UK based and allowing for Covid restrictions what's the best navigation etc course?

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by muttnik

...the subject of restaurants should highlight the criticality of navigational theory to yachtspeople in tidal areas. Visitors to Newtown Creek (for example) would be ill-advised to book a table at the New Inn, Shalfleet without being able to perform secondary port tidal calculations.

Right on, Muttnik.

And we instructors create just such examination questions during your RYA tuition!

Bwah-ha-ha!

(I don't care what you say, Boatie, Poole has the best curries ever.)
LittleWing77

[Rver]

Hi JulianECB, Greetings from Pyrenees Orientales in Southern France.
Whilst I'm sure online coaching may suffice you may want to look at buying CD's or DVD's to work on you're own and at a pace to suit.
I've found "Coastal Navigation" from www.maritimecd.com and "Mike Ferro's Shorebased Course Companion" from Shorebased Course Companion Home very helpful.

[Moana Bella]

I agree with what has been said about doing RYA navigation courses. I did RYA Day Skipper Theory, which is mostly about navigation. If this is all new to you, as it was to me, it can be a bit of a blur with a lot to take in.
I recommend you plan a lengthy journey you can navigate fairly soon after completing the course, otherwise if you don't use it you will lose it.
I have just completed a delivery of over 500nm as navigator, and happy to say we didn't come to grief in any way. It really cemented the theory, and I feel much more confident than after just doing the course.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by muttnik

Visitors to Newtown Creek (for example) would be ill-advised to book a table at the New Inn, Shalfleet without being able to perform secondary port tidal calculations.

Ha, the Gun pub on the Solent's north bank has a similar problem a huge stand at high water for 5 hours then its gone in a flash. We planed this one honest

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

(I don't care what you say, Boatie, Poole has the best curries ever.) LittleWing77

Sadly its all changed a bit and the days of rafting 6 deep against Poole Town Quay are long gone, replaced by an expensive marina and some second rate quay restaurants. Weymuff still good though

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by muttnik

Despite being the venue for meetups of the YBW Scuttlebutt forum (keeping this post boaty :-), Brick Lane is more associated with serving groups of drunken office workers who really don't care which restaurant they end up in than discerning diners.

The UK's south coast is not known for outstanding cuisine from the subcontinent but referring back to both Pete7's post and the original post, the subject of restaurants should highlight the criticality of navigational theory to yachtspeople in tidal areas. Visitors to Newtown Creek (for example) would be ill-advised to book a table at the New Inn, Shalfleet without being able to perform secondary port tidal calculations.

Things must have changed a lot since the 90's early 2000's when I used to go there.. one of the few restaurants outside Tooting that did 'Desi' food was there and I was one of the few white faces that used to eat the fresh green chillies they sprinkled in the curries..
They have the best Indian Sweets shops in Tooting as well.. Garjar Halwa, Gelabis, Gulab Jamuns, Barfi.. and proper Samosas and Pakoras..
Portugal is hell..

[Rver]

I responded to the OP's "So any ideas on what I can be getting on with allowing for Covid restrictions."
I can't see that taking [further?] lessons or going sailing with folks outside of ones "buble" can be done.
Hence my recomendation to prepare for the real deal by doing some self tutoring using CD's / DVD's.

[carstenb]

you say "navigation" but don't indicate what kind

celestial? well, the age of the sextant is pretty much behind us, although I do know how to do it and I still take some sights to ensure that our 8-10 diverse GPS devices on board are functioning correctly (yeah - right). We (my wife also knows how to use a sextant and plot our position) do it mainly for fun.

Terrestial? so, what is your starting point? Do you know how to read a chart? Do you know your Colregs? Can you plot a position on a paper chart using only landmarks and a compass?

Chart plotters have almost made that kind of old-fashioned terrestial navigation passé

Don't get me wrong - I think is is absolutely essential that a skipper knows terresstial navigation - looking at screen or telling the autopilot to "go there" is not navigation

[Clivevon]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Ha, the Gun pub on the Solent's north bank has a similar problem a huge stand at high water for 5 hours then its gone in a flash. We planed this one honest

Sadly its all changed a bit and the days of rafting 6 deep against Poole Town Quay are long gone, replaced by an expensive marina and some second rate quay restaurants. Weymuff still good though

6 deep? Try 10. The skipper called me a hero when he found me on deck at 3 am (naked under my oilskins - it was lashing down) struggling to fit a fender between us & the inside boat. I didnt tell him the banging was keeping me awake in my saloon berth..

I always did like Weymuff. Still do.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Clivevon

I always did like Weymuff. Still do.

Just don't arrive at 4am in January, the Customs men will be banging on your hatch and waking you for a search at 6am..

[JulianECB]

Originally Posted by muttnik

There's no need to join the RYA to do the training. As you are probably aware the RYA don't deliver courses, licensed training outfits do (and it's them you pay your money to).

That was part of the reason I asked on here... I wasn't really sure how it worked... but I understand now.

cheers

[JulianECB]

Originally Posted by Rver

I responded to the OP's "So any ideas on what I can be getting on with allowing for Covid restrictions."
I can't see that taking [further?] lessons or going sailing with folks outside of ones "buble" can be done.
Hence my recomendation to prepare for the real deal by doing some self tutoring using CD's / DVD's.

Thank you that was exactly what I wanted...

[JulianECB]

Originally Posted by carstenb

you say "navigation" but don't indicate what kind

celestial? well, the age of the sextant is pretty much behind us, although I do know how to do it and I still take some sights to ensure that our 8-10 diverse GPS devices on board are functioning correctly (yeah - right). We (my wife also knows how to use a sextant and plot our position) do it mainly for fun.

Terrestial? so, what is your starting point? Do you know how to read a chart? Do you know your Colregs? Can you plot a position on a paper chart using only landmarks and a compass?

Chart plotters have almost made that kind of old-fashioned terrestial navigation passé

Don't get me wrong - I think is is absolutely essential that a skipper knows terresstial navigation - looking at screen or telling the autopilot to "go there" is not navigation

I plan to use the most current methods... BUT I already have a book on celestial navigation and plan to get a sextant and use it as a back up and as an interesting thing to do. I gather though that the modern methods are far more acurate and that sextants give you more of an approximation plus or minus X rather than an exact location.