Schedule and Course Information

For course starting 2 February 2021 and 27 April 2021 -  Revision # 0

Part of Southern Maine Community College Continuing Education

Click Here for Registration Instruction

On Zoom

7 pm to 9 pm

Course Description and Requirements

This course will be delivered live via Zoom.  Weekend Navigator will focus on navigation in the digital age, along with the timeless techniques of classical navigation so that you never have to rely solely on electronics.  Class exercises will be based on nautical charts of Casco Bay.

You will learn how to use such tools as a GPS receiver, chart plotter, and radar as well as read nautical charts, plot courses, take bearings and the other techniques upon which all navigation is based. 

Student supplied items needed for the course are paper back book The Weekend Navigator, 2nd Edition Paperback by Robert Sweet and a fairly recent copy of NOAA Chart 13290 Casco Bay or Chart Book that covers the Casco Bay region are required for the first class.  The paperback version of the book is recommended.  Please note that the Kindle version of the book is not acceptable for this course because it does not contain everything that is in the book. These items can be found at most local Marine Stores or on line by doing a search for them.

Students will need basic navigation tools but recommendations will be made in the first session and items can be acquired after the course has begun.

Weekend Navigator students will need to have access to home computer or laptop for home assignments.  Free software supplied for these assignments will not work on tablets. Students will need internet access for the online Zoom Class Sessions. 

Prerequisite:  Completion of a NASBLA approved safe boating course.  Relevant experience can satisfy this requirement with prior approval of the course coordinator.

Click Here for clickable Web Address (URL's) referred to in our Public Education Courses. Boating Skills and Seamanship Chapter 5 has links that may be of use in this course.

 Students of our Public Education Courses are encouraged to give us feed back on courses that they  are taking.   Your feed back will help us to better improve our courses and let our instructors know if they are getting their message of safe boating across to you.  Click Here to go the feed back form page.

This schedule is subject to change without notice.