Marine navigation of long ago was very different from the methods we use today. Ancient travellers relied on their instincts, oral tradition and primitive devices to navigate the treacherous seas and oceans of the world. They also used the sun and stars as well as the habits and behaviour of birds to aid in reaching their destination. Today, boaters rely on more advanced technological devices to get where they wish to go.
One of the oldest technologies found on most modern boats is the compass. Basic marine compasses are used mostly in coastal navigation for determining direction and location of a boat when it is in coastal waters or near the shoreline. Marine electronics such as radar can also be used as navigational tools, indicating the relative location of land, other vessels, or even icebergs by reflecting signals off of such objects that then show up on a screen showing their location. Marine radar is an excellent navigation tool, especially at night, in storms, or foggy weather, as it shows the boater many possible dangers that might be lurking unseen nearby!
Another useful navigational device is the Loran C receiver, the precursor to our current GPS systems. Loran C uses electronic pulses sent from stations on shore to show the latitude and longitude (position) of a vessel. While still operational, Loran C is being phased out. Many boaters now rely on more sophisticated electronics such as GPS, which shows location on the water utilizing signals transmitting from satellites positioned in orbit around the Earth. Current GPS units and GPS Chartplotters can show a vessel's position within a few meters of accuracy anywhere on the globe.
One of the most important things a boater can have on his vessel is a navigational chart. Charts show the location of landmasses, lights, channels, buoys, reefs, and rocks. Navigational charts help boaters fix their location, plot their course and avoid hazards or obstructions along the way. For hundreds of years and until just recently, paper charts were the only thing available. However, with the advent of modern electronic chartplotters, paper charts have been relegated to the role of backup for use only when the chartplotter won't function.
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