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HomeworkQ & A

Junior NavigationJunior Navigation

Chapter 11Chapter 11

Before Casting OffBefore Casting Off- Electronics -- Electronics -

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Objectives:■ Know the electronic tools available to the

offshore navigator.■ Be aware of the major features of offshore

navigation software.■ Be aware of the methods of communication

available to the offshore navigator.■ Know how weather information can be

obtained at sea.■ Be able to develop a checklist of navigational

equipment and supplies to have on board.■ Be able to prepare a checklist of tasks that

should be completed in advance of an ocean passage.

■ Understand that the USPS Weather, Marine Electronics, Engine Maintenance, and Cruise Planning courses are essential before embarking on an offshore voyage.

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Practice Cruise — Part 1

The Homework for this Chapter consists of planning for your Practice Cruise, which you will continue as the homework in Chapter 13. In working this homework and developing the voyage plan, you will need to reference the material in Chapters 10 and 11 of this course. Some parts of this exercise do not require a specific answer, but only that you enter information in your Navigator’s notebook.

After you complete this voyage plan, keep this information available in your Navigator’s notebook for your use in completing the Practice Cruise in Chapter 13.

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Practice Offshore Cruise Planning

You intend to take an offshore cruise next summer, and want to start planning the voyage now. For this planning portion of the cruise, you will need the pilot chart for July from your student materials, plotting tools, and a notebook that will serve as your Navigator’s notebook. If you have a hand-held GPS available, you may want to use that for the "Optional" questions in this exercise.

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1. You are planning a July cruise from Martha’s Vineyard, MA to Bermuda. You have planned the offshore part of the voyage to begin at L 41° 00’ N, Lo 70° 30’W, and end well offshore of Bermuda at L 33°00’N, Lo 65° 00’W.

• Plot these initial and destination coordinates on your copy of the July pilot chart.

a. What is the true course for the rhumb line between your initial and destination coordinates?

b. What is the expected magnetic variation along this course?

c. What would be the planned magnetic course along this rhumb line course?

151°

15°W

166°M

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Problem 1. Continued from previous slide

d. What is the distance of this course?

length of rhumb line measures 9°10’ on the latitude scale of the pilot chart = 550nm

e. Assuming an average speed made good (SMG) of 6.0 knots along the rhumb line course, what will be your elapsed time, in hours, to complete this voyage?

91.7 hrs

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Problem 1. Continued from previous slide

f1. (Optional) Using your GPS, determine the truebearing, distance, and elapsed time for this voyage.

Hint: Put your GPS in ‘Simulator’ mode, enter the initial and destination coordinates as waypoints, input the speed = 6.0 kn, and create a ‘route’ between the two waypoints.

True bearing of course is 150°

Distance = 547nm

Elapsed time for voyage = 91.2 hrs

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Problem 1. Continued from previous slide

g. At a point on the rhumb line 180 nm from your initial point, what will be the most probable:

wind direction? ____

average wind force, on the Beaufort Scale? _______

prevailing set of the ocean current?____________

mean drift of the ocean current?______

SW

Force 4

058° to 062°

1.5kn

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h. You study the pilot chart and see that this course crosses three major shipping lanes.1. What are the names of these routes, and approximately how far from your initial point will you enter these shipping lanes?

Cape Hatteras to Virgin Rocks ≈ 200 nm from initial

point.

Cape Hatteras to Gibraltar ≈ 300 nm from initial

point.

Bimini Island to Bishop Rock ≈ 460 nm from initial

point.

Problem 1. Continued from previous slide

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h2. For the Cape Hatteras to Virgin Rocksshipping lane, what are the coordinates ofwhere your route intersects the shipping

lane?

L37° 50'N, Lo 68°20'W

h3. What is the rhumb line course of this shippinglane, at the point where your route intersects it?

058°

Problem 1. Continued from previous slide

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h4. For the Cape Hatteras to Gibraltarshipping lane, what are the coordinates ofwhere your route intersects the shipping lane?

L36° 40'N, Lo 07° 20'Wh5. What is the rhumb line course of this shipping

lane, at the point where your route intersects it?

071°

■ You note this information in your Navigator’s notebook. You also enter the coordinates of a point several miles before entering these lanes as ‘alarms’ in your GPS (optional).

Problem 1. Continued from previous slide

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2. Continuing with your planning, you determine which charts you will need for this cruise.

Departure: Since you are leaving from your home waters, you have all the necessary charts and tide tables for the Departure phase of the voyage aboard the boat; however, being a prudent navigator, you check the inventory just the same. You list these charts in your Navigator’s notebook, in the sequence you intend to use them.

Offshore: You decide to divide the offshore portion of this voyage into three segments. You plan to use Universal Plotting Sheets (discussed in Chapter 13) to plot your progress during the offshore leg of the voyage, and confirm that you have a supply of these plotting sheets on board.

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Problem 2. Continued from Previous slide

Landfall: In planning for Landfall, you determine the charts you will need that cover the approach to Bermuda and you obtain them. These charts are:

Chart #26340 Approaches to Bermuda Island

Chart #26341 Bermuda Island

a. Which sources would you check to procure these charts for the Bermuda area?

