section: 1. What Passage Planning Really Is Passage planning is often misunderstood as a document: a printed chart, an ECDIS route, a checklist signed before departure. In reality, passage planning is a thinking […]
Dead Reckoning and Estimated Position
DR & EP Knowing where you should be — when you don’t know where you are Contents Use the links below to jump to any section: 1. Why DR and EP Still Matter Dead Reckoning (DR) and Estimated Position (EP) exist because fixes are intermittent. Even in perfect conditions, you are not constantly fixing the […]
Chart Interpretation
How to read what the chart is actually telling you — and why misunderstanding charts sinks ships Contents Use the links below to jump to any section: 1. Why Charts Are Different from Maps Most civilians approach nautical charts as if they were road maps or hiking maps. This is a fundamental mistake. A map […]
Running Fixes
How navigators turn movement into position — and why this method punishes assumptions Contents Use the links below to jump to any section: 1. What a Running Fix Really Is A running fix is a position determined using one object observed at two different times, combined with the ship’s movement between those observations. It exists […]
Transits
When alignment means certainty — and why professionals trust a moment Contents Use the links below to jump to any section: 1. What a Transit Really Is A transit occurs when two fixed objects briefly align as the ship moves past them. At the exact moment of alignment, the ship lies on a known straight […]
Ranges & Leading Lines
How two marks become one truth — and why professionals trust them Contents Use the links below to jump to any section: 1. What a Range or Leading Line Really Is A range, also called a leading line, is created when two fixed objects are aligned so that, when viewed in line, they define a […]
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 […]