Basic Coastal Navigation: An Introduction to Piloting for Sail and Power

by Frank J. Larkin

Book Overview

This clear and accessible introduction to coastal navigation outlines most of the techniques of piloting that are still fundamental to safe navigation even with modern electronic aids. Step-by-step, the reader is guided from simple to more complex piloting solutions. In addition to dead-reckoning techniques, the author covers tides and currents and explains how to use LORAN C and GPS. There are numerous illustrations throughout the text and practice...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1574090526
• ISBN13: 9781574090529
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Sheridan House
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 7.2" x 10.3"

Customer Reviews

THE PRIMER in Coastal navigation

This is THE first book in coastal navigation to go through if you are new to navigation without the electronics. Very well written and organized, the examples are excellent and the example charts to work out the problems are a great help. The example chart for all problems are printed in the book and can easily be coppied if you do not want to write in the book. You can take this book with you anywhere and with a simple six inch ruler, a little protractor, and 60-30-90 triangle you can work all the problems any time anywhere. Great for autodidactic coastal navigators. Read it cover to cover, do all the problems and you will be a much more confident coastal navigator in the age of GPS and digital chart plotters. This is a good prelude to the USCA Basic and Advanced Coastal Navigation couses. I highly recommend this book! Great work Mr. Larkin!

Basic Coastal Navigation: An Introduction to Piloting

This is a basic introductory textbook for readers who have no previous training in navigation or piloting. The explanations are simple and clear. The author provides questions and answers at the end of each chapter, plus exercises in such skills as plotting a course. Appendices describe detailed procedures and forms that facilitate a navigator's work. The book's large format makes it easy for the reader to follow both text and illustrations. This useful book could be used either for training oneself or as the text for an introductory class. Michael Michaud, Vienna, Austria

Comprehensive and thoroughly-accessible.

"Basic Coastal Navigation" is a comprehensive and thoroughly-accessible guide to piloting small sail and power boats.Written in a self-instruction format with exercises, questions, and answers included in each chapter, the book offers step-by-step coverage of what sometimes can be a daunting subject.Frank J. Larkin takes care to write in a simple (but never dry) prose style, using easy-to-understand terms. Also, the book's layout is superb: There's lots of white space, large graphics, and varying font sizes and shadings.Larkin also includes helpful memory aids, such as "Lat is Flat" for Latitude and--for a Black-Topped/White Buoy, which indicates an obstruction--"Think of the black top as a storm such as a Nor'easter."The author covers everything from nautical charts and plotting true courses to dead reckoning and electronic navigation systems (including GPS).All sea-persons with small boats--whether power or sail--should purchase this book.