Essential Navigation

Presented by America’s Boating Club of Greenwich, this vital course is for all boaters wanting to leave the harbor and RETURN!

 The goals of this customized navigation course are to teach the essential skills of modern navigation (charting and use of charts, electronic navigation, and use of GPS/Chartplotter) at a relaxed pace without the time-consuming simulated cruise and take-home final exam required by the traditional Power Squadron Navigation course. It is designed to meet the needs of students who want exposure to the basics with less of a time commitment. There will be 6 sessions of 2 hours each.

Students who successfully complete a short, in-class exam will receive the coastal endorsement to their Connecticut safe boating certificate, which may save money on boat insurance. Our team of qualified instructors will cover use of a nautical chart, basic manual navigation (determining distances, determining latitude and longitude, drawing a course), electronic navigation utilizing OpenCPN, creating routes with waypoints, and a hands-on demonstration of GPS/chartplotters. The focus will be on the understanding and use of modern electronics.

*The course assumes students have passed our safe boating certification ABC3 class and already have that textbook. If not, let us know and we can get the book to you for an additional $28.

Instruction is highly interactive and customized for each student.

Students must show proof of full vaccination and wear masks in class.

Lead Instructor:         Andy Cummings, JN

Assistants:                 Bob Henry SN, Frank Palmieri JN, Susan Ryan JN

Fee includes:            Chart, parallel rulers, dividers

You will need:           ABC3 textbook, computer, calculator, mechanical pencil, eraser

and your GPS manual if appropriate.

TO REGISTER:          On line:  https://tinyurl.com/Ess122

                                   or Email:    GreenwichSquadron@gmail.com

                                   or Phone:   Susan Ryan 203-998-1864

* $80 for members; $185 nonmembers

Membership is $105; to join, contact GreenwichSquadron@gmail.com