Preparing ASA 105 (Coastal Nav) for experienced sailor

[jdmuys]

Hi,

I have been sailing for 30 years from Europe (France), and now that I moved to the USA, I am in the process of passing the ASA certifications.

I now want to pass ASA 105, Coastal Navigation (and then ASA 106: Advanced Coastal Navigation).

How can I prepare at home without taking a class knowing that:

- I learned navigation a long time ago, and I'm still reasonably proficient with most [simple] techniques.

- I don't own any of the ASA recommended books, but I have the Annapolis Book of Seamanship: will that be OK? Which parts should I focus on? Or should I buy the ASA recommended books?

- I need perhaps a brush up on some of the most advanced techniques (eg fix by Inscribed angle if that is how it's called in English)
- Learn about the specifics of the USA
- Complete my knowledge of the relevant English terminology (I'm French, with a reasonable command of the English language, including common sailing vocabulary)

Of course, as of late, I have been using mostly electronic navigation tools, and my traditional skills may be sometimes a bit rusty.

Any words of wisdom and bits of advice most welcome.

JD

[belizesailor]

My suggestions, as an ASA Instructor since 1994 and former ASA school owner, are below:

"Annapolis..." is a classic text full of great information, but it doesnt delve deep enough into Coastal Navigation to be sufficient for ASA 105.

Navigation Texts. Traditional Coastal Navigation techniques havent changed in 100 years and there is nothing in ASA 105 which is unique to ASA. So, any good coastal navigation text, like Duttons, will do. However, the ASA materials by Tom Tursi are exceptionally well done and do follow the style of problem presentation you will encounter on the exam. The complete package (Text, CD, practice problems, etc) is very well suited to self study.

When I ran an ASA school I developed documents to be sent out to newly registered students which described how to prepare for each ASA course. Below is a link to the one for ASA 105.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ba9exmjbxb...tions.doc?dl=0

Please read it and then let me know if you have any questions.

The bottom line on 105 preparation: Just reading and understanding the text is not sufficient. Lots of hands on practice is key. You must repeatedly work each category of problem until it becomes second nature. If you do this then you will do fine on the exam.

[jdmuys]

Thank you so much for your answer and your document. This is very valuable.

- Regarding what would be unique specific to USA and therefore to ASA: I noticed that the marine chart have slightly different symbols that French ones sometimes. Some watermarks do not exist in French waters too. I suppose Chart #1 and other free publications will let me learn those.

- Regarding the need to purchase material: is there a list of practice question I coud download somewhere to get an idea what to expect? I found one reference online, but the link was dead.

- Regarding Tursi: I was not able to find an ebook version. I am very reluctant to buy dead trees nowadays. Is there an electronic-only alternative? I see that David Burch has his navigation course material available electronically (https://www.starpath.com/coastal/coastal_title.htm) is that material good? Does it cover the ASA 105 curriculum?

Thanks again for your invaluable help.

[Mirage35]

I was in a similar position a couple of years ago and, being who I am, decided to complete a course. But didn't want to spend the time in person because I figured my basic skill level would be sufficient to give me a pretty big head start.

Jump to the conclusion: I found an online course - see coastalnavigation.com - and am happy to recommend it. There are no doubt others.

(Got 98% on the exam. But then I always was good at "book learning".)

[belizesailor]

Along those same lines, StarPath has some excellent online training, including Coastal Navigation.

https://www.starpath.com/catalog/cou...rses_index.htm

[Ded reckoner]

I agree that Tom Tursi's ASA 105 class offered through the Maryland School of Sailing is thorough and applicable to the subject and for passing the test. It is a great help that practice tests are available, so you get some indication how well you are learning and retaining the information. Also, you schedule a proctored exam when you are ready. There is no time limit from receiving the class materials to taking the exam, so there is a lot of flexibility for getting ready. Of course, there is a time limit for actually taking the exam. And, unless you have access to a proctored exam environment, this is an additional expense. In any case, I highly recommend taking this coastal navigation course for improving your skills in this important area.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Ded reckoner

I agree that Tom Tursi's ASA 105 class offered through the Maryland School of Sailing is thorough and applicable to the subject and for passing the test. It is a great help that practice tests are available, so you get some indication how well you are learning and retaining the information. Also, you schedule a proctored exam when you are ready. There is no time limit from receiving the class materials to taking the exam, so there is a lot of flexibility for getting ready. Of course, there is a time limit for actually taking the exam. And, unless you have access to a proctored exam environment, this is an additional expense. In any case, I highly recommend taking this coastal navigation course for improving your skills in this important area.

Re test duration. The way I used to deliver 105 was a combination of self study and classroom instruction. Students would work thru the materials on their own with email/phone support. Upon arrival at the school, we would conduct a review session. This was partlh to asses the student's level of perparation. This usually to half a day. Next we administered the exam. Typically completion times were ~3 hours.

After students completed the exam then we reviewed the exams together. This allowed students to learn from their mistakes rather than just receiving a number.

This process worked very well for us and the students.

