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This handy mnemonic helps us remember which way to apply adjustments for bearings. Magnetic (compass) to True, True to Compass, Easterly Variation or Westerly Variation. 

This handy mnemonic helps us remember which way to apply adjustments for bearings. Magnetic (compass) to True, True to Compass, Easterly Variation or Westerly Variation.

Bottom-up or top-down? After several practical courses with skippers trained elsewhere, I saw the same pilotage problems: plans too long to read or too thin to protect the boat. Here’s how to choose a format, avoid left/right flips, and build a cockpit-ready plan that works by day and at night.