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Coastal Navigation Facts

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Classic nautical navigation is a complex course dedicated to reading water and star charts to allow a person at sea to find their way around. Unlike navigation on firm terrain, there are no landmarks at sea to allow someone to navigate. Instead, people rely on the night sky, compasses, and nautical charts.

Coastal navigation is much easier than deep water navigation, as this involves navigating in relatively shallow water, and often with a large coastal line in sight at all times. Using a method of triangulation similar to that employed in regular land based direction-finding, coastal navigators are able to use two coasts in sight to determine their position out on the water.

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Even coastal navigators, however, are well served to have at least a basic knowledge of deep water navigation, in the event that a storm or other occurence blows them off course into waters out of sight of land. Fortunately, there are plenty of online courses in nautical navigation that offer reliable, certified instructions for people looking to expand their knowledge in this direction.

The biggest thing that separates nautical from land based navigation, however, is the sheer number of charts involved. Where on land, a map or two is often enough to help a person get his bearings, nautical navigation has numerous charts which also take into account not only positioning, but also the fact that the sea is subject to weather and tidal patterns.

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For example, tidal charts take into account the changes in the depth of waters based on tidal influence. Coupled with maps showing shallow reefs that may get exposed during low tides and an intimate knowledge of the ship's berth (clearance of the ship's hull for maneuvering), tidal charts help mariners avoid scraping or even tearing out the hull of their ships on a shallow reef exposed by the tides. Old tidal charts were based on experience and observation, using records kept by mariners to predict patterns. Modern tidal charts are made with computer programs that predict the changes.

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Before going out into the water, mariners should also keep a close ear for weather predictions; a sudden and intense storm or large incoming tidal waves can be disastrous on the open waters. There are some weather programs which keep an eye on patterns near the coasts specifically to provide assistance to coastal mariners.

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Because of the relative complexity of nautical navigation, there are various safety aids implemented internationally that are used to help coastal and deep water mariners get back to shore safely. One of the most commonly used systems is water marks, which are floating buoys created for a variety of reasons. These marks are especially important for coastal mariners, as the "spots" marked by buoys often involve hazards which crop up in shallower waters.

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Lateral Marks are a type of buoy used to indicate safe passages in waters with lots of coral reef formations that can damage a boat's hull. The buoys are often various colors and have light patterns which mariners must learn to distinguish, as these lateral buoys will tell a person wether to keep the buoy to the port or starboard side of a ship, what approximate berth is allowable in those waters, etc.

Another type of marker buoy is the Safe Water and Preferred Channel marks. Safe water marks are pretty self-explanatory - they tell mariners that they can operate in the immediate vicinity of the buoy with no hazards. Preferred Channel marks are used in a manner similar to the lights on an airport runway - in especially hazardous waters, they mark the safe routes through which a ship must steer.

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These buoys and others like them conform to standards set by the Uniform State Waterway Marking System, and like knowing how to interpret road signs before getting a driver's license, knowing this system and the signals it employs are essential for coastal navigators before going out on the water.

All in all, the buoy marker system and charts given above have seen uniformity across the United States, though other countries have their own standards and systems which a coastal navigator should read up on and commit to memory before taking a boat, yacht, or ship out into foreign waters.

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Ainuddin Mohamad is the Webmaster of the Online Reading Center at http://onlinereadingcenter.com which features online reading resources.