GPS and electronic navigation

Bowditch Ch. 1 §101

Bowditch Ch. 1 §101 — Introduction to Marine Navigation Marine navigation is the art and science of determining a vessel's position and conducting it safely from one point to another. Its four primary methods are dead reckoning, piloting, celestial, and electronic — modern voyages combine all four with electronic navigation as the principal real-time reference and the others as cross-checks.

Bowditch Ch. 1 §102

Bowditch Ch. 1 §102 — Introduction to Marine Navigation Dead reckoning (DR) is the determination of position by applying course steered and distance run from a known starting point. DR accuracy degrades over time and must be confirmed by external fixes whenever possible.

Bowditch Ch. 1 §103

Bowditch Ch. 1 §103 — Introduction to Marine Navigation Piloting is navigation by reference to landmarks, aids to navigation, and soundings. It is the primary method used in confined waters where dead reckoning alone is insufficient and electronic positioning may be obstructed by terrain or interference.

Bowditch Ch. 15 §1501

Bowditch Ch. 15 §1501 — Navigational Astronomy Celestial navigation determines position from observations of celestial bodies. Although no longer the primary navigation method, it remains the back-up of last resort if all electronic systems fail.

33 CFR §164.03

§ 164.03 § 164.03 Incorporation by reference. (a) Certain material is incorporated by reference into this part with the approval of the Director of the Federal Register under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. To enforce any edition other than that specified in this section, the Coast Guard must publish notice of the change in theand the material must be available to the public. All approved material is available for inspection at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For more information on the availability of this material at NARA, call 202-741-6030, or go to:Also, it is available for inspection at the Commandant (CG-NAV), U.S. Coast Guard Stop 7418, Attn: Office of Navigation Systems, 2703 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE., Washington, DC 20593-7418, telephone 202-372-…

33 CFR §164.11

§ 164.11 § 164.11 Navigation under way: General. The owner, master, or person in charge of each vessel underway shall ensure that: (a) The wheelhouse is constantly manned by persons who: (1) Direct and control the movement of the vessel; and (2) Fix the vessel's position; (b) Each person performing a duty described in paragraph (a) of this section is competent to perform that duty; (c) The position of the vessel at each fix is plotted on a chart of the area and the person directing the movement of the vessel is informed of the vessel's position; (d) Electronic and other navigational equipment, external fixed aids to navigation, geographic reference points, and hydrographic contours are used when fixing the vessel's position; (e) Buoys alone are not used to fix the vessel's position…