Celestial Navigation Course

After Junior Navigation, this course is the second part of the study of offshore navigation, further developing the students understanding of celestial navigation theory.

This Navigation course deals with learning  celestial positioning using other bodies, in addition to positioning using the sun (covered in the Junior Navigation course).

This course also deals with electronic software tools that can be used to plan and execute an offshore voyage.

You will first learn to reduce these sights by the Law of Cosines method.

Later in the course, you will learn an additional method of sight reduction, the Nautical Almanac Sight Reduction (NASR) method.

You will also learn about sight planning techniques. With that knowledge, you will have the tools to take sights and complete your Navigation Sight Folder.

This course includes a chapter on using a software-based voyage planning tool and a navigation program. The final chapter of the course contains a Practice Cruise that ties the separate elements of the course together.

This course also includes a copy of The CAPN  software. The Offshore Navigation Course (Junior Navigation) is a prerequisite to this course.

Topics covered include:

• A View of our Solar System. A simple overview of how the celestial bodies in the sky appear to us on earth.
• Sunrise...Sunset. Finding local mean time of solar and lunar phenomena and converting the time of these events to zone time.
• Taking Sights and Finding Ho, LHA, and Dec. Taking sights on the moon, navigational planets and stars; applying proper altitude corrections to these sights to obtain Ho; applying corrections for low altitude sights; and computing the LHA and declination of these bodies.
• Sight Reduction and Plotting by the Law of Cosines. Reducing sights of the moon, stars, and planets by the Law of Cosines method; and plotting lines of position (LOPs) for these sights to obtain an estimated position, a running fix, and a true fix.
• Sight Reduction and Plotting by the NASR method. Reducing sights on the sun, moon, stars, and planets by the Nautical Almanac Sight Reduction (NASR) method; and plotting the lines of position (LOPs) for these sights to obtain an estimated position, a running fix, and a true fix.
• Sight Planning. Planning your sights to achieve good 2- and 3-body fixes, using both traditional and electronic tools.
• Emergency Navigation. Provisioning an emergency navigation kit and constructing emergency plotting sheets; and determining destination coordinates mathematically from course and distance traveled.
• Electronics and Software for Offshore Navigation. Using a software-based voyage planning tool to plan an offshore voyage (Visual Passage Planner 2); and using a navigation program in executing the voyage.
• Underway. A review of the Navigator’s duties and USPS Plotting and Labeling Standards; and setting up and using a 900 series plotting sheet. The student will execute a leg of an offshore voyage using both electronic and traditional tools, including celestial positioning. This Practice Cruise is an excellent preparation for the open book exam.
• Exam. There are two exam elements for the course, the Sight Folder and an Open Book Exam. Both are graded by the Offshore Navigation Committee.

Schedule: Starts 15 October 6:30pm - 8:30pm for 8 Weeks

Classroom: Cape Fear Community College, Union Station Building - free campus parking.

If you would like to register, if you have questions or need additional information,

please contact Lt/C Ned Rhodes, SN SEO at educationofficer@capefearsailandpowersquadron.org

Photos will be taken at these events for publication in the Foghorn and Squadron website. If you do not wish to have your photo taken, please sign the Opt-Out sheet at this class.

Radar for Boaters

This course is up to date for radar technologies available now and into the near future. The course covers the different types of radar equipment, their capabilities and limitations, as well as their features and how they apply to students’ needs. It covers what you need to know about radar, from how and where to mount the antenna to how to interpret the displays, so you can use your radar for collision avoidance and for navigational purposes.

Students attending this course should have completed America’s Boating Course (or another NASBLA-approved boating safety course), preferably have completed Marine Navigation and Advanced Marine Navigation (currently Piloting and Advanced Piloting), and have boating experience.

Schedule: 11/21, 12/5, 12/19, 1/9/20 (6:30 - 8:30pm)

Cost: $85 person

Classroom: Cape Fear Community College, Union Station Building - free campus parking.

If you would like to Register, if you have questions or need additional information,

please contact Lt/C Ned Rhodes SN, SEO at  educationofficer@capefearsailandpowersquadron.org

Photos will be taken at these events for publication in the Foghorn and Squadron website. If you do not wish to have your photo taken, please sign the Opt-Out sheet at this class. 

