Knowra Marine navigation Marine navigation Marine navigation is the practice of determining a vessel’s position, planning a route, and steering along it at sea. It combines observations, charts, instruments, and navigational rules.
Dead reckoning : A method of estimating position from a known starting point, course, speed, and elapsed time. It carries a position estimate forward between reliable fixes.
Latitude : An angular measure of a location’s position north or south of the equator. It gives one coordinate of a vessel’s geographic position.
Passage planning : The preparation of a vessel’s route, including hazards, waypoints, contingencies, and available resources. It applies navigational information before a voyage begins.
Coastal navigation : Navigation near shore that relies heavily on landmarks, charted features, and frequent position checks. It is a nearshore mode within marine navigation, distinct from open-ocean methods.
Polynesian navigation : Traditional Pacific wayfinding that uses stars, ocean swells, winds, birds, and other environmental cues. It demonstrates sophisticated open-ocean navigation without dependence on European instruments.
Celestial navigation : The determination of position from measurements of celestial bodies and the time of observation. The Sun and stars provide position fixes beyond visible land.
Longitude : An angular measure of a location’s position east or west of the prime meridian. Together with latitude, it identifies a position on a chart.
Bridge watchkeeping : The continuous monitoring of a vessel’s course, position, traffic, and operating conditions from the bridge. Watchkeepers maintain the planned track and respond to changing conditions.
Inertial navigation system : A system that estimates motion and position by integrating measurements from internal accelerometers and gyroscopes. It can estimate movement without external signals, unlike satellite-dependent positioning.
Periplus : An ancient written account describing a coastal voyage and the ports, landmarks, and distances along its route. Peripli preserved practical route knowledge before modern charts.
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