[chasmains]

I took the home study ASA-105 version available from, among others, The Captain in You Sailing School, Www.captaininyou.com. The home study version still means that Capt Mike will handle the proctored exam as part of the fee. My background allowed me to do it that way since I am a retired submarine navigator and did lots of coastal and piloting work as part of that. The home course price is $299 with tools, charts, Annapolis text and other materials. The course literature covered the ASA objectives quite thoroughly. I was successful doing 105 that way. Your experience is at least higher than mine, so you will surely pass. And it was fun working through it all. C

[slug]

Originally Posted by chasmains

I took the home study ASA-105 version available from, among others, The Captain in You Sailing School, Www.captaininyou.com. The home study version still means that Capt Mike will handle the proctored exam as part of the fee. My background allowed me to do it that way since I am a retired submarine navigator and did lots of coastal and piloting work as part of that. The home course price is $299 with tools, charts, Annapolis text and other materials. The course literature covered the ASA objectives quite thoroughly. I was successful doing 105 that way. Your experience is at least higher than mine, so you will surely pass. And it was fun working through it all. C

It’s a shame that you didn’t choose the British Yachtmaster

Don’t know how they test in the US

The British are verbal via flash cards

Tester shows you a flash card , you answer for the correct scenario

You should google RYA flash cards and buy the full set

These cards will stay on your boat and in future be used by countless young crew to learn rules of the road , lights ....

https://www.rya.org.uk/shop/Pages/products.aspx?search=Flip%20cards%20

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by slug

It’s a shame that you didn’t choose the British Yachtmaster

Don’t know how they test in the US

The British are verbal via flash cards

Tester shows you a flash card , you answer for the correct scenario

You should google RYA flash cards and buy the full set

These cards will stay on your boat and in future be used by countless young crew to learn rules of the road , lights ....

https://www.rya.org.uk/shop/Pages/pr...lip%20cards%20

Flash cards are good for COLREGS, but not sure how you would use them for a running fix for example.

Just to clarify, ASA 105 is traditional (non-electronic) coastal navigation. Much of the course work is plotting (set and drift, danger bearings, running fixes, etc...).

[waterman46]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

My suggestions, as an ASA Instructor since 1994 and former ASA school owner, are below:

"Annapolis..." is a classic text full of great information, but it doesnt delve deep enough into Coastal Navigation to be sufficient for ASA 105.

Navigation Texts. Traditional Coastal Navigation techniques havent changed in 100 years and there is nothing in ASA 105 which is unique to ASA. So, any good coastal navigation text, like Duttons, will do. However, the ASA materials by Tom Tursi are exceptionally well done and do follow the style of problem presentation you will encounter on the exam. The complete package (Text, CD, practice problems, etc) is very well suited to self study.

When I ran an ASA school I developed documents to be sent out to newly registered students which described how to prepare for each ASA course. Below is a link to the one for ASA 105.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ba9exmjbxb...tions.doc?dl=0

Please read it and then let me know if you have any questions.

The bottom line on 105 preparation: Just reading and understanding the text is not sufficient. Lots of hands on practice is key. You must repeatedly work each category of problem until it becomes second nature. If you do this then you will do fine on the exam.

Speaking for myself, not the OP, I went to that link and tried to read and understand that method of conversions of true and magnetic bearings, and found it rather difficult. I like the part about the virgins and the whisky, but really, isn't the old "When correcting, Add East" a bit easier to remember and just as useful? Once you know that advice pertains to "correcting" a magnetic bearing to get a true bearing, the other three possible conversions of the same two numbers, follow by implication.



Nevertheless I appreciate the information and since I can't get back to the boat from CA due to quarantine I guess I might just finally, after sailing 60 years without any licenses (other than a Boy Scout canoeing merit badge), get some ASA certifications to prove I am a real sailor and allow me to charter. And looking forward to learning stuff I thought I knew, but really don't!

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by waterman46

Speaking for myself, not the OP, I went to that link and tried to read and understand that method of conversions of true and magnetic bearings, and found it rather difficult. I like the part about the virgins and the whisky, but really, isn't the old "When correcting, Add East" a bit easier to remember and just as useful? Once you know that advice pertains to "correcting" a magnetic bearing to get a true bearing, the other three possible conversions of the same two numbers, follow by implication.



Nevertheless I appreciate the information and since I can't get back to the boat from CA due to quarantine I guess I might just finally, after sailing 60 years without any licenses (other than a Boy Scout canoeing merit badge), get some ASA certifications to prove I am a real sailor and allow me to charter. And looking forward to learning stuff I thought I knew, but really don't!

Everyone learns differently, whats important is which method works for you.

[nightowle]

You may want to check out the courses at Nautic Ed. It's a good online source and they can arrange in-person testing at different schools, should you want that. Nautic Ed certifications are very much globally accepted.

https://www.nauticed.org/sailing-courses

[Mithril Bham]

Lots of good suggestions above.
I taught that ASA course for ten years. It was my favorite. We taught it as a week-long on the water course. Unusual but I liked doing it that way. Lots of practical applications.

My USCG Masters Test used nearly the identical problems at the time I took it. Made that easy.

Practice using the nav tools with paper charts. You need to be accurate and most people are awkward with the tools.

It may have changed but there was a tricky Set & Drift question. Once you get it it's easy like most things

I remember a video published by ASA on navigation.
Good luck

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Mithril Bham

Lots of good suggestions above.
I taught that ASA course for ten years. It was my favorite. We taught it as a week-long on the water course. Unusual but I liked doing it that way. Lots of practical applications.

My USCG Masters Test used nearly the identical problems at the time I took it. Made that easy.

Practice using the nav tools with paper charts. You need to be accurate and most people are awkward with the tools.

It may have changed but there was a tricky Set & Drift question. Once you get it it's easy like most things

I remember a video published by ASA on navigation.
Good luck

When I took my USCG test, I was already an ASA instructor too. I spent a LOT of time reviewing questions of each category from their database, but very little on the Nav questions since the examples I pulled looked pretty basic.

The questions however are pulled from the database for each exam administered. On the day I went in to take the Nav module, I got the test from hell...took me about half a day. I aced it, but it was a bitch.