Skip navigation

Coastal Navigation

US Sailing’s Coastal Navigation Certification Course

This classroom course at Sail Nauticus is an introduction to Pilotage and Coastal Navigation using traditional methods. Emphasis is on navigating a cruising sailboat in coastal waters, but the material is applicable to both power and sailing vessels.

Book Now

Coastal Cruising Experience Preferred

There are no prerequisites for this course.  However, students should have some coastal cruising experience, and be comfortable using basic arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and graphing. Contact info@sailnauticus.org for additional information.  


Course Topics Include:

  • Understanding Nautical Charts and methods to keep them up to date
  • Aids to coastal navigation
  • Plotting courses, estimating and fixing position, and assessing effects of current and wind
  • Planning a passage by incorporating the effects of current, tide, and weather
  • Strategies for navigating underway, and for arrival at a destination
  • Planning for and managing risks
  • Use of Electronic Aids to Navigation (GPS, Radar, AIS) and their limitations

The course fee includes the US Sailing textbook, a practice chart, basic plotting tools, and the exam fee.

Please note that this course in based in the classroom. There will be no sailing involved.

Course Schedule

The course run 8 AM – 5 PM for the first three days, with a half-day exam (1-5 PM) on the final day.

Coastal Navigation faqs

  • Coastal Navigation courses will be offered on select weekends. Book Now
  • The course fee includes the US Sailing textbook, a practice chart, basic plotting tools, and the exam fee.
  • We keep our class sizes small (no more than six students).

We will make every attempt to reschedule your experience. However, if you need to cancel or reschedule for any reason, changes are subject to a $25 processing fee.

Refunds will be made according to the timeline below:

  • Cancellations made more than 4 weeks in advance of the scheduled start date of your sailing experience are entitled to a full refund minus the $25 processing fee.
  • Cancellations made less than 4 weeks and more than 1 week in advance of the scheduled start date are entitled to a 50% refund of the program fee minus the $25 processing fee.
  • Cancellations made less than 1 week in advance of the scheduled start date are non-refundable.

No refunds or discounts will be made for missed classes, vacation days or dismissal from the program.