USCG Aux. Coastal Navigation Class - Starting January 6th.
The Corvallis/Albany Flotilla of the USCG Auxiliary will be holding a Basic/Advanced Coastal Navigation class at LBCC in Albany beginning on January 6th. This class is open to the general public. You can sign up for the class through LBCC - it is course #30868 listed under Vehicle Safety & Operation in the non-credit courses.
You can take this class either as Basic Coastal Navigation by completing the first 6 chapters and test (6 weeks), or as Advanced Coastal Navigation by completing the whole course (11 weeks, basic test on week 6, advanced test on week 11). The books for the class are about $35, plus you will need a set of dividers and parallel rules.
This class is mainly about how to get from point A to point B using a chart, compass, and knowing how fast you are traveling (Dead Reckoning), checking your progress using charted objects (Piloting) or radio navigation (LORAN, GPS), and collision avoidance using RADAR. It is a difficult class with a decent amount of homework required (text says 8 hours/week), but it is a valuable set of skills that you can use for cruising our coastal waters.
The chapters are:
Introduction
The Marine Compass
The Navigator's Tools & Instruments
Dead Reckoning
Piloting
Current Sailing
Tides and Tidal Currents
Radio Navigation
Navigation Reference Publications
Fuel and Voyage Planning
Each lecture is on Tuesday night, with a lab available on Thursday night after each of the plotting chapters - Dead Reckoning, Piloting, Current Sailing, and Radio Navigation. If you are interested in traditional navigation methods and need a good challenge this winter, this will be a great class.
[ 12-17-2003, 08:57 AM: Message edited by: Orca ]
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Orca
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