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Any GPS receiver will discover Latitude and Longitude alongside your crusing routes at any second. However as a skipper, have you ever plotted this data onto a nautical chart to examine your place? Enhance your crusing navigation expertise to the subsequent degree with this important crusing ability!
Navigating with Latitude
Cartographers create a grid-like net in your navigation chart. Latitude traces run in a horizontal path. Longitude traces run in a vertical path. Think about the earth, balanced on her axis with no tilt. Wrap a “belt” across the earth, divide it in two and you’ve got the equator–birthplace of Latitude. Label the equator 0 levels.
Latitude traces parallel the equator to the north or to the south. To plot Latitude to search out out the place you might be, you measure what number of levels you might be north or south of the equator. Latitude reaches a most of 90 levels at each north and south poles. All the time label Latitude N, if north of the equator, or S, if south of the equator.
In chart navigation, use the scales on the fitting or left aspect to search out your Latitude. These scales are damaged down into levels, minutes and tenths of a minute, or levels minutes and seconds. One diploma of Latitude equals sixty minutes; one minute of Latitude equals sixty seconds. Here is a easy solution to keep in mind this:
1 diploma = 60 minutes.
1 minute = 60 seconds.
Navigating with Longitude
Return to your imaginary globe. To measure Longitude, you once more divide the earth in half, however this time lengthwise. Find Greenwich, England in your globe. Draw a line across the earth that intersects Greenwich and each north and south poles. Cartographers name this the Greenwich, or prime meridian–the birthplace of Longitude. Label the Greenwich meridian 0 levels.
Longitude traces parallel the vertical Greenwich meridian to the east or to the west. To seek out longitude, you measure what number of levels you might be east or west of the Greenwich meridian. Longitude reaches a most of 180 levels on the opposite aspect of the earth, on the Worldwide dateline. You could label Longitude E, if east of Greenwich, or W, if west of Greenwich.
Use both the highest or backside of the chart to measure Longitude. Like Latitude, Longitude is damaged down into levels, minutes and tenths of minutes or levels, minutes and seconds.
Find out how to Convert Increments of Minutes
All nautical charts present minutes damaged down into increments to be able to plot elements of a minute. For instance, in case your gps place reveals 23-13N; 82-16W, there aren’t any increments to fret about. However, in case your gps place reveals Latitude 23-13.278N; Longitude 82-16.786W, you’ve got increments of minutes. Earlier than you plot your place, spherical off increments to the closest tenth of a minute. Spherical off like this: Latitude 23-13.3N; Longitude 82-16.8W.
Have a look at the Latitude scales (proper or left aspect) and Longitude scales (high or backside) in your chart. Are minutes damaged down into tenths or into seconds?
Some charts present levels, minutes, and tenths of a minute. The minutes might be damaged down into 10 small segments. Every small phase equals one-tenth of a minute. Different charts present levels, minutes, and seconds of a minute. In case your chart reveals levels, minutes, and seconds, you’ll need to multiply the “tenths” of a minute by 6. Observe this instance:
GPS studying (with minutes rounded as described earlier): Latitude 23-13.3N; Longitude 82-16.8W.
Multiply the increment of Latitude minutes like this.3 X 6 = 18 seconds.
Multiply the increment of Longitude minutes like this.8 X 6 = 48 seconds.
Plot: Latitude 23 levels, 13 minutes, 18 seconds; Longitude 82 levels, 16 minutes, 48 seconds.
Find out how to Plot Latitude and Longitude
Use a pair of dividers to plot your place by Lat and Lengthy onto the chart. Learn the levels and minutes out of your GPS. Discover the closest levels and entire minute of latitude in your GPS.
For instance, for Latitude 23-13.3N, you’ll search for 23 levels, 13 minutes on the fitting or left aspect scales in your navigation chart. Push one level of your dividers into the 13 minutes. Open up the opposite leg 3 small segments (three tenths), above the 13 minute mark. In case your chart reveals seconds as an alternative of tenths, open up the opposite leg of your dividers 18 seconds (.3 X 6) above the 13 minute mark. Place a pencil mark the place the dividers contact the precise Latitude.
Subsequent, plot your Longitude. Use the identical actual technique to plot your Longitude. Make sure that to make use of the highest or backside chart scales to plot your Longitude. Once you’ve discovered your Longitude, place a pencil mark the place the dividers contact the precise Longitude.
Discover Your Precise Place
Align your parallel guidelines or every other straight edge in order that the highest lengthy edge touches the Latitude pencil mark. Make the parallel guidelines or straight edge perpendicular in order that once you draw within the Latitude line, will probably be parallel to all different latitude traces. Draw a light-weight pencil line throughout the physique of the chart to a location near the place you marked the highest or backside Longitude scale.
Repeat this similar technique to align and attract your Longitude line. The place the Longitude pencil line intersects the latitude pencil line reveals your actual place. It is best to now have a cross. Place a dot the place the 2 traces cross. Circle the dot. Erase the sunshine traces drawn from the sides of the chart to scrub up the chart and preserve your plot neat.
Use these simple steps to search out Latitude and Longitude in your nautical chart quick. With these crusing expertise, you may be nicely in your solution to grow to be a assured crusing skipper-anywhere you select to go crusing!
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Source by John N. Jamieson