Course to Steer (CTS)
The direction in which a vessel should be steered to achieve a required track after allowing for expected set and drift.
A course-to-steer calculation combines the intended ground track with the forecast tidal stream or current and, where appropriate, leeway. The result may first be a true direction and then be converted through variation and deviation to a compass course for the helmsman.
The calculation is a forecast based on assumed speed, time and environmental effects. Actual progress must be monitored and revised because current, wind, steering and boat speed rarely match the assumptions exactly; simply steering the calculated number does not guarantee staying on track.
How to plot a Course to Steer
This step-by-step guide shows how to plot a preemptive Course to Steer. The Day Skipper Theory course's Passage Planning & Making module teaches this chart plotting process.
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