boat navigation

[lezza]

hi guys,can anyone help,how do i find out about navigation?im off to norway soon and would like to try and learn a little about boat craft and navigation,just dont know were to start,can anyone help many thanks

[JuanPablo]

hey there you can have lessons on navigation usually resulting in a certificate at the end. your local sailing school is probably the best bet or perhaps a college. lessons are normally undertaken in evening classes and its a good way of meeting other boat owners in your area!
im sure john marshall or andyg probably know the names of these courses etc....

Lezza...do a search for admiralty charts on cd rom...or buy the paper chart for the area u are intrested in.

The cd charts costs £40..there is a post on here in the boat forum regarding them...i had never tried them ..but i have now and will be buying them when the new one comes out in january.

If the budget runs to it get a handheld gps ..they cost about £100 but split three ways its not a lot (or buy it on your visa and flog it on ebay when you return)

Use the charts to identify likely fishing areas in the region you are going...enter the co-ordinates in the gps...and when you arrive switch it on and follow the little black line...you can get a feel for how a gps works by using autoroute to find a "mark" for instance tesco's carpark. Enter the co ordinates at home while on pc...switch on gps and drive to tescos...see if you have got it right...saves arriving in norway to find all your marks have been entered using the wrong chart datum and you are 20 miles from your intended position!

Dive sites, wreck sites and associated forums are a good source of info ...but good fishing marks are like gold dust and people tend not to share the exact locations...divers are far more willing to share the info on a good dive site.

A gps is also usefull for when you find a good spot you can return to it at the end of a drift or the next day...its not difficult to do....read the manual.

The person hiring you the boat should be your major source of information ...and be sure to ask about danger areas BEFORE you even ask where to fish. You can print the chart in detail for the area you are going (although not supported by the program, print screen and paste to a drawing prog worked ok for me) as it may be usefull to have a hard copy with you and I would advise laminating these copies as I discovered that printer ink is water soluble.

Please note that the datum on admiralty charts is WGS84 ...make sure you enter any co ordinates in that format. (that comment will make sense when you read the gps manual )

Just a thought...I downloaded the manual for mine in pdf format...it may be an idea for you to do the same and at least get an idea of how they work and what they can do before making the purchase. Also open boats mean wet equipment...make sure anything electrical you buy is waterproof. And you have a means of recharging it at night because the hand held I had ate batteries!

Boat handling comes with experience...but the majority is common sense...it has to be learnt and not taught.

Hope this helps.

If I can help any more just let me know. In fact if your ever "up north" let me know as you would be welcome to come out as crew with me.

Dave

[JuanPablo]

brilliant info dave!

Link to rya courses

http://www.rya.org.uk/training/courses.asp

The charts are also on the same site ...somewhere!

Dave

[lezza]

thanks dave,

[John Marshall]

when you've done rya course, try the "Dive " books, thry're a good source of info
for wrecks, marks and world wide

[lezza]

thanks john,do i need to pass a course to use a small boat on the fjords in norway,i dont know what the law is there and dont want to get in to trouble,many thanks,lezza

[lezza]

thanks dave,great advice,and thanks for the offer,hope to see you 1 day soon,all the best to you and the guys on this forum,will let you know how the norway trip goes,thanks for your help,lezza

I'm not sure as to the actual laws in Norway . But looking at the holiday adverts many of them offer a self drive boat as an inclusive deal, and non of them mention having to have a skippers license.

I think you best check that with your tour operator...but it would be unusual if there was such a law in a country with so much water!

Make sure you get as much safety info as possible on the area your planning to fish from the person hiring you the boat...and if you have even the slightest doubts about going out on any particular day its probably best you get the beachcasters out.

Dave