Avoid GPS Over-Reliance

IT'S NOT OUR GADGETS THAT GET US IN TROUBLE. IT'S OUR EXCESSIVE DEPENDENCE ON THEM.

It's all too easy for a skipper to subconsciously hand over responsibility for safety of vessel and crew to a piece of pricey electronics. Boaters have enthusiastically embraced GPS and navigation software to save time and effort. But lately we're seeing some of them run into SNAGs. (Satellite Navigation Assisted Groundings.) That glowing screen at the helm can give a false sense of confidence, and basic navigation practices can fall out of use. Learning the menus and settings of a chart plotter isn't the same as learning navigation.

Presented in partnership with…

CANADA'S LEADING SAILING SCHOOL

This course prepares you to write the Sail Canada exam for the Basic Coastal Navigation  certification. It's presented in partnership with the Cooper Boating sailing and power boating school in British Columbia, Canada, with bases in Vancouver, Sidney, and Powell River.

Cooper Boating provides the instructor and printed materials. You can write the Sail Canada exam at any Cooper base or make arrangements to write it where you are.

When you sign up for CoastNav Canada HomeStudy Edition, Cooper Boating will register you as a student and will send your textbook.


MATERIALS YOU'LL NEED:

Examples and exercises in this course are West Coast based. You'll need Canadian nautical chart number 3463 and a set of basic navigation tools (dividers and a parallel ruler.) These may be purchased from Cooper Boating, or any boating supply store.



Interact with a Qualified Instructor

INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION: SAIL CANADA COASTAL NAVIGATION

In this HomeStudy edition, you'll work remotely with your Cooper Boating instructor. You'll complete practice navigation assignments independently (rather than in a classroom). For support, coaching, and detailed instructor feedback, you'll upload photos and short video clips of your work. You’ll have access to CoastNav Live group video chats with your instructor and other students, where you'll review your work, watch skill demonstrations.
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Key Benefits

THE HOMESTUDY APPROACH

  • If a night class just doesn't work for you or your schedule, try this convenient HomeStudy format. You can study on your lunch break, in the evening while you watch the kids, at the local coffee bar… wherever it suits you.

  • Many of us find, when we haven't quite got our head around a certain topic, we feel uncomfortable asking for further explanation. We worry others will get impatient and will think that we’re holding up the class. In the HomeStudy setting, you can repeat sections or re-watch videos as often as you need to, or start a private dialog with your instructor. No one will know but you!

  • On the other hand, when you've "got it" and you're ready to move on… you move on! No need to wait for other students to catch up. If the course is moving too slow for you, increase the playback speed.

  • Many of us endure enough "death by PowerPoint" at work all day. We don't need to sit through more in a night class. The filmed lessons in CoastNav Canada keep things moving, with visually compelling images, demonstrations and animations. The presentation is tight, concise, lively, and organized.

  • When it's test prep time and your memory of a certain lecture topic is fuzzy, you can't go back and catch the lecture again. But with CoastNav Canada, you have access to the filmed lessons for 90 days from enrolment. Go back and refresh your memory any time.

FAQ

  • Who is the CoastNav HomeStudy Edition for?

    The online course is ideal for you, if you prefer to study where and when you please, and work at your own pace – with the freedom to repeat or skip sections and adjust the playback speed as you see fit. Rich with colourful, dynamic images, videos, and animations, CoastNav Canada appeals to visual learners.

  • When I'm enrolled in the HomeStudy Edition, what happens if I have questions?

    You'll have access to a Sail Canada-certified instructor, just as you would in the classroom setting. Each lesson has a discussion section where you can post your questions, see the questions other students have raised, and the instructor's replies.

  • Will I earn certification?

