Basic Coastal Navigation: An Introduction to Piloting, New 1998 Edition (Hardcover)

by Frank J. Larkin (Author) "Your road map of the sea is the nautical chart..." (more)
Key Phrases: paraglide plotter, tidal information block, basic coastal navigation, Coast Guard, Piloting Worksheet, Light List (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
...useful as a study tool for those preparing for Coast Guard and similar navigation courses. -- Soundings, December 1994

An excellent self-teaching textbook....His approach is straightforward and his sense of humor refreshing. -- The Ensign, September 1996

Every navigator would benefit from having this comprehensive reference book available as a refresher or for new skills. -- Ocean Navigator, September/October 1998

Yes, we have our Chapman and our Bowditch (somewhere), and The Annapolis Book of Seamanship, but it seems to us that the author Frank J. Larkin, in this new edition, makes the subject of piloting and dead reckoning much less daunting and easy to comprehend. Larkin starts at the beginning and takes the reader through the basics of such things as using dividers and a chart, with the kind of useful information sometimes passed over in more sophisticated treatments of the subject. We like that, and we think this 278-page reference is more likely to be read cover-to-cover. -- Powerboat Reports, May 1999

Product Description
Basic Coastal Navigation is a clearly written, easy to understand introduction to coastal navigation, outlining the techniques of piloting that are fundamental to safe navigation for smal boats, whether power or sail. The reader is guided from simple to more complex piloting solutions and eventually learns to plot a complete day trip.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Sheridan House; 2nd edition (January 25, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574090526
• ISBN-13: 978-1574090529
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #267,767 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

79 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive and thoroughly-accessible., October 10, 1998

By A Customer

"Basic Coastal Navigation" is a comprehensive and thoroughly-accessible guide to piloting small sail and power boats.

Written in a self-instruction format with exercises, questions, and answers included in each chapter, the book offers step-by-step coverage of what sometimes can be a daunting subject.

Frank J. Larkin takes care to write in a simple (but never dry) prose style, using easy-to-understand terms. Also, the book's layout is superb: There's lots of white space, large graphics, and varying font sizes and shadings.

Larkin also includes helpful memory aids, such as "Lat is Flat" for Latitude and--for a Black-Topped/White Buoy, which indicates an obstruction--"Think of the black top as a storm such as a Nor'easter."

The author covers everything from nautical charts and plotting true courses to dead reckoning and electronic navigation systems (including GPS).

All sea-persons with small boats--whether power or sail--should purchase this book.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Basic Coastal Navigation: An Introduction to Piloting, July 20, 2001

By	M. A Michaud "michael_michaud" (Dulles, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a basic introductory textbook for readers who have no previous training in navigation or piloting. The explanations are simple and clear. The author provides questions and answers at the end of each chapter, plus exercises in such skills as plotting a course. Appendices describe detailed procedures and forms that facilitate a navigator's work. The book's large format makes it easy for the reader to follow both text and illustrations. This useful book could be used either for training oneself or as the text for an introductory class. Michael Michaud, Vienna, Austria

5.0 out of 5 stars THE PRIMER in Coastal navigation, July 1, 2009

By	Vicente Herrero "Vicente J Herrero" (Melrose Park, IL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is THE first book in coastal navigation to go through if you are new to navigation without the electronics. Very well written and organized, the examples are excellent and the example charts to work out the problems are a great help. The example chart for all problems are printed in the book and can easily be coppied if you do not want to write in the book. You can take this book with you anywhere and with a simple six inch ruler, a little protractor, and 60-30-90 triangle you can work all the problems any time anywhere. Great for autodidactic coastal navigators. Read it cover to cover, do all the problems and you will be a much more confident coastal navigator in the age of GPS and digital chart plotters. This is a good prelude to the USCA Basic and Advanced Coastal Navigation couses. I highly recommend this book! Great work Mr. Larkin!