The practical pilot

the long version

From the Introduction, by the Author: "This book is about coastal navigation (or piloting), the art and half-science of navigating a vessel along a coast, a few yards to a few miles offshore. Coastal navigation is done on a great variety of vessels, from sea kayaks to supertankers, although the techniques of the sea kayaker may be quite different from those of the tanker captain. Somewhere between sea kayak and supertanker is the small cruising boat, sail or power, perhaps 20, 30, or even 40 feet long, making its way on daysailing, weekend, or month-long trips off the shores of Maine, through Chesapeake Bay, near the Florida or California coasts--or wherever. This book seeks to outline practical and tested methods for making the navigation on such trips simple, enjoyable, and efficient."