A Short Course on Nautical Charts and Basic Plotting - Gary C. Kessler [2017, PDF]

Contents

List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ iii
Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 1
Part 1. Nautical Charts ............................................................................................................ 2
1.1. Purpose and Role of Nautical Charts ...............................................................................2 1.1.1.
Types of Charts .....................................................................................................2 1.1.2.
Sources of Charts ..................................................................................................3
1.2. Supplementary Resources ...............................................................................................3 1.2.1.
Chart No. 1............................................................................................................4 1.2.2.
U.S. Coast Pilot®....................................................................................................4 1.2.3.
USCG Light List ......................................................................................................6 1.2.4.
Notice to Mariners................................................................................................7
1.3. Latitude and Longitude....................................................................................................8 1.4.
The Anatomy of a Nautical Chart.....................................................................................9 1.4.1.
Chart Reference Data..........................................................................................10 1.4.2.
The Compass Rose ..............................................................................................14 1.4.3.
Landmarks...........................................................................................................14 1.4.4.
Marginal Notes ...................................................................................................15 1.4.5.
Aids to Navigation, and Coastal and Underwater Features ................................16 1.5.
Aids To And Rules Of Navigation ...................................................................................22 1.6.
Summary........................................................................................................................27
Part 2: Plotting...................................................................................................................... 28
2.1. Which Way is North? .....................................................................................................28 2.1.1.
The Compass Rose, Revisited..............................................................................28 2.1.2.
Deviation.............................................................................................................29 2.1.3.
Putting it all Together .........................................................................................30
2.2. Instruments for Plotting ................................................................................................31 2.2.1.
Parallel Rule and Roller Plotter ...........................................................................31 2.2.2.
Dividers and Compass.........................................................................................33
2.3. Arithmetic for Plotting ...................................................................................................33 2.3.1.
Measuring Distance ............................................................................................33 2.3.2.
Manipulating Time Values ..................................................................................34 2.3.3.
Distance, Speed, and Time..................................................................................36
2.4. Plotting Problems ..........................................................................................................37 2.4.1.
Finding Latitude and Longitude ..........................................................................38 2.4.2.
Plotting a Position...............................................................................................39 2.4.3.
Finding a True Bearing and Compass Course......................................................40 2.4.4.
Finding Distance and Speed Made Good ............................................................41 2.4.5.
Estimating Time of Arrival...................................................................................42 2.4.6.
Dead Reckoning ..................................................................................................43 2.4.7.
Finding Set and Drift ...........................................................................................44 2.4.8.
Plotting A Course With Known Set and Drift ......................................................45
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2.4.9. Obtaining a Fix With Lines of Position ................................................................46
2.4.10. Taking a Running Fix .........................................................................................48 2.5.
Summary........................................................................................................................49
Appendix A: DMS, GPS, and Decimal Notations .................................................................... 50
Appendix B: Mercator and Polyconic Projections .................................................................. 54
Appendix C: The Length of a Degree ..................................................................................... 56
Appendix D: Navigators Quick Reference Card ...................................................................... 57
Appendix E: Sample Problem Chart....................................................................................... 59
Acronyms and Abbreviations ................................................................................................ 60
References and Further Reading ........................................................................................... 61
Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................. 63
About the Author ................................................................................................................. 63