Navigation course on the Maine coast offered

Maine’s Mid Coast has some of the most beautiful coastline in the world, but that beauty holds dangers that can quickly ruin your day on the water. Geography, tides and weather can combine to make even the most experienced sailor choose to stay ashore. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 2-5, located in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, offers an introductory navigation course that can help boaters navigate the area. The basics of coastal navigation are covered using the Boothbay area map. What we cover applies to all National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) navigation charts.

Sailing the middle of the Maine coast covers the basics of navigation and trip planning while taking you to the most remote corners of the local “Cape Small to Pemaquid” Chart #13293. OhOur experienced instructors have spent hundreds of hours navigating the waters covered in this course as boaters and on the water conducting Coast Guard Auxiliary patrols. They are certified small boat auxiliary coxswains and boat crew members as well as local residents. I will be held July 10, 17, 24, 31 and August 7 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. each evening.

Topics include basic navigation using traditional paper charts and various electronic chart formats, understanding navigational aids and buoy systems.

Problem sets will help you understand the building blocks of lesson planning, including tide exercises; time, speed, distance; and course layout and labeling.

Course location: 25 Industrial Park Drive, Boothbay.

HAS rregister: Contact David Eastwood by email: [email protected]or call 207-633-4748 (H), 865-603-5106 (C).

Student registration/cost: $30.

To take the course, you need either a printed map or access to an electronic map of the Boothbay Harbor area.

Paper Mapping and Navigation Tools: We recommend printing charts on quality paper so you can draw (and erase) course lines using a pencil and easily add information. The NOAA map of the area is The Three Rivers Chart (#13293). Additionally, two graphical tools are recommended. The board and tools can be purchased separately at the start of the course. The painting costs $35. In addition to a paper map, you should have two navigation tools. One is a divider (compass) which costs: $10. The other is a roller scriber or parallel ruler that costs $35.