America’s Boating Course^®

The Cape Fear Sail & Power Squadron is proudly offering the very best in safe boating education with their boating course which will be offered at the Cape Fear Community College. The course is centered around the 8 hour America’s Boating Course^® offered on a single Saturday (8:00am – 4:30pm). This class is NASBLA approved and USCG recognized and will satisfy NC safe boating requirements for anyone under 26 years of age.

For new boaters or boaters new to the Cape Fear coastal area we have expanded the program to include our exclusive “Local Knowledge” combined with our "On-the-Water" teaching cruise on the following Sunday (free parking on the streets of Wilmington). We'll address the challenges and complexities of boating in our local coastal environment where we'll "tie" everything together.  

The cost is $85, additional family members living in the same household can share the textbook at the discounted price of $50 each.

 Topics include:

• Required Safety Equipment
• Navigation Rules & Aids
• Finding Your Way
• Marlinspike (knots)
• Trailering
• Anchoring
• Communications Afloat
• Lights and Sound Signals

29 February, 2020 – ABC Classroom Cape Fear Community College  8:00am–4:30pm
1 March, 2020 – Local Knowledge & On-the-Water Cruise 11:00am-3:00pm

Enrollment Link Available Soon

If you have any questions or need additional information,

please contact: Lt/C Ned Rhodes, SN SEO at educationofficer@capefearsailandpowersquadron.org

Photos will be taken at these events for publication in the Foghorn and Squadron website. If you do not wish to have your photo taken, please sign the Opt-Out sheet at this class.

America’s Boating Course^®

The Cape Fear Sail & Power Squadron is proudly offering the very best in safe boating education with their boating course which will be offered at the Cape Fear Community College. The course is centered around the 8 hour America’s Boating Course^® offered on a single Saturday (8:00am – 4:30pm). This class is NASBLA approved and USCG recognized and will satisfy NC safe boating requirements for anyone under 26 years of age.

For new boaters or boaters new to the Cape Fear coastal area we have expanded the program to include our exclusive “Local Knowledge” combined with our "On-the-Water" teaching cruise on the following Sunday (free parking on the streets of Wilmington).  We'll address the challenges and complexities of boating in our local coastal environment where we'll "tie" everything together.  

The cost is $85, additional family members living in the same household can share the textbook at the discounted price of $50 each.

Topics include:

• Required Safety Equipment
• Navigation Rules & Aids
• Finding Your Way
• Marlinspike (knots)
• Trailering
• Anchoring
• Communications Afloat
• Lights and Sound Signals

16 May, 2020 – ABC Classroom Cape Fear Community College  8:00am–4:30pm
17 May, 2020 – Local Knowledge & On-the-Water Cruise 11:00am-3:00pm

Enrollment Link Available Soon 

If you have any questions or need additional information,

please contact: Lt/C Ned Rhodes, SN SEO at educationofficer@capefearsailandpowersquadron.org

Photos will be taken at these events for publication in the Foghorn and Squadron website. If you do not wish to have your photo taken, please sign the Opt-Out sheet at this class. 

America’s Boating Course^® 

The Cape Fear Sail & Power Squadron is proudly offering the very best in safe boating education with their boating course which will be offered the Cape Fear Community College. The course is centered around the 8 hour America’s Boating Course^® offered on a single Saturday (8:00am–4:30pm). This class is NASBLA approved and USCG recognized and will satisfy NC safe boating requirements for anyone under 26 years of age.

For new boaters or boaters new to the Cape Fear coastal area we have expanded the program to include our exclusive “Local Knowledge” combined with our "On-the-Water" teaching cruise on the following Sunday (free parking on the streets of Wilmington). We'll address the challenges and complexities of boating in our local coastal environment where we'll "tie" everything together.  

The cost is $85, additional family members living in the same household can share the textbook at the discounted price of $50 each.

 Topics include:

• Required Safety Equipment
• Navigation Rules & Aids
• Finding Your Way
• Marlinspike (knots)
• Trailering
• Anchoring
• Communications Afloat
• Lights and Sound Signals    

15 August, 2020 – ABC Classroom Cape Fear Community College  8:00am– 4:30pm
16 August, 2020 – Local Knowledge & On-the-Water Cruise 11:00am-3:00pm

Enrollment Link Available Soon 

If you have any questions or need additional information,

please contact: Lt/C Ned Rhodes, SN SEO at educationofficer@capefearsailandpowersquadron.org

Photos will be taken at these events for publication in the Foghorn and Squadron website. If you do not wish to have your photo taken, please sign the Opt-Out sheet at this class.