    Yes. Most students seek certification in order to obtain insurance discounts, to qualify as a yacht charter client, or as a pre-requisite for other Sail Canada courses. Sail Canada is Canada's main certifying body for recreational sailing and power boating (formerly known as the Canadian Yachting Association.) They offer two certifications: Basic Coastal Navigation and Intermediate Coastal Navigation. After completing the Level 1 course, you'll be ready to write the Basic exam. (There is also a Level 2 course, which prepares you for the Intermediate exam. They are written exams, and are administered at Cooper Boating in Vancouver, Victoria and Powell River, BC. There is also a procedure for writing the exams remotely. Contact Cooper Boating for details: (604) 687-4110.

Course Outline

  • 01

    CoastNav 101 HomeStudy Edition • Welcome!

  • 02

    CoastNav 102 • Fundamental Concepts

    • Study Assignments: CoastNav 102

    • Lesson CN102.1 • Fundamentals: TIME & SPEED, 60 D Street

    • Lesson CN102.2 • Fundamentals: TIME – The Nautical Clock

    • Practice: Time, Speed, Distance Calculations

    • Workshop: CoastNav Live Extra Coaching (optional)

    • Lesson CN102.3 • Fundamentals: DIRECTION – On the Chart

    • Lesson CN102.4 • DEAD RECKONING

    • Practice: Dead reckoning

    • Dead reckoning continued

    • Lesson CN102.5 Fundamentals • DIRECTION, AT THE HELM: Variation

    • Lesson CN102.6 Compass Error • Updating Printed Variation

    • Practice: Update Variation to the current year

    • Lesson CN102.7 Compass Error • Deviation

      FREE PREVIEW

    • Lesson CN102.8 Compass Error • Correct T to C and C to T

    • Practice: Compass error correction (TVMDC)
  • 03

    CoastNav 103 • The Cross-Bearing Fix, Aids to Navigation

    • Study Assignments: CoastNav 103

    • Lesson CN103.1 • Plotting a Fix STEP 1: Choose Your Landmarks

    • Lesson CN103.2 • Plotting a Fix STEP 2: Set Up a Notebook Page

    • Lesson CN103.3 • Plotting a Fix STEP 3: Take Your Bearings

      FREE PREVIEW

    • Lesson CN103.4 • Plotting a Fix STEP 4: Correct Bearings to True

    • Lesson CN103.5 • Plotting a Fix STEP 5: Plot the Fix

    • Lesson CN103.6 The Cocked Hat

    • Practice: Cross-Bearing Fix (Use direction to find position.)

    • Practice: Plot a fix, course, and DR

    • Lesson CN103.7 • Aids to Navigation PT 1: The Lateral System

    • Lesson CN103.8 • Aids to Navigation PT 2: Bifurcation Buoys and Markers

    • Practice: Aids to Navigation #1

    • Practice: Aids to Navigation #2

    • Practice: Which way?

    • Practice: Day Cruise of the Windswept PT1

    • Practice: Day Cruise PT2

    • Workshop: CoastNav Live Extra Coaching (optional)
  • 04

    CoastNav 104 • Tides, More Ways to Plot a Fix

    • Study Assignments: CoastNav 104

    • Lesson CN104.1 • Intro to Tides

    • Lesson CN104.2 • Using Tide Tables

    • Practice: Height of Tide

    • Lesson CN104.3 • Using Current Tables

    • Practice: Scope

    • Lesson CN104.4 • Fix by a Bearing and Transit

    • Lesson CN104.5 • Fix by a Bearing and Sounding

    • Practice: Fix by a bearing and a transit

    • Supplemental Reading: HORIZONTAL DATUM

    • Practice: Day Cruise of the Windswept, PT 3

    • Practice: Day Cruise, PT 4: Pilotage Planning

    • Lesson CN104.6 • Secondary Reference Ports

    • Lesson CN104.7 Secondary Current Stations

    • Practice: Predicting Current

    • Lesson CN104.8 Embedded Current Tables

    • Practice: Chart-Embedded Current Tables
  • 05

    CoastNav 105 • Exam Prep

    • LIVE LESSON 2 • SELECT A DATE

    • Exam Logistics

    • Basic Exam: Instructions and Standards