Coastal Navigation

24 hours: Monday & Wednesday evenings, 6p-9p, March 1-24

Can't wait until May to start thinking about sailing, and want to improve your navigation skills?  Then this is the course for you.  The material in our Coastal Navigation course is something every sailor, sooner or later, needs to know.  Graduates will be able to plot routes and chart their own courses with confidence.  Whether you are a Basic Keelboat grad itching to explore every nook and cranny of the Harbor Islands, or you are a long-time cruiser grown too attached to your GPS and not sure if you'd be ready to plot a quick fix and course to steer the should the batteries die and the fog roll in, this is the course for you.

Over 24 hours, our head instructor, Capt. Chris DuBois, will provide you with both the knowledge you need and the skills to put it to work. Your toolkit will include not only sharp pencils (and erasers!), paper charts, parallel rulers, dividers, hand bearing compass and GPS, but publications like Coast Pilots, Light Lists, Chart #1, REED's & Eldridge, and the Notice to Mariners.  The chartwork skills that you will learn (including Ded Reckoning, running fixes, set and drift calculations, danger bearings) not only exceed the standards for the Coast Guard "Six Pack" Captain's license, but are musts for any real navigator.

The spring course begins Monday, March 1st, and runs 4 consecutive weeks on Monday and Wednesday evenings, from 6 to 9 pm.  The course size will be  limited to 12 students to ensure everyone gets as much personal attention as possible.  The course fee will be $400, or $360 for Courageous members, and includes the US Sailing Coastal Navigation text.  The US Sailing Certification is an additional $75.   Charts, parallel rulers and dividers are not included, but can be purchased inexpensively through Courageous.  You can purchase now online or by calling us at 617-268-7243.

Note that unlike all other Courageous courses, this is primarily a classroom based course.  Trust us, there's a lot to cover in 24 hours and the classroom is the best place for most of it.  However, navigation practice cruises to put your new skills to work will be highly encouraged and can be scheduled separately.