Disc 1 covers the more basic material to the equivalent of day skipper level and is divided into the following sections:
Click on each for more details. Note that sample pages from the CDs are ‘clickable’ for a full view.
1: Marine terminology, parts of the boat, rigs, points of sailing, marine organisations, and other introductory matters.
2: Rope and ropework, materials and types of rope construction; rope handling; bends and hitches.
3: Boatmanship and boat handling - close quarters manoeuvring, mooring, berthing alongside and anchoring.
4: Collision regulations: give way rules; lights and shapes; sound and light signals, distress signals
5: Safety and safety equipment: general safety; recommended safety equipment; stowage, use and certification.
6: Weather: basic marine meteorology; marine forecasting services
7: Navigation: definition of the parameters of navigation - position, direction and distance
8: Navigation: chart familiarization - chart symbols, purchasing and updating charts, use of plotting instruments.
9: Navigation: magnetic compass and log, magnetic errors, variation and deviation, types and characteristics of logs
10: Navigation: position fixing by traditional visual methods and by GPS; use of GPS in navigation.
11: Navigation: tides - how tides work; calculation of tidal height at standard and secondary ports; tidal streams.
12: Navigation: vector triangle chart plotting: estimation position and course to steer.
13. Navigation: approaching and entering port: buoyage and pilotage - buoyage systems; visual pilotage techniques.
14. Navigation: passage planning and log keeping; navigational routine on passage
15: Plotters and computer based charts: features of chart plotting software
