"I have just lost more territory to my astronomers than to all my enemies."
-King Louis XIV, in 1671, after the Italian astronomer Giovanni Cassini (a disciple of Galileo) determined that France had 20% less taxable territory than previously believed.  Cassini's method was to use the position of Jupiter's moons to determine longitude. 

*Power Boaters:  this course is equally appropriate for you.  The theory and application are the same, and the curriculum is very similar to navigation portions of Coast Guard/Power Squadron courses.

Curriculum: enough to require a separate page!
 

Left: Peter Schorr, nav instructor extraordinaire, making light of what little math is really necessary for coastal navigation.  This is our Manhattan location. Above: students, relieved and happy to hear it (possibly after some salty joke)

(Peter demonstrating a specialty chart.)      You'll do numerous realistic practice problems to reinforce each new skill, both in the class and at your leisure.  This is essentially a classroom course, but you're not confined to the "cabin" for the duration.  Unlike other programs (any we're aware of, in fact), we get you out in the real world and start practicing your new skills:

We run a special coastal navigation course at Columbia University for the Graduate School of Business and Sailing Club.  Here are some happy grad student graduates. These schedules are open to all Columbia students and faculty.  Contact us if you qualify.

• We stroll down to the end of our long pier once or twice and identify buoys, beacons and charted landmarks in City Island Harbor and Long Island Sound.  You'll learn how to identify and time light characteristics, and even take bearings on Navaids and landmarks with a hand-bearing compass to practice position fixing.  You'll also take a hand-held GPS fix and plot the results of both methods. (N.b.: we can't really do all this for Manhattan schedules, but we can still do bearings & GPS and plot the results on a Manhattan or Western Long Island Sound chart.)

• We run "Nav Excursions" on cruising auxiliaries from time to time (which can be day or evening).  Graduates of Start Navigating are notified in advance and invited to attend, free of charge.  We go out and plot courses, practice compass steering, identify Navaids, take fixes and determine if current is affecting our course -- and then make corrections to get back on track.

"Gee, Dad, where did that awful reef come from?"
"Why, it's the tide, Billy!"

(Class covers why reefs cover and uncover, and how to tell in advance what the tide and current are doing where you have doings.)

Schedules:  Two choices -

1. Four Saturday (or Sunday) afternoons.
This typically runs from 11 am to 4, with appropriate breaks.  One session may start and end late so we can see buoys and beacons start flashing at dusk if we're at our City Island location.

2. Four or Five Weeknights.
These sessions are typically from 6:30 to 9:45.  Our LIC location is very convenient: 3 stops from Manhattan on the R train, and equally convenient to the V and G lines.  No Starbucks, but  there are still places for coffee, including a billiards bar!  (That's really an aprez-nav thing.)

Locations: Manhattan, Long Island City, and others.   We offer custom schedules and locations - ask!
 

Prerequisites: none, although a little boating experience is helpful for perspective.  Contact us if you have any questions.
 

Certification Achieved: ASA Coastal Navigation.  The certification exam is included in the tuition, and students schedule this at their convenience.  US Sailing Coastal Nav certification is also available.
Curriculum: enough to require a separate page!
Tuition: $495, including all materials and certification, and free invitations to our on-water "Nav Excursions."  Materials consist of...

• Coastal Nav textbook (with extensive practice problem material). This is our own manual, written by the Director, Steve Card.
• A real chart (#13218, the real-life updated version of the 1210 training chart, Martha's Vineyard to Block Island, that is commonly used in nav programs).  This is an NOAA approved Print On Demand (POD) chart, done without Loran lines all over, making for much better clarity and far less clutter.
• "Chart # 1" book of symbols & abbreviations
• Parallel rules (most common plotting tool; we'll acquaint you with others, too.)  We give you really good ones you won't outgrow.
• Dividers  (like a drafting "compass," used to measure distance.)  We give you "keeper" quality dividers that are more accurate, making for easier learning and greater precision.
• Mechanical pencils. Okay, they're not fancy metal ones in felt lined cases, but they have spring loaded tips for less breakage.
• Special erasers that work better on charts.