These charts (paper) can probably be obtained from either Pilothouse Charts or Landfall Navigation. If you intend to use electronic charts with your navigation software, check with your software provider for these charts of the Bermuda area.

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3. Publications: You decide to take the Coast Pilot for your home area with you, which you already have. You also decide you need to acquire the Sailing Directions - Planning Guide, as well as Sailing Directions — Enroute, for the Bermuda area. Since these publications are available from the NGA website, you download the applicable sections of these publications to your computer and study them as you continue your voyage planning.

a. What additional publications should you consider for this voyage?

Bowditch, Cruising Guide for Bermuda, Reed’s Nautical Almanac, and a copy of the Navigation Rules (Inland and International).

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4. You check the navigation equipment aboard the boat and prepare the following list of what’s available for your use.

Installed GPS receiver Radar receiverComputer Sonar depth sounderNavigation software Steering compassAuto steering system Knotmeter

a. What additional navigation equipment and tools should you plan to take with you on this voyage?

■ Backup handheld GPS receiver (2) ■ Handheld bearing compass ■ Deviation Table for steering compass ■ Sextant■ Watches (2) ■ Nautical Almanac■ Calculator for sight reductions

See ( Table 11-2)

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5. List navigational plotting and record-keeping tools you should plan to take.

■ Navigator’s notebook■ Universal Plotting Sheets ■ CLS Small Area Plotting Sheets■ Plotting tools ■ Graph paper■ Pencils & Erasers■ Waterproof pocket notebooks ■ Pre-printed worksheets or forms■ Notebooks or scratch paper■ Deck Log & Sight Logs

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6. You check the communications equipment and tools

aboard the boat and prepare the following list of

what’s already available to you. Main VHF radio, without DSC

(mounted) SSB transceiver

a. What additional communications equipment and electronic safety equipment should you plan on taking with you on this voyage?

Handheld VHF radio, with DSC (be sure you obtain an MMSI)

Satellite telephone — research and find the best provider for your needs.

EPIRBInternet accessOperating manuals

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7. Accessing weather information at Sea.

You check the NOAA website, locate the information you need and enter the information for accessing the NOAA weather forecasts in your Navigator’s notebook. You plan to receive the NOAA radio fax transmissions at ZT 0024, 0428, 1052 and 1652 each day while at sea. You also note the broadcast times and frequency of other weather sources you’ve identified during this phase of planning in your Navigator’s notebook. You confirm that with the communications tools you either already have on board or will acquire, you have the means to access this weather information. However, you need to make arrangements for an internet provider that can provide service to you at sea.

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Problem 7. Continued from previous slide

a. What are some possibilities of internet providers for this voyage?

If you are an Amateur Radio operator with at least a General class license, you already have access to the internet on the appropriate bands of the SSB radio. Otherwise, the following provide the service, for a fee:■ SailMail■ SeaWave■ MarineNet Wireless■ ShipCom

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8. The voyage is now only a few months away. You review your charts for the Departure and Landfall phases of the voyage.

• You are familiar with the aids in your home waters; you enter the coordinates of the Departure navigational aids in your Navigator’s notebook.

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Problem 8. Continued from previous slide

• While studying the charts for Landfall, you note that the northern approach to Bermuda is shoaled and the only safe approach to Hamilton Harbor is from the West.

• You note the height of the following lights in the event you arrive in the area at night, and enter this information in your Navigator’s notebook:

“North East” Fl 3s 45 ftSt. Davids Fl (2) 20s 213 FtGibbs Hill Fl l0s 345 ft

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Problem 8. Continued from previous slide

• You now research entry requirements for Bermuda. You access a Bermuda website, www.bermudatourisrn.com and locate information on contacting Bermuda Maritime Operations Centre for information on making radio contact with the centre before approaching the coastline. The webpage includes the following contact information, which you enter in your Navigator’s notebook:

Tel: (441) 297-1010Fax: (441) 297-1530E-mail: operations@rccbermuda.bm (Duty Officer 24

hours)Telex: INMARSAT C (581) 431010110Telex: INMARSAT C (584) 431010120MMSI: 003100001 (MF and VHF DSC)SSB R/T: 2,182 kHz or 4,125 kHz USBMarine VHF Channels: 16 or 27

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Problem 8. Continued from previous slide

• You also confirm the address and contact person where the captain made arrangements for a slip in Hamilton Harbor.

No specific answer required. Information entered into Navigator’s notebook

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9. The weekend before the start of the voyage, everyone involved in the voyage participated in the shakedown cruise. During this time, you:

• Had the captain swing the boat so you could set up a Deviation table (Chapter 13).• Tested each electronic navigation instruments and confirmed that it operated correctly.• Confirmed you had backup equipment for all navigational components, and the tools to install them.• Confirmed that backup software and instruction manuals were onboard.

No specific answer required. Information entered into Navigator’s notebook

END OF PLANNING FOR THE OFFSHORE VOYAGE

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End OfEnd Of Homework Homework

Q & AQ & AJunior NavigationJunior Navigation

Chapter 11Chapter 11

Before Casting OffBefore Casting Off- Electronics -- Electronics -