Synopses & Reviews
Emphasizing the visual and graphic techniques of navigation,
Boater's Bowditch is a small-boat adaptation of the preeminent navigation reference for commercial and naval sailors, the U.S. government's
American Practical Navigator ("Bowditch" for short, after the editor and writer of the first edition published in 1802). With hundreds of diagrams and photographs, this handy book is an indispensable resource for beginning and advanced navigators. It explains in plain English all the basic and most practical concepts and techniques used by professional navigators. It's the first truly comprehensive guide to modern navigation tools such as GPS and electronic charts.
Boater's Bowditch fulfills Nathaniel Bowditch's original vow "to put down in the book nothing I can't teach the crew."
"What John Wycliffe did to the Bible in the 14th century, Hubbard has done to the American Practical Navigator, bringing it down to a level most people can understand."--Ocean Navigator
"Hubbard has done an excellent job. I have been operating small boats on our waters for at least the last 20 years, and virtually every chapter told me something that was not only interesting but in many cases new to me."--Greenwich Time
"If you have been put off by navigation texts in the past, here is one which was intended to make navigation easy and understandable."--Dockside
"It covers every essential element of navigation know-how in clear, concise explanations. . . . Novices and experienced sailors alike will appreciate the book's logical organization."--Mariner
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [394]-395) and index.
About the Author
Richard K. Hubbard navigated everything from large coast guard cutters to class A ocean racing yachts and square-riggers for 11 years. Since 1979 he has worked for the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (formerly the Defense Mapping Agency), where today he is a Marine Analyst. He also writes for professional maritime journals and sailing magazines, and remains an active sailor. He was the editor of the 1995 edition of Pub. No. 9, the American Practical Navigator. Boater's Bowditch is the result of a lifetime of sailing, writing, and navigation study.
Table of Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part 1: Fundamentals of Navigation
1. Basic Navigational Concepts
2. Buoys, Beacons, and Lights
3. The Compass
4. Tides
5. Dead Reckoning
6. Piloting
Part 2: Electronic Navigation
7. Radio Waves in Navigation
8. Satellite Navigation
9. Loran-C Navigation
10. Radar Navigation
11. Electronic Charts
Part 3: Celestial Navigation
12. Navigational Astronomy
13. The Sextant
14. Time
15. The Almanacs
16. Sight Reduction
17. Practical Techniques in Navigation
Part 4: Navigation Safety
18. Navigation Rules and Regulations
19. Navigation Safety
20. Marine Weather
21. Oceanography
Tables
Glossary
Bibliography
Index