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Advanced Courses Taught by Costa de Oro Squadron

Course Descriptions:

Seamanship:

Building on the basics learned in Boating, the Seamanship course is an important foundation for other "advanced grade" courses.  The student learns -

Piloting:

This course is the first of a two-part program studying inland and coastal navigation.   Its focus is on the fundamentals of piloting - keeping track of a boat's movements, determining one's position at any time and laying out courses to a planned destination.   Included are subjects such as -

Advanced Piloting:

Advanced Piloting builds on the knowledge gained in Piloting to teach you how to navigate safely in coastal waters -- predict tides and tidal currents and their impact on your position, advanced positioning techniques, and the use of electronic navigation systems for positioning and course planning.

Junior Navigator:

Junior Navigator begins your study of offshore (open-ocean) navigation -- integrated electronic positioning systems, sight taking with a mariner's sextant on the sun, moon, planets, and stars, how to reduce sights using the nautical almanac to determine your position, and passage planning with special open-ocean charts.

Navigator:

Navigation further develops your understanding of celestial navigation theory and your skills in sight taking and reduction -- additional sight reduction techniques and the orderly methods of carrying on the day's work of a navigator at sea. Of particular interest and importance is the study of offshore navigation using minimal data and/or equipment, such as when on a disable vessel or lifeboat.

For more information on these courses contact  robert.baker@lmco.com or egarner@calpoly.edu