German Bight
General Nautical Terminology,Weather (Meteorology)
Navigation
Marine navigation has its own secret language, and let’s face it—half of it sounds like someone making things up after too much grog. You’ve got your ‘dead reckoning,’ which isn’t nearly as ominous as it sounds, and ‘bearing,’ which has nothing to do with polar bears but everything to do with pointing the right way. Don’t even get us started on ‘knots’—why measure speed like you’re tying a shoelace? And then there’s ‘fix (not for your engine) and ‘DR’ (spoiler: it’s not a doctor). If you’re baffled, don’t worry—we’re here to help you decipher this nautical code so you can sound like a pro, not a landlubber who’s lost their compass.
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Humber
General Nautical Terminology,Weather (Meteorology)
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Thames
General Nautical Terminology,Weather (Meteorology)
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Dover
General Nautical Terminology,Weather (Meteorology)
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Ferry Gliding
A technique for crossing flowing water by pointing the vessel into the stream so the current carries it sideways across the channel. The vessel maintains steerage through the water while its upstream heading and the current combine to produce a ground track across the flow. Adjusting the ferry angle changes sideways progress and upstream or…
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Syzygy
A near-straight alignment of three celestial bodies, such as the Sun, Earth and Moon at new or full moon. In the Earth–Moon–Sun system, syzygy combines lunar and solar tide-generating forces and is associated with spring tides, which have a greater-than-average tidal range. Exact local tides remain shaped by basin geometry, depth and weather. Syzygy is…
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Land Breeze
A local offshore wind produced when land cools more quickly than adjacent water, usually at night or near dawn. Cooler, denser air over land creates a pressure difference that drives low-level flow towards the relatively warmer water, with a compensating return flow aloft. The circulation is the nocturnal counterpart of a sea breeze. Strength and…
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General Nautical Terminology | Nautical Topics | Navigation | Organisation | Safety | Signals & Communication
International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREG) (COLREGs)
The international rules governing vessel conduct, lookout, safe speed, collision avoidance and navigation lights, shapes and sound signals. The 1972 COLREG Convention and its annexes apply on the high seas and connected waters navigable by seagoing vessels, with national implementation and permitted special local rules. They define vessel statuses and responsibilities in sight, restricted visibility…
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Appraise, Plan, Execute and Monitor (APEM) (APEM)
The four-stage process used to develop, carry out and continuously check a passage plan. Appraisal gathers relevant information and assesses risks; planning converts it into a detailed berth-to-berth route and contingencies; execution manages the voyage; monitoring checks the vessel’s progress and the continuing validity of the plan. The stages interact rather than forming a one-way…
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Officer of the Watch (OOW) (OOW)
The deck officer assigned responsibility for the vessel’s navigational watch on behalf of the master. The OOW maintains lookout, monitors position and passage plan, applies the collision regulations, manages bridge resources, responds to traffic and weather, and calls the master as required by standing orders and circumstances. The master’s presence does not automatically relieve the…
If you belive the Earth is flat, you're about to fall of the end...
If you belive the Earth is flat, you're about to fall of the end...
