How to Plot a Course to Steer

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*ABOUT MARK*
I'm a professional sailor & RYA Yachtmaster™ Instructor (Ocean) with over 35 years experience. I've logged over 250,000 nautical miles including competing in three round-the-world yacht races, twice as skipper. I circumnavigated in 2011 on an Ed Dubois designed Clipper 68 and subsequently skippered two Tony Castro designed Clipper 70's in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race in 2013 and 2019, respectively.

I've raced in the Southern Ocean nine times, crossed the North & South Atlantic 8 times and the Pacific 3 times. I've also skippered the RORC Rolex Fastnet Race three times and the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race, Swan World Cup and many other regattas and offshore races including Cowes Week & Marmaris.

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#Howtonavigate #Dayskipper #dayskippertheory #yachtmastertheory #yachtmaster
#freesailingtutorials

[FreeSailingTutorials]

This is a short video to illustrate how you calculate a course to steer. In this video, I stick to True, but to apply to Compass, apply variation and deviation.

[terrydickinson]

These videos are great. I recently passed my day skipper theory online and I understand it more clearly after watching this!

[richardpace]

Really good.Clearly spoken, well articulated
A rare set of skills these days!!

[justinf]

Thanks for this very helpful video. I did my Day Skipper theory over 10 years ago and having not sailed in that time. As a result I’ve become rather rusty and this was a great refresher.

[josephlai]

Thank you. It is also good to know how sailors make sense of wind and tidal direction of flow, i.e., where we are on a boat, we can sense which direction the wind is coming 'from', and see where the tidal flow is going 'to'.

[arkadybron]

Since you're going to the Brambles, I wondered if you were on your way to play cricket 😉

[NearlyNativeNursery]

Great teaching video. The calm way of speaking is superb. Wonderful in instruction and aiding our learning.

[pifjxsq]

Deeply informative and useful video, very clearly explained, I appreciate you captain

[ElliotLambert-tk]

I’ve got a test today this has ruined my mind more than my tutor has all week fml …

[dutchglobetrotter]

I absolutely love your explanation, it is very clear and very useful on longer passages.
However on a short passage like this I wouldn't make the hassle and just point the boat where I want to go and make course corrections while sailing. Don't get me wrong I see a point in doing this on a 500m+ passage just not on a short hop like this.
Also with modern day electronics you barely need this on short notice 50m sails.
Yes Electronics can fail and it is good to know how to do this, I've been sailing for almost 40 years and haven't used this once.
Not in the Caribbean, not on the Atlantic and not on the North Sea. Like I said it is good to know but not essential.
Just point the boat where you want to go and offset + or - accordingly to the tide.
Just my 5 cents.

[StarTrekOnlineLive]

The disclaimer right on top *Not to be used for navigational purposes* gets me everytime XD

[catalin]

what pen are u using to write on that notebook? looks pretty nice

[dalepoulette]

Hi, thanks for the video, I am currently taking my Bridge Watch Rating and I love to learn when I can, what is that chart ruler called?

[NearlyNativeNursery]

A great instructor you are delivering logical description. I duplicated this exercise with an longer ground track and use whole miles. In doing so my course to steer intersected my ground track much closer to my starting point. You mention the drawing the ground track through your destination. Is this because your start to destination is such a short sail?

[alangoodwin]

Once you had your course to steer T, why did you not then adjust bearing for deviation on ship compass and variation for the chart

[goaro]

Why the arrows and how do they decide how many per course, current etc.?

[garryhall]

Simplest way to reduce the scale of the plot is to use a relevant scale on the plotter. As you said if the scale is the same for the tide and the boat speed then you can measure the Distance capability in one hour. then you can model for the full hour without dividing and then multiplying to get the DC in 1 hour. and if the boat speed changes then it easy to replot.

why oh why does sea schools not teach this method. its simple and if you are weak at maths it does the job.

[doubleblackdiamonddivers]

Thanks for video. What brand is your chart plotter tool?
Thanks

[KingstoneS]

Hello again I keep watching your useful videos for self study and stumbled upon another can of worms called The Great Circle :D Just want to check with you please when we plot a course to steer on a chart manually how do we know this is the great circle route cos we are using a Mercator chart drawing straight lines? Is it crucial we use a Gnomonic chart? thank you so much

[hotsauce]

I tried to find books on this but the only navigation chart plotter books ar anything but chart plotting books . Can anybody give me some titles so i can find and buy them ?