Confident sailors don’t rely solely on electronics—they understand how to navigate.

ASA 105 Coastal Navigation provides the knowledge and practical skills needed to safely plan and navigate coastal passages using nautical charts, tides, currents, GPS, and traditional navigation techniques. Whether you’re preparing for bareboat charters, cruising your own boat, or continuing toward advanced certifications, this course lays the foundation for safe and confident navigation. It is also a prerequisite for ASA 106 Advanced Coastal Cruising.

Throughout this course, you’ll learn how to:

• Chart Navigation
• Read and interpret NOAA nautical charts
• Understand chart symbols, depths, hazards, and aids to navigation
• Plot courses using parallel rulers and dividers
• Measure distances and determine true and magnetic courses
• Position Fixing
• Plot your vessel’s position on a chart
• Determine bearings and fixes using visual references
• Calculate course, speed, distance, and estimated time of arrival (ETA)
• Understand running fixes and dead reckoning
• Tides & Currents
• Read tide tables and current predictions
• Calculate the effects of tidal currents on your course
• Determine set and drift
• Plan departures and arrivals based on tidal conditions
• Navigation Equipment
• Use GPS and electronic navigation systems effectively
• Understand compass variation and deviation
• Navigate using both electronic and traditional methods
• Develop backup navigation skills should electronics fail
• Aids to Navigation
• Identify buoys, beacons, lights, and daymarks
• Understand the U.S. buoyage system
• Interpret light characteristics for safe nighttime navigation
• Cruise Planning
• Plan safe coastal passages
• Evaluate weather forecasts and their impact on navigation
• Select routes, alternate harbors, and safe anchorages
• Prepare navigation plans for day and overnight cruising
• Navigation Calculations
• Solve real-world navigation problems
• Calculate speed, time, and distance
• Apply current and leeway corrections
• Build confidence making navigational decisions independently

By the End of the Course

Successful students will be able to confidently plan and navigate coastal voyages using charts, navigation tools, GPS, tides, and currents. You’ll have the knowledge to safely prepare for coastal cruising, bareboat charters, and advanced offshore sailing while making sound navigational decisions in changing